Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and fever reducing pain relief medication. It is found in a lot of different pain relief medications, such as Advil, Ibuprin, Motrin, Rufen, Dolgesic, Nuprin and Genpril. In many countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, small packs of pain relief medication with Ibuprofen is available over-the-counter in pharmacies, particularly the 200 mg dosage. Ibuprofen is used to treat a number of different conditions that involve pain and/or inflammations and fever, including gout, rheumatoid arthritis, painful menstruations, headaches with a musculo-skeletal origin, dental pain and many types of muscular aches.

Ibuprofen side effects

Ibuprofen belongs to the NSAID group of pain relief medications, since it is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug. Ibuprofen and all the other NSAID pain relief medications work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins in the body. Prostaglandins are lipid compounds released by the body to produce pain as a warning signal, e.g. to warn us of a dental problem. Prostaglandins are also capable of causing constriction or dilation of the vascular smooth muscle cells. One of the reasons behind Ibuprofen's popularity as a pain relief medication is that it can suppress inflammation in a way similar to the powerful steroids, but without the severe side effects that are often seen with steroid treatment. Steroids are very potent, but they are unfortunately also able to cause high blood pressure, disruption of the menstrual cycle, oedema and unwanted hair growth. Just like other NSAID pain relief medications, Ibuprofen can affect the blood's ability to coagulate. Pain relief medication with an anti clotting effect is sometimes prescribed to people to reduce the risk of a blot clot causing a stroke. For other persons, the anti clotting effect of pain relief medication can be harmful and increase the risk of internal bleeding. Those people should choose pain relief medication without anti-clotting effects, such as paracetamol based pain relief medication, to avoid tampering with the blood's ability to coagulate.