Can anyone tell me when its best to take ibuprofen and when its best to take paracetamol?
Answer:
Ibuprofen, or Motrin, contains an anti-inflammatory agent, which paracetamol does not. Ibuprofen is better as a pain reliever when a there is muscular pain due to injury or inflammation- such as a strain, sprain, or arthritis. It has a certain amount of anti-pyretic qualities, which also make it useful for controlling fevers. Paracetamol, acetominaphen and Tylenol are all the same drug. They are excellent for non-aspirn control of fevers, and have some pain relieving qualities as well. They do not have any effect on inflammation or inflammatory processes though. For the garden variety headache, either would be effective. For fever control, they can be taken alternately to provide constant fever supression so long as each drug is taken alternately every 2 hours, so that the individual doses remain four hours apart. They are both proven safe to use with children, with both drugs having child appropriate dosages available in liquid and tablet form. One needs to be more cautious of overdose potential with paracetemol than ibuprofen, though it is possible to overdose with either drug. Taken as directed this in not usually a problem.
A general guide for deciding which to take is to determine if the pain involves muscles or injury to muscles. Ibuprofen is more effective at relieving headaches due to tension, than paracetamol, for cramps, strains and sprains, and back or joint pain, since more often than not inflammation is involved. If the problem is strictly fever, or if the pain is not due to muscles, then paracetamol can be equally effective. Large doses of either should be taken with food or milk to help prevent gastric upsets. And both can be taken in conjunction with one another without worrying about a drug interaction. In fact, paracetimol and ibuprofen are used with opiates like codeine to manage severe pain because they will allow less codeine to be needed. Tylenol #3 is the most familiar use of this combination- paracetamol and codeine are quite common after surgery and dental extractions.
Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory so good for muscle aches, etc Parecetomol is good for reducing fever and less severe pain. I always take Ibuprofen if parecetomol doesn't help. Don't take both together though.
I avoid them both. They give me chronic stomach cramps.
Ibuprofen is supposed to be good for injuries. I found that I started something quite nasty in my stomach when I had a bad knee.I stick to paracetamol now, as it is a good all round pain killer and doesn't hurt my stomach. Both need to be taken in moderation though.
Its perfectly safe to take both together.
Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory (reduces swelling) paracetemol is a simple analgesic and also reduces temperature.
there is no best time to take either. I mean they're both basically pain killers except ibuprofen is known to be more effective and paracetamol can be for fever. Either can be good depending on your situation
but make sure to not take them when your stomach is empty
You can take them both at the same time if you wish. They both have very similar analgesic properties. If you have pain then paracetamol would be your first choice as it has less potential of side effects, but if the pain does not subside after an hour or so, take an ibuprofen.paracetamol is also known to help reduce fevers.Remember though, its not advisable to overdo it with medicines. If you are in constant pain then you should visit your doc.
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti inflammatory, therefore best to take for conditions that cause inflammation, strains, muscular injuries, swelling, etc.
Paracetamol is a simple analgesic which also lowers fever, so best to take for headaches, infections which have fever and skeletal pain. Ibuprofen and paracetamol taken together (obviously at the recommended daily doses) make a effective pain killer for moderate pain.
You can take them both together for the right ailment. Take a look on nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Take both with food or you will be sick with stomach cramps.
For severe pain, I've taken both at the same time; I phoned the chemist first to check this was OK, of course.You must be careful not to take more than the allowed amount for both of these. Also, with paracetamol, do eat something with it, even if it's just a biscuit, otherwise it can make you feel queasy.
they are both very effective. it is a matter of personal choice. it depends on which you get better results from. one may be more effective on you than the other. consult your doctor. there may be other medications that better suits your condition.
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