How much ibuprofen can I really take?

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm sick. Running a fever between 101-103, sore neck (straight down from my ears), sore ears, sore throat and massive head ache.

 

Yesterday I took advil at 1pm, 3pm and 7pm (2 tablets each). This morning I've taken it so far at 2am. It is now 3:30am and my temp is starting to lower.

 

Can I really only take 2 at a time. It also said not to take more than 6 in 24 hours. If we are starting the time at 1pm yesterday then I've taken 8 in the last 13 hours.

 

I don't have any tylenol at the moment. Would it be a better idea to alternate the two? After childbirth they gave me way more than 2 iburprofen at a time.

 

I'm not sure if I should go to the doctor or not. My dh wants me to go but I'm pretty sure they are just going to say I have a virus and send me home.

 

Kelly

[elegantlion]

I've taken up to 4 at a time, usually for cramps. Is there a 24 hour nurses line that you can call? Maybe a 24 hour pharmacy? Sorry you don't feel well. :grouphug:

[SquirrellyMama]

Mabye I'll try three the next time it shoots up. It gets the fever down but hasn't touched the pain.

 

The pharmacies around here are very reluctant to give information about OTC drugs. I've run into it more than once that they refused to give me dosing on cold meds and such. I'm sure there is a 24 hour nurse line but I can't find the number for it right now.

 

I can tell my temp is going down. I went from chills to sweating.

[Mom0012]

You could try Alleve. My doctor told me that 1 Alleve was as strong as 2 ibuprofen and you can take 2 at a time. Otherwise, I think you are on the right track alternating the ibuprofen with Tylenol. That's what I do for my kids when they get sick.

 

Lisa

[Mommy22alyns]

I've taken up to 4 at a time. After childbirth, I was prescribed the 800 mg tablets. I also alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen to take down a high fever. Hope you feel better soon.

[Ravin]

When I was in the Navy the corpsman would readily hand out 800 mg motrin for menstrual cramps (or any other pain, just about). So I know up to 800mg in your system at a time is probably okay for an adult.

 

It is easier on your system to alternate meds. I've gotta say, though, with your symptoms, if the ibuprophen isn't already knocking out the fever and a good bit of the pain, I'd probably see the doctor ASAP.

[SeekingSimplicity]

I've taken as much as 6 at a time under the advice of a doctor. You can also take tylenol and advil at the same time or alternate.

 

But I bet you'd feel better if you went to the doctor and got a shot and antibiotics. Surely they wouldn't send you home with that high a fever.

[3lilreds in NC]

You can take up to 800 mg at a time safely. When I do that, I wait 8 hours between doses. If you need something in between, add Tylenol.

 

That's some expert advice from my home pharmacy. :D

[HeatherLynn]

800mg every 6 hours. You can also take WITH 1500mg Tylenol, or alternate. (tylenol every 4 hours).

[HeatherLynn]

Also, do not take Aleeve with Ibuprofen.

[SquirrellyMama]

I have an appointment at 9:20am. I went back to sleep around 4:30am and woke up at 5:30am drenched in sweat so I assumed my fever was gone but it is on its way back up.

 

I probably wouldn't go but I cannot eat with this pain in my throat and ears. I've had strep in the past and was able to eat just fine. I've rarely been sick enough to not want to eat.

 

Thanks for all the ibuprofin advice. I'll keep that in mind from now on. I plan on not taking any before going to the doctor. When I go or when I take my kids I make sure we have fevers so they don't look at me like I'm nuts. I have a couple friends who go to the same doctor's office and they do the same thing. At least I'm not alone.

[TXMomof4]

This is NOT medical advice,

 

But in the army they give 800 mg ibuprophen for everything. Headache? Here ya go! Broken arm? Here ya go! My brother had a pulled muscle and it was 800 mg every 4 hours. I wouldn't do that long term, but maybe to get the symptoms under control, then you could back off.

[SquirrellyMama]

Strep throat. Yuck. I think I'm going to bed.

[KidsHappen]

My doc says prescriotion strength is 800 mg every 6 hours. Alternate with tylonol but none og the other otc pain relievers

[skaterbabs]

The RX dose of ibuprofen has two levels. The basic doses are 200, 400, 600 & 800 mg. One tablet is 200 mg, the usual OTC adult dose is 400 mg. A "low" RX dose is 600 mg and the "high" RX dose is 800 mg (or four tablets.)

 

Make sure your doc is okay with it before taking a RX dose; mine routinely prescribes it for ME (I have joint issues dating back 15 years), but your doc may not agree for you. You also want to be absolutely certain you aren't going to have any interactions with other meds.

[LizzyBee]

I will take up to 600 mg x 4 daily or 800 mg x 3 daily. You can get a prescription for up to 1000 mg (so I've been told), but I won't go higher than 800 mg when self-medicating.

[hmschooling]

I just had dental work and they told me to take 800 mg three times per day. And it REALLY helped even with extensive dental work.

[ConnieB]

I've read that you can also alternate ibuprofren with acetaminaphen because they two don't interact. A nurse friend recommended this to us as well when DH was in a great deal of pain due to a back injury. He would take 3 IB and then 2 hours later take 3 AC and 2 hours later repeat the IB. It's not recommended that you do this for chronic pain, or if you have other ailments (like ulcers etc)....but the same nurse friend said that it's very difficult for someone to OD on either if they're taking them for short term pain relief. It has to really build up in your body before it causes problems.

 

I personally have taken 4 (i.e. 800mg) for cramps and other pain several times a day. Just be careful about upseting your tummy....nothing worse than being in pain and barfing!

[DarlaS]

Strep throat. Yuck. I think I'm going to bed.

 

Well, that was quick. I hope you get to getting better soon!

 

I actually had a doctor kind of recoil once upon sight of my sore throat (I'd been barely able to swallow for five days...). He muttered something like "Yeah, that's inflamed" and "Get in here quicker next time ok?".

 

Hope they gave you some good stuff! :D

 

Oh, yeah and the 800 mg ibuprofen's rule!

[ElizabethB]

This is NOT medical advice,

 

But in the army they give 800 mg ibuprophen for everything. Headache? Here ya go! Broken arm? Here ya go! My brother had a pulled muscle and it was 800 mg every 4 hours. I wouldn't do that long term, but maybe to get the symptoms under control, then you could back off.

 

LOL, standard Air Force medicine, too! (Do they get some kind of discount or something?)

 

Anyway, it is hard on my stomach, so I generally take tylenol or aspirin instead, but I had a ganglion cyst several years ago, the doctor said only ibuprofen would work, he immobilized it and I took ibuprofen, and it worked!

[Tap]

just for future reference

 

 

Up to 3200mg / 24hours is the max on ibuprofen. 800 four times a day is a common breakdown. Ibu lasts about 6-8 hours so you can also break it down into smaller doses, closer together. Like 600mg every 5-6 hours.

 

Tylenol is 4000mg / 24hours. Typical doses being 2 extra-strenghth (500mg) tablets four times a day (every 6 hours). Or 1 tablet eight times a day (every 3 hours) .

[Sharon H in IL]

For bad pain, I've taken ibuprofen, tylenol and aspirin in a cascade. They are cleared through different mechanisms I was told by a doctor friend, who knew I wasn't on anything else that would interact, and I was very young at the time, and healthy.

[Brooketopia]

I understand in this situation that the high doses of ibuprofen would be very temporary.

 

But for prolonged pain, don't rely on the 800 mg. ibuprofen--my husband is missing a disc in his back and has been relying on 800 mg. doses of ibuprofen since high school (he's now 30). Last year he was diagnosed with kidney disease...and when his doctor learned that he'd been taking 800 mg. ibuprofen on a regular basis for so many years, the doctor told my husband that there was a reason they only give that much out as prescriptions. Odds are that his high consumption of ibuprofen caused his kidney disease, which completely and entirely...well, stinks.

 

I imagine acetaminophen could cause the same problems for livers, but I'm not a doctor.

 

Just wanted to share--turns out that OTC stuff can really harm you if you don't use it appropriately.

 

Best wishes with kicking the strep. Ouch.

[Aggie]

You always want to take ibuprofen with food so it doesn't damage your stomach.

 

MrsBrooke...When dh was in the Navy, kids would try to get out of the Navy by od-ing on tylenol. They knew it wouldn't kill them, but it would be taken seriously as a suicide attempt. You're correct.. an od of tylenol will damage the liver.

 

An overdose of aleve will cause ringing of the ears. Don't ask how I know *that*!:glare:

[Tap]

The FDA is considering tightening current labeling on products with Tylenol and reducing the recommended maximum daily dosage to 3200mg.

 

I have heard from a current pharmacy student that his instructor told him that if Tylenol tried to get approval today, the FDA would never have allowed the drug to be OTC and may not have allowed it on the market at all. There is tremendous research and evidence to its toxicity. One problem with it, is that you don't know you have taken too much until the damage is done. There are no reliable methods to know you are potentially over dosing until your organs are already damaged. One big factor in this is that it is often found in cough/cold items so people overdose without realizing it.

 

 

ETA link to a current article about this topic http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/05/28/fda-report-urges-tougher-acetaminophen-warning.html

Edited June 4, 2009 by Tap, tap, tap

[SquirrellyMama]

I went up to 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 - 8 hours. I woke up at 2am this morning and looked in the mirror. My neck is so and lower jaw is really puffy. You can tell I have a sore throat. The 3 tablets have worked well. I'm thinking I should be getting over this by tonight after a second dose of antibiotics.