Nurofen Drug Information

Generic Name: Ibuprofen

Product Name: Nurofen


NUROFEN tablets contain the active ingredients Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen belongs to a family of medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). These medicines work by relieving pain, inflammation (swelling, redness, soreness) and fever.


Indication of Nurofen

Ibuprofen is used for pain relief in the following conditions:



Action of Nurofen

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). NSAIDs relieve pain and inflammation by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins, which have an important involvement in the production of inflammation, pain and fever in the body.


Dose advice of Nurofen

The initial recommended dose of Ibuprofen is 400 mg.

200 to 400 mg may be given every four hours if required.

The maximum recommended dose is 1200mg per day.


Before taking Nurofen

Do not use ibuprofen just before or after heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).


This medicine may cause life-threatening heart or circulation problems such as heart attack or stroke, especially if you use it long term.


This medicine may also cause serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and can occur without warning while you are taking ibuprofen, especially in older adults.


You should not use this medication if you are allergic to ibuprofen, aspirin or other NSAIDs.


Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medication if you have:



Taking ibuprofen may harm the unborn baby. Do not use ibuprofen if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether ibuprofen passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Do not give this medicine to a child without the advice of a doctor.


Important information about Nurofen

Ibuprofen may cause life-threatening heart or circulation problems such as heart attack or stroke, especially if you use it long term. Do not use ibuprofen just before or after heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG).


Get emergency medical help if you have chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance.


This medicine may also cause serious effects on the stomach or intestines, including bleeding or perforation (forming of a hole). These conditions can be fatal and can occur without warning while you are taking ibuprofen, especially in older adults.


Call your doctor at once if you have symptoms of stomach bleeding such as black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.


Do not take more of this medication than is recommended. An overdose of ibuprofen can cause damage to your stomach or intestines. Use only the smallest amount of ibuprofen needed to get relief from your pain, swelling, or fever.


Common side effects of Nurofen


Uncommon side effects of Nurofen


This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.


Benefits of Nurofen

Ibuprofen can provide some relief for suffers of rheumatoid arthritis. Use of the drug can reduce some of the pain and swelling but it will not alter the course of the disease.


Ibuprofen has been found to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Ibuprofen is thought to be able to reduce the amounts of beta-amyloid (a protein fragment whose accumulation is linked to the disease) that build–up in the brain. Whilst this information supports previous data which indicates that ibuprofen and other NSAIDs can slow down or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease, scientists say it may also introduce a new way of thinking about how ibuprofen protects the brain. About 20 studies carried out on people have shown that those who took NSAIDs for various reasons had a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those people who did not take NSAIDs. Evidence has shown that inflammation in the brain, prompted by amyloid deposits, activates immune cells and elicits harmful substances that destroy nerve cells. Ibuprofen is thought to interrupt this pathway of events.


Ibuprofen is much more effective than aspirin. To achieve the same anti-inflammatory effect 4000mg of aspirin needs to be administered whilst only 2400mg must be used in the case of ibuprofen. This again shows that ibuprofen is more useful than other drugs, as because it is present at lower concentrations in the body the chance of unwanted side effects are much less.


Ibuprofen is not addictive and so will not cause problems with people becoming dependent on it, this can occur with other painkillers. It also means that people will not build up a tolerance to the drug: meaning that they will not need larger and larger quantities of the drug to induce the same pain releasing effects.


Benefits of Nurofen for Children


Ibuprofen should not be taken by people who:


Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before use if your child:

Suffers from asthma, is taking any other pain relievers or is receiving any other regular treatment.


Diseases treated by Nurofen