Advil : Drug Information
What is Advil?
Advil belongs to the medicine class called NSAID (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to treat mild to moderate pain. It is the trade name of Ibuprofen. Doctors also prescribe this medication to reduce both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, such as swelling, inflammation, stiffness, and joint pain. Sometimes doctors use Advil to treat menstrual cramps, fever, and other medical conditions as determined by the doctor. You can avail of this medication with a doctor’s prescription as well as over-the-counter.
What to know before taking Advil?
You should not use Advil if you are allergic to it or any of its components, or you suffered from a severe asthma attack or have an allergic reaction to the aspirin or an NSAID.
To ensure that Advil is safe for you, you should tell your doctor if you have or ever had the following medical condition:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol level
- Diabetes
- History of heart attack, blood clot, stroke
- Stomach ulcer
- Stomach bleeding
- Asthma
- Liver or kidney infections
- Fluid retentions
- Connective tissue disease such as Marfan syndrome
Expecting women in their last trimester of pregnancy should avoid Advil as it may be harmful to the baby. Lactating mothers should not use this medication as Advil may pass into breast milk and affect the nursing baby.
How to take Advil?
It will be best if you take Advil precisely as prescribed by the doctor. You should follow all the directions given on the prescription label as well as the medicine level carefully. If you are not clear with any of the instructions, do ask your doctor. Please don’t take it more often than prescribed, as an overdose of this medication may adversely affect your stomach and intestine.
If you are taking Advil for a long time, you should have proper medical checkups at regular intervals. After completion of treatment, you should dispose of all the leftover medicines properly. You can dispose of medication with the help of a pharmacist nearby you, or you can dispose of it by flushing it down in the toilet.
Advil dosage
Dosages of Advil vary from patient to patient; therefore, the doctor can prescribe the dosages of this medication depending upon several factors such as:
- Age and weight of the patient
- Symptoms
- The seriousness of the condition
- Other medical conditions of the patient
- Other medicines used by the patient
The following are the average dose of Advil that can be prescribed by the doctor.
- For fever
For children (above two years of age)
The doctor will recommend the dosage of Advil after a full medical examination.
For children (from 6 months to 2 years)
Advil dose is based on the weight and must be determined by the doctor after a full checkup.
For infants ( below six months)
The doctor will recommend the dosage of Advil after a full medical examination.
- For menstrual cramps
- For adults
- 400 mg after every 4-6 hours.
- For children
The doctor will recommend the dosage of Advil after a full medical examination.
For pain ranging from mild to moderate
For adults and teenagers
400 mg after every 4-6 hours
For children (above six months to 12 years)
Advil dose is based on the weight and must be determined by the doctor after a full checkup. The average amount of this medication is 10 mg/ kg after every 6-8 hours.
For infants (below six months)
The doctor will recommend the dosage of Advil after a full medical examination.
For osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
For adults and teenagers
1200 mg to 3200 mg thrice or quadruple in a day.
For children (above six months to 12 years of age)
Advil dose is based on the weight and must be determined by the doctor after a full checkup. This medication’s average dosage is 30 mg to 40 mg, thrice, or quadruples in a day.
For infants (below six months of age)
The doctor will recommend the dosage of Advil after a full medical examination.
Overdose
If you experience any overdose symptoms of Advil, in that case, you should consult your doctor and ask for medical help as soon as possible, or you can avail of medical assistance by calling the poison helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Doctors should never ignore the overdose symptoms of Advil as it may result in an unpleasant situation. The following are a few Advil overdose symptoms that a patient may experience:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Drowsiness
- Black or bloody stools
- Coughing up blood
- Shallow breathing
- Fainting
- Coma
What to avoid while using Advil?
You should avoid alcohol while on this medication as it may increase the risk of stomach bleeding. Ask your doctor before taking aspirin with Advil. Tell your doctor if you are taking over-the-counter medications such as cold medicines, medicines to overcome allergy, etc. These medicines may interact with Advil and result in some fatal situations.
Advil side effects
Some of the common side effects of using Advil are as follows:
- Upset stomach
- Mild heartburn
- Vomiting or nausea
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nervousness
- Mild itching or rashes on the body
- Ringing in the ears
It is perfectly fine if you are experiencing mild side effects symptoms, but you should tell your doctor if these symptoms bother you so much. The list as mentioned above of side effects symptoms is inclusive.
You should talk to your doctor at least ones if you experience the following:
- Problem in vision
- Breathlessness
- Swelling in the body
- Rapid weight gain
- Skin rashes
- Symptoms of bleeding in the stomach such as bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds;
- Liver problems such as loss of appetite, pain in the upper stomach, tiredness, dark urine, clay-colored stool, etc
- Kidney problems, for example, little or painful urination, swelling in feet or ankles, etc.
- Anemia- pale skin, trouble in concentrating, lightheadedness, etc
- Severe reaction on the skin – fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain followed by red or purple skin rashes
What drugs can interact with Advil?
If your doctor is treating you with Advil, he must be knowing all the possible interactions with other drugs. It is your responsibility to tell the doctor about all the over the counter medicines you take or taken in the past few days. Some of the following medications which can interact with Advil are:
- cyclosporine
- pemetrexed
- lithium
- methotrexate
- a blood thinner such as warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven
- heart or blood pressure medication
- steroid medicine (for example, prednisone).
- Anti-depressant
- Vitamins supplyments
- Herbal products
The list, as mentioned above, of medications that can interact with Advil, is inclusive.