Ibuprofen Dosage: Ibuprofen Side Effects

Ibuprofen dosage can vary depending on whether or not you are treating an adult or a child. But first of all what is ibuprofen? It is the generic name for Advil.

It is from the class of drugs called NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are considered a separate class of drugs from steroids as they have a different mechanism of action on inflammation than steroids do, and have far less side effects in general. They can work in many parts of the body to reduce inflammation and also effect parts of the brain releasing factors that cause inflammation.

Before you start to take any medication for headache, you should try to determine what type of headache you have.

Advil has many uses and is indicated for arthritis, muscle aches (localized inflammation occurs), menstural pain and headaches. Many people use it to treat low level migraines.

What Is My Ibuprofen Dosage?

Dosage can depend on many factors. First of all, if you are generally healthy, you can follow the instructions on the package for dosing. Over the counter tablets and capsules are 200mg each. The amounts are as follows:

Adults: 200-400mg (1-2 doses)every 6 hours as needed for pain, maximum 1200mg/day.
Children age 2-12: 7.5-10mg/kg of weight every 6-8 hours as needed for pain or fever. A kilogram is 2.2 lbs so a 50lb child could have 170-227 mg every 6-8 hours. It is best to use the liquid form for children.
Children under age 2: Children this age should not have any medications without the supervision of a pediatrician.

This medication should usually be taken with food to avoid upset stomach, especially with children. It can take 20-30 minutes to start having an effect and the peak effect occurs at about 2 hours after ibuprofen dosage.

If you have a history of headaches or migraine, do not take any over the counter pain medication more than twice a week for headaches. More frequent use can lead to analgesic rebound headaches.

Although ibuprofen dosage is generally safe, there are conditions where it should not be used. If you are concerned you can read more about this and ibuprofen side effects.