Ibuprofen Question

Question submitted: "Can you explain Ibuprofen? It seems like everyone takes more than what the bottle says to and its no big deal.. and since it comes in higher doses than just over the counter pills can't you just take more OTC pills and have the same thing?"

Ibuprofen is in a general class of drugs called NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and is commonly used for pain or inflammation relief. Yes, there is an over the counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) strength, and the OTC is just a lower dose of the same medication. The problem with taking more than the bottle says to is that NSAIDS are known to cause stomach ulcers and bleeding and interact with some other prescription medications. The OTC strength is low enough we aren't as worried about the stomach issues except in very rare cases (such as patients with a bleeding risk) or if a patient is taking a prescription medication it interacts with.

If a doctor prescribes you prescription strength ibuprofen, chances are it will be cheaper to use OTC and take more tablets. You're right in one aspect in that it's not the toxicity of ibuprofen we're worried about (very difficult to fatally overdose on ibuprofen, which is why many times it's "no big deal" when people take more than the bottle says) but the risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding in the GI tract is an issue when people take high doses and do it frequently. That's the real reason for the difference in OTC and Rx strength NSAIDS. (Naproxen (Aleve) is the same way)

I might add, to go along with the pattern we've seen so far in this blog, alcohol really aggravates the stomach issues and shouldn't be taken with ibuprofen, aspirin, Tylenol, or naproxen (these are also NSAIDS), no matter if it's OTC or Rx strength.