over the counter medicine dosage

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#1 Post by **Joanne** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:56 pm

I was taking Aleve for pain (cramps) and was following the prescribed dosage (1 pill every 6 hours), which did not take care of the pain. My doctor told me to take two Aleve every four hours. I'm a little afraid of that, even if it's only for a few days during the month. How closely should I pay attention to the dosage on the package if my doctor tells me differently? Same with orthodontic pain. If I take an over the counter medication and it's not working, should I take more? Should I wait?
~Joanne

Website · #2 Post by **alexa** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:00 pm

With stuff like Advil or Aleve, you can actually take like four times what the label says most of the time and nothing happens, so doubling up is no big deal.

I never take less than two advils, aleve or whatever. It takes that much to take the edge off for me.

#3 Post by **calley03** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:32 pm

I agree there should not be any harm my husband often takes 2 800 mg motrin at a time and the military gives it out like its nothing with that doesage.

#4 Post by **bbsadmin** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:50 pm

Yes, you can take a lot more than the OTC package states, but you should always take it with food. Be aware that after taking them for a while, (10 days or more in a row, for example) those NSAID meds can irritate your stomach, particularly if you are prone to ulcers or digestive problems.

#5 Post by **jenns91civic** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:00 pm

Oh my gosh. You can NOT quadruple the dose of OTC meds. Never exceed the recommended dose (ON the package) without talking to your doctor. 1600mg ibuprofen at once is way way too much. Prescription strength ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) is 400, 600, or 800mg and the max dose is one 800mg tablet three times a day (every 8 hours). That's it. That doesn't mean you should do that with the OTC med.

Aleve (naproxen sodium) is not the same. One OTC Aleve tablet is 220mg. One prescriptrion strength naproxen tablet has either 250 or 500mg. Yes you can take two, but only if one doesnt work. Don't ever take more than 2 without consulting your physician.

With any OTC med, you should use the lowest recommended dose. More is not necessarily better. If one works, why make your kidneys and liver filter out two? If two works, why 3? And so on and so forth. If you reguarly need 800mg of ibuprofen (same as 4 OTC tablets) you need to see your doctor about getting prescription strength. It's inexpensive, more effective (I won't go into that pharmacology), and safer than self medicating with high doses of OTC meds.

Remember that everything you put in your body, your kidneys and liver have to filter out. Don't make them work too hard. You WILL regret it one day.

Jennifer, Certified Pharmacy Technician, soon to be Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician - Basic, and hopefully Paramedic student.

#6 Post by **nimo** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:10 pm

I used to take Alleve for cramps or headaches, but it really didn't do the job for me. Advil works the best for me. I don't know if there's so much difference in those medications, but you could always ask your doctor if they could recommend something else.

#7 Post by **jenns91civic** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:21 pm

I responded to this ages ago but got an error and never noticed it didn't post. Now of course I don't remember what I said lol.

Meryaten, taking a higher dose with your doc's permission is just fine. I have no problem with that. It's the self-medicating so many people do that scares me. Just because something is OTC doesn't mean it's perfectly safe (that includes all vitamins, herbal supplements, and anything else).

Tolerance is an annoying fact of medicine. When we take a dose for a while our bodies can get tolerant, so it requires more medication for the same effect. This is pretty common with narcotics but it can happen with anything. For a while I was to a point that I had to take 120mg pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), 75mg diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and 600-800mg ibuprofen for my allergies and sinus problems. Those are all very high doses and weren't even working that great so I just quit taking it all. It means I deal with constant (24/7) nasal congestion but at least my poor kidneys and liver aren't having to filter out all those meds. My own disclaimer: I am a pharmacy tech and talked to one of the pharmacists I worked with on max doses of meds. Since he knows me and my medical history, he was able to tell me what I should and shouldn't do.

Naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) are similar; both are NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) but aren't the same med. If one doesn't work, the other may work wonders. I really like naproxen for muscular pain and it used to work really well for my sinus pain. For headaches and abdominal cramping I prefer ibuprofen.

See...get me started on pharmacology and I talk for hours lol.

Jenn

#8 Post by **jenns91civic** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:21 pm

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