The facts on Nurofen and food

Nurofen and Food

Back in the 1970s, Nurofen was a prescription-only medicine and doctors used high doses to manage pain and inflammation in people with long-term conditions. Some patients took high doses of Nurofen every day for years, and ended up developing stomach problems, including ulcers.

Today, the dose of Nurofen in pain relievers you buy at the supermarket or pharmacy is much lower than the doses prescribed by doctors in the 1970s.

Another difference is that Nurofen is only taken for short periods of time now – that’s why your pharmacist recommends seeing a doctor if pain persists beyond three days. When taken for short periods of time, Nurofen is less likely to cause stomach problems. In fact, there is good evidence to show that stomach-related problems are more likely to occur when Nurofen is taken at high doses (over 1200 mg/day) and for long periods of time (more than 3 days at a time).

So before, when Nurofen was used at high doses for long periods of time, the chances of stomach problems were greater. Taking nurofen with food will help to reduce the risk of stomach upset. Ultimately, taking nurofen as the lowest dose possible and shortest period will help to reduce developing the risk of stomach ulcer in the long term.