What You Need To Know About Ibuprofen

What you should know about ibuprofen is that it belongs to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. It is one of the first options for fighting pain, inflammation and fever.

It is estimated that half of the population sometimes suffers from headaches. In addition, 30 million people suffer from low back pain. In addition, people suffer from pain caused by cancer, heart disease and other diseases. The pain resulting from these diseases is then often treated with ibuprofen.

About ibuprofen: its uses

Ibuprofen comes in the form of pills, capsules and syrup. It  is an anti-inflammatory, pain reliever and a medicine to lower fever.

The fever-reducing effects start after an hour and can last 4 to 8 hours. However, the anti-inflammatory effect may require up to a week of treatment.

The main applications

• Treatment for situations of pain or inflammation, such as headache, migraine, earache, menstrual pain, sore throat and muscle aches.
• Symptoms of fever.
• Diseases such as joint disease and, for example, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
• Treatment for soft tissue wounds such as torn muscles and strains.

About ibuprofen: how it works

Ibuprofen works by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase, which produces prostaglandins. These prostaglandins cause vasodilation, fever and pain.

What happens to ibuprofen in the body?

Ibuprofen is a drug that does not dissolve very well in water. However, it is often used in the salt form of arginate or lysine. This is done to make it more soluble. As a result, its main features are:

• Absorption : Oral and parenteral ingestion are the most common methods. Oral administration is fast and effective.
• Distribution: ibuprofen links effectively to plasmatic proteins (90-99%). It is able to spread through the tissues.

• Metabolism: The majority of the metabolism occurs in the liver. This is done by hydroxylation and carboxylation. Various inactive metabolites are generated in this process.
• Excretion: Urine accounts for 90% of ibuprofen excretion and feces excretes a small proportion. This will happen within 24 hours.

About ibuprofen: the dosage

The dosage depends on the pharmaceutical form for each patient. Doctors often recommend a specific schedule.

In general, this is usually the following:

• For adults, the dose should be between 400 and 600 mg. This should be taken every 6 to 8 hours. The dose should not exceed 2.4 mg per day .
• In children from 3 months* to 11 years it should be a maximum of 20 to 30 mg. This should be divided into 3 or 4 doses per day .

* This means that there has been no efficacy and safety study for infants under 3 months of age.

Doctors recommend oral pills only for adults. This should never be more than 600 mg every 6 to 8 hours.

Whenever possible, you should not skip a dose of ibuprofen. However, you should also remember to be careful with it. The reason for this is that overuse can lead to kidney or liver problems.

Precautions

These are the precautions for ibuprofen:

• Hypersensitivity to ibuprofen. There are cases of interactions of ibuprofen with NSAIDs in the case of an allergy to aspirin. NSAIDs stands for Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. These reactions are common in asthmatics, among others.
• Stomach ulcer, inflammation in the gut, or any process that increases the risk of stomach or gut bleeding. Due to the inhibition of the synthesis of prostaglandins, ibuprofen may increase the risk of bleeding and perforation and stomach or intestines. This is why doctors recommend taking ibuprofen and other NSAIDs with food. The purpose of this is to reduce the risk of stomach pain.
• Changes in blood clotting. Ibuprofen causes certain anticoagulant effects that can prolong bleeding time.

• Weak kidney function. Because your urine excretes the ibuprofen, it can build up in poor kidney function and become toxic. It can also weaken blood flow to the kidneys.
• Uncontrolled hypertension and heart disease.
• Pregnancy. Women should not take it during the last trimester of pregnancy. In addition, prolonged use in the first trimester should be avoided.

Interactions

There are many drugs that can alter the behavior of ibuprofen and NSAIDs in the body, reducing their effectiveness or even causing side effects.

We therefore list a number of these products for you:

• NSAIDs. Ibuprofen may reduce the anticoagulant effects of aspirin when people take these two medications together.

• Alcohol.  There is a potentially toxic effect because both substances metabolize in the liver.

• Blood pressure reducers. There is a possible decrease in the effectiveness of this. In patients with poor kidney function it can therefore affect the breakdown. This problem is especially common in dehydrated or elderly patients.
• Oral anticoagulants, heparin.  There is a risk of a possible increase in the anticoagulant effects and thus of bleeding. That’s why doctors recommend that you periodically test your blood.
• Medicines for diabetes. In addition, hypoglycemic effects may increase. This affects kidney function.

• Paracetamol. Finally, the simultaneous and long-term use of paracetamol and ibuprofen may cause an adverse effect on renal function.

The side effects

Side effects are mainly due to  the inhibition of the cyclo-oxygenase and (COX-1). In general, they often appear at doses above 3.2 mg per day.

• Stomach and intestinal effects:  possible occurrence of dyspepsia, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain and also bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Dermatological effects : this usually concerns hypersensitivity manifesting itself in problems of the skin, hives or redness of the skin. However, these reactions are more likely to occur in patients with a history, such as hypersensitivity to aspirin and other NSAIDs.

• Central Nervous System : Headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and circulatory problems.
• Hematologic Effects : May prolong bleeding time.
• Cardiovascular effects : hypertension and heart problems.
• Kidneys:  increase in uric acid and renal failure.