The other day I was speaking with a patient during her office visit. During that visit the patient stated that Advil just wasn’t taking care of her pain any more. I then proceeded to ask how many she was taking and she said “six”. I then clarified, 600mg, she said “no 6 pills at a time up to 4 times a day. I couldn’t believe she had not had any severe side effects, and immediately instructed her to stop her Advil routine.
Advil belongs to a group of pain relievers called Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs aka “NSAID”. NSAIDs have been around for a very long time, they are very good for arthritic inflammatory pain. They come in many names, the most common are Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Mobic, Naprosyn to name a few. As with any medication there are side effects. The most common side effect is stomach upset, gastric ulcers, and changes in hearing. These complications can be serious or even fatal if the recommended dose is exceeded. NSAIDs also have an effect on blood clotting, making bleeding easier and more prolonged if injured. Read More