A client with rheumatoid arthritis is to begin taking ibuprofen 800 mg by mouth three times a day

Drug information provided by: IBM Micromedex

For safe and effective use of this medicine, do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than ordered by your doctor. Taking too much of this medicine may increase the chance of unwanted effects, especially in elderly patients .

When used for severe or continuing arthritis, this medicine must be taken regularly as ordered by your doctor in order for it to help you. This medicine usually begins to work within one week, but in severe cases up to two weeks or even longer may pass before you begin to feel better. Also, several weeks may pass before you feel the full effects of this medicine .

To lessen stomach upset, you may take this medicine with food or milk .

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

  • For oral dosage form (tablets and suspension):
    • For fever:
      • Children over 2 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
      • Children 6 months of age up to 2 years—Dose is based on body weight and body temperature, and must be determined by your doctor. For fever lower than 102.5 °F (39.2 °C), the dose usually is 5 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) (about 2.2 mg per pound) of body weight. For higher fever, the dose usually is 10 mg per kg (about 4.5 mg per pound) of body weight. The medicine may be given every six to eight hours, as needed, up to 40 mg per kg per day.
      • Infants younger than 6 months of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor .
    • For menstrual cramps:
      • Adults—400 milligrams (mg) every four hours, as needed.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor .
    • For mild to moderate pain:
      • Adults and teenagers—400 milligrams (mg) every four to six hours, as needed.
      • Children over 6 months of age—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose usually is 10 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight every six to eight hours, as needed, up to 40 mg per kg per day.
      • Infants younger than 6 months of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor .
    • For osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis:
      • Adults and teenagers—1200 milligrams (mg) up to 3200 mg per day divided into three or four equal doses.
      • Children—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose usually is 30 milligrams (mg) to 40 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, divided into three or four doses.
      • Infants younger than 6 months of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor .

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

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Portions of this document last updated: June 01, 2022

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Most of us have been told at one time or another that we need to get more exercise, and there's good reason for that. Moving around helps us physically and mentally. It can reduce the risk of certain illnesses and it can get us through tough times. But what happens when exercise makes us hurt? Should we stop exercising, or is there something we can do to relieve the pain and get through it?

Taking ibuprofen after your exercise session may help reduce post-exercise pain. But how do you know whether that is the right course for you?

Understanding Your Pain

Before you treat your pain by taking ibuprofen or other medications, it's important to understand why you are experiencing pain related to exercise. Here are some tips for identifying the type of pain you feel:

  • Muscle pain: When you start a new exercise or ramp up one you've been doing for a while, you develop small, microscopic tears in muscle fibers. As those fibers heal, you will likely feel an ache in the muscle, which can range from mildly annoying to quite painful depending on how hard you worked out. On the bright side, this process makes your muscles stronger.
  • Joint pain: Unless you have injured your joint (a sprain or break, for example), joint pain is usually caused by arthritis. When you have arthritis, exercise can help keep your joints flexible, but it can also increase pain. This means you have to balance the need to keep moving with minimizing any discomfort the exercise causes.
  • Soft tissue pain: Soft tissue pain may be felt in the joint, but it is caused by irritation or damage to tissue such as tendons and ligaments. This can be the result of an injury or constant repetitive use of a joint, such as tennis elbow.

Note that moderate to severe or persistent pain should be evaluated by your primary care physician.

Relieving the Pain

If you experience pain from exercise, you have several options to reduce this pain and still continue with your activity. Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by reducing inflammation and pain. Over-the-counter tablets can be taken every four to six hours, as per the label's directions, but there's a limit to how many you can take per day. The directions will indicate that, depending on the dosage. While you can continue taking ibuprofen for a few days, it's not recommended that you take it daily to relieve pain unless your doctor has prescribed it.

Medications like ibuprofen can irritate your stomach lining and cause problems ranging from mild nausea to ulcers. There are also reports that some NSAIDs may increase your risk of developing heart disease. So while occasional use is fine, continued daily use should only be done under your doctor's supervision.

What About Taking Ibuprofen Before Exercise?

You may be tempted to try to prevent exercise pain by taking ibuprofen or other medications before you start your activity. Experts say this isn't a good idea. Aside from the side effects that you might experience from taking medications, research shows that taking ibuprofen before exercise may worsen damage to your body's tissues and delay healing.

What to Do if You Have Pain From Exercise

If you continue to have pain occasionally after exercise or when you change your routine, there are some nonmedicinal approaches you can take to help manage your pain:

  • Use heat or ice, or alternate both, on the painful area.
  • Support the painful area with a brace or bandage.
  • Acupuncture.
  • Massage therapy.

If you have pain every day or after every exercise session, there may be an issue with the type of exercise you are doing or how you are doing it. If you attend a gym, ask a trainer to watch your techniques. It may be that some correction is all you need. If you exercise on your own, you may need to bring the intensity down, shorten the length of time, or switch to a different activity. Exercising is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but it's also important to exercise properly so you don't want to quit because of pain.

Can you take ibuprofen if you have rheumatoid arthritis?

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat mild to moderate pain, and helps to relieve symptoms of arthritis (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or juvenile arthritis), such as inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain.

What is the first line treatment for rheumatoid arthritis?

Methotrexate. Methotrexate is now considered the first-line DMARD agent for most patients with RA. It has a relatively rapid onset of action at therapeutic doses (6-8 weeks), good efficacy, favorable toxicity profile, ease of administration, and relatively low cost.

Is ibuprofen 800 mg good for inflammation?

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. Ibuprofen is used to reduce fever and treat pain or inflammation caused by many conditions such as headache, toothache, back pain, arthritis, menstrual cramps, or minor injury.

What is treatment for rheumatoid arthritis?

Conventional DMARDs . These drugs can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and save the joints and other tissues from permanent damage. Common DMARDs include methotrexate (Trexall, Otrexup, others), leflunomide (Arava), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine).