questions about otc medicine's

[HybridSquirrel]

pharmacy people feel free to charm in on this. A while back my doctor said I could take 600mg of Ibuprofen every 4 hours (rather than the usual 400) because of my body weight (5'7 170) Does that mean I can up the dosage a little on stuff like nyquil/robitussin? My insurance is rolling over right now and i'm not covered till next wednesday otherwise id just ask a doctor.

For instance, rather than 2tsp of Robitussin, would it be safe to take 2 1/2 - 3?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

yes, you can take easily 2 1/2 or 3 tsp of cough syrup. on the rare occasion i reach for nyquil, i take exactly 2 chugs.

 

[BoomerD]

How can anyone find teh intarwebs yet not be able to figure stuff like this out on their own?


OTC medication dosages are intentionally WEAKER than a prescription dose. Your ibuprofen is an example. The smallest prescription dose I've ever seen is 600 mg, (although IIRC, it's available in 400 and 800)...and the prescribed dose was 1 every 6 hours...OTC ibuprofen is 200 mg...and a max recommended dose of 2 every 8 hours.
The same holds true for OTC cough syrups.

 

[OCGuy]

Do you really need that much of either?

 

[eits]

Do you really need that much of either?

i was wondering the same thing.

what's wrong with the op that he needs to cover the problem with that much ibuprofen?

 

[OCGuy]

i was wondering the same thing.

what's wrong with the op that he needs to cover the problem with that much ibuprofen?

Exactly..I am not judging anybody here...I enjoy my own personal "medicines"....but generally these lab-created concoctions are worse for you than the drugs you can get in your local liquor isle.

 

[brainhulk]

many otc cough and cold preps usually have a multitude of drugs in combination together. Because of that it's hard to issue a blanket statement to say yes you can take higher doses. You have to take each ingredient into account and determine which drug will be dose limiting.

Guaifenesin is a rather poor drug. One usually tends to see any benefit until the doses reach 600mg (30ml for regular robitussin by itself) and when taken with plenty of water. The goal of this drug is to help loosen up secretions so you can cough it out easier, so one really has to wonder if it's the drug or just the water working.

for cough supression, I usually recommend something with dextromethorphan
runny nose-benadryl @ night. claritin during the day.
sinus congestion-sudafed

take your pick from the ingredients above and pick your otc drugs accordingly. use a combination if you have multiple symptoms. don't use an ingredient if you don't have the symptoms. check with your pharmacist how high you can go on the dose for each product you pick.

be very carefull with ibuprofen if you will be using it long term. It can cause renal failure and also make you more susceptible to ulcers.

Sorry I am a bit rushed writing this at work. kinda busy

 

[tcsenter]

NSAIDs + alcoholism = nothing good

 

[Mo0o]

Yes. most OTC drugs have low dosage recommendations to minimize OD rates. But I would recommend trying the OTC meds at the recommended doses rather than assuming you'd need more. Your body size is pretty average so its not like you'll need whopping dose for most drugs.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

Do you really need that much of either?

yep, i broke my ankle and have a cold.

 

[spidey07]

Ibuprofen is a special case. The normal dosage is actually 800-1200 mg to be effective. The only way it was approved for OTC was because the pill was dropped and the recommended dosage changed to 400. If you get perscription, it's going to be for 1200+

This is why I always take 800-1000 if I'm going to take it.

 

[ichy]

Sorry to hear about your ankle. You should actually be able to take 800mg of ibuprofen every four hours for an injury like that, that's what I did when I busted my ankle last year.

The fact that you can take double the OTC dose of ibuprofen doesn't mean that you can do it with all medications though. Acetaminophen (active ingredient in Tylenol) can do seriously bad things to your liver and should NOT be screwed around with.

 

[ichy]

Ibuprofen is a special case. The normal dosage is actually 800-1200 mg to be effective. The only way it was approved for OTC was because the pill was dropped and the recommended dosage changed to 400. If you get perscription, it's going to be for 1200+

This is why I always take 800-1000 if I'm going to take it.

I've never heard of anyone being prescribed 1200mg of ibuprofen, but 800mg is pretty common. That's one of the things I was give when I broke my shoulder, and later my ankle. Everyone I know who's had their wisdom teeth removed was also prescribed 800mg.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibuprofen#Typical_administration

"under medical direction, the maximum amount of ibuprofen for adults is 800 milligrams per dose or 3200 mg per day (4 maximum doses)."

 

[Homerboy]

I've never heard of anyone being prescribed 1200mg of ibuprofen, but 800mg is pretty common. That's one of the things I was give when I broke my shoulder, and later my ankle. Everyone I know who's had their wisdom teeth removed was also prescribed 800mg.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibuprofen#Typical_administration

"under medical direction, the maximum amount of ibuprofen for adults is 800 milligrams per dose or 3200 mg per day (4 maximum doses)."

Yeah I was going to say 1200mg seems a weeeeee bit high. Even for a perscription. I'm a bigger guy, and my doc friends always tell me to take 800mg.

In fact I just popped 800 last night (rolled ankle playing football with the kiddos)

 

[Mo0o]

yep, i broke my ankle and have a cold.

Maybe eits has a few adjustments he can do on you...

Just kidding, just kidding. Did the doc prescribe you any good painkillers? If you're having trouble with pain control, you can call the doctor up and let him know and he might be able to write you for a few... As far as the cold goes, you should alternate between Tylenol and ibuprofen at their recommended doses and stay well hydrated.

 

[Azraele]

My brother was prescribed higher doses of ibuprofen to combat headaches. He ended up with a bleeding stomach ulcer that almost killed him. Be careful when playing with higher dosages.

 

[spidey07]

I've never heard of anyone being prescribed 1200mg of ibuprofen, but 800mg is pretty common. That's one of the things I was give when I broke my shoulder, and later my ankle. Everyone I know who's had their wisdom teeth removed was also prescribed 800mg.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibuprofen#Typical_administration

"under medical direction, the maximum amount of ibuprofen for adults is 800 milligrams per dose or 3200 mg per day (4 maximum doses)."

meh, my dad has a prescription for 1200. But then again he's 87.

 

[Mo0o]

meh, my dad has a prescription for 1200. But then again he's 87.

That seems like way too much for an 87 year old unless he takes it for a really specific problem like gout flare ups

 

[Homerboy]

That seems like way too much for an 87 year old unless he takes it for a really specific problem like gout flare ups

Or he's 6'10" and 400lbs

 

[Mo0o]

Or he's 6'10" and 400lbs

That's a lot of dude

 

[Vette73]

Do you really need that much of either?

This


I take half doses of most OTC drugs and get the same effect.

I guess some think if a little works then a lot must be even better.

 

[ichy]

This


I take half doses of most OTC drugs and get the same effect.

I guess some think if a little works then a lot must be even better.

Trust me, if you've just broken your ankle you'll want more ibuprofen than the regular OTC dose.

 

[Vette73]

My brother was prescribed higher doses of ibuprofen to combat headaches. He ended up with a bleeding stomach ulcer that almost killed him. Be careful when playing with higher dosages.

You sure? I know asprian can eat away at your stomach but Ibuprofen is known to cause heart issus.
Acetaminophen (tylenol) is a liver toxin.

 

[Vette73]

Trust me, if you've just broken your ankle you'll want more ibuprofen than the regular OTC dose.

I had my right foot pushed almost all the ways back and a 1 1/2 rip in my scrotum and only used 1 Ibuprofen a couple times a day after my motorcycle accident.

People over estimate the amount of drugs they need and higher does only feeds their placebo affect.

 

[spidey07]

This


I take half doses of most OTC drugs and get the same effect.

I guess some think if a little works then a lot must be even better.

With ibuprofen that is indeed the case. 800 is the effective dosage, 400 doesn't do much.