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[Solved] Ibuprofen
exis
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I went to the ER today with chest pain. After a whole lot of tests the doctor sent me home with a prescription for "Motrin 600 Milligram", but told me that if I don't want to bother with going to the pharmacy and getting the prescription, I could get it over the counter in smaller amounts. Being an idiot I've lost my prescription, I think I left it at the ER. The way I know my prescription is it I have some medical notes he's given me to take to my doctor at home.
Now as far as I can tell over-the-counter Ibuprofen comes in 200mg amounts?
So my questions are: Is there any problem with me simply taking 3x200mg pills instead of one stronger one, and is there any difference whatsoever between brands of Ibuprofen (I have Advil at home, seems dumb to go buy Motrin if it does the same thing).
Thanks.
Now as far as I can tell over-the-counter Ibuprofen comes in 200mg amounts?
So my questions are: Is there any problem with me simply taking 3x200mg pills instead of one stronger one, and is there any difference whatsoever between brands of Ibuprofen (I have Advil at home, seems dumb to go buy Motrin if it does the same thing).
Thanks.
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While it is always good advice to avoid mixing alcohol and medication in general, ibuprofen doesn't have any particular interaction with alcohol. Tylenol is the painkiller that when combined with alcohol can kill your liver. Also, ibuprofen doesn't give you ulcers, but it can cause discomfort in some people who have sensitive stomachs. Taking ibuprofen while you have some food in your stomach minimizes this, but isn't essential. Personally, I've never had any stomach problems from taking ibuprofen and I usually take it on an empty stomach.
Of course you might be able to just buy the generics stuff for a fraction of the price rather than whatever the exact brand name the doctor specified...
But that's in the UK where any prescription costs £6.50 or something, regardless of what is.
However, my 'script is for 60 pills, and 1 refill. The 60 pills cost like 4.35, less than half of my copay for medicine. It's enough that even if I get better, I'm still going to fill up the prescription again because it's practically cheaper than buying the OTC pills at 200mg. Ibuprofen, unlike many prescription medicines, is useful in a ton of ways AND the LD50 is incredibly high, making them a very safe medicine for inflammatories. Which is great! They always fill 'em with "generics" so you won't get stuck paying your copay or the "max price" like you would for a name brand.
So the short of it is that you are perfectly fine just taking the OTC pills in a triple dose, however many times a day the doc recommends. You should take it with food, because ibuprofen can be a little tough on your stomach, and you shouldn't drink much because it can increase the effects. At least, that's what my doc and the bottle says.
However, because of the convenience of a few big pills, you probably should a) pick a pharmacy and b) call your doc and have them fax the prescription over to that pharmacy, stating that you lost the copy you received. I was contemplating just taking the 200mg pills but went through a quarter of a large bottle in a week, and figured it was a waste of little pills.
By default a pharmacy should fill the generic medication if one is on the market.
If a doctor is writing your prescriptions "Dispense as Written" (DAW) without your specific request for him/her to do so, find a new doctor, because this one is working for drug companies, not for you.