What Is The Maximum Daily Dose Of Ibuprofen?

Answer

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The maximum daily dose of ibuprofen varies depending on whether or not you are using ibuprofen via prescription or taking the over-the-counter (OTC) product.

The maximum daily dose of prescription ibuprofen is:

• 3,200 mg

Prescription ibuprofen is available as a 400 mg tablet, 600 mg tablet and 800 mg tablet. Therefore, the maximum amount you can take in one day of the prescription tablets is as follows:

• 8 tablets of 400 mg ibuprofen
• 5 tablets of 600 mg ibuprofen
• 4 tablets of 800 mg ibuprofen

The maximum daily dose of over-the-counter ibuprofen is:

• 1,200 mg per day

Since over-the-counter ibuprofen only comes as a 200 mg tablet, the maximum daily dose is 6 tablets.

Rx Vs. OTC Ibuprofen Maximum Daily Dose

Even though prescription and OTC ibuprofen are the same active ingredient, the maximum daily dose varies, as you can see above.

This is because high doses of ibuprofen, for extended periods of time, can cause serious side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding and increases your risk of cardiovascular events. Self-treatment (i.e. over-the-counter use) of ibuprofen is therefore limited and higher doses should only be used under the direction of your doctor or other prescribers.

In your situation, you have a prescription for ibuprofen 800 mg tablets. Therefore, you can take up to 4 per day (unless otherwise directed). The usual dosing interval is every four to six hours.

We wrote about this topic more comprehensively in another one of our Q+As, which can be found here: Are Prescription And Over-The-Counter Ibuprofen The Same?

Final Words

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