Advil dosage, forms, and strengths

Advil (active ingredient: ibuprofen) is a brand-name over-the-counter medication used to temporarily relieve fever or minor aches and pains due to headache, toothache, backache, muscle aches, colds, arthritis, or menstrual cramps. Advil only relieves symptoms and does not treat or cure any underlying medical condition. Advil is taken by mouth as a tablet, caplet, gel caplet, or liquid gel capsule. It can be taken with or without food.

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Advil dosage forms and strengths

Advil is sold as tablets, caplets, or gel caplets with 200 mg of ibuprofen in each pill.

Additional Advil products include Advil Liqui-Gels, Advil Liqui-Gel Minis, Advil Easy-Open Arthritis Cap (tablets or gel capsules), and Advil Migraine (gel capsules). Each product contains 200 mg of ibuprofen per tablet or gel capsule. 

Advil Dual Action combines 250 mg of acetaminophen with 125 mg of ibuprofen in each caplet.

Advil dosage for adults

Advil has a standard recommended adult dose of one tablet, caplet, or gel capsule (200 mg) taken every four to six hours while symptoms persist. If one tablet, caplet, or capsule does not provide sufficient pain or fever relief, the dose can be doubled to two tablets, caplets, or gel capsules every six hours (with a maximum of six tablets in 24 hours).

• Standard Advil dosage for adults and adolescents 12 or older: One to two tablets, caplets, or gel capsules (200-400 mg) every four to six hours while symptoms last. See maximum dosage below.

• Maximum Advil dosage for adults and adolescents 12 or older: No more than six tablets (1200 mg total) in 24 hours. Do not use for more than 10 days, unless under the supervision of a healthcare provider.

Consult a doctor about the appropriate ibuprofen dosage if you have liver or kidney disease.

Advil dosage for children

The Advil products described above are recommended for use in adults and children 12 years and older. 

For children, it is strongly recommended that caregivers administer one of three Advil products specially formulated for children every six to eight hours:

• Infants’ Advil Drops

• Children’s Advil Suspension

• Junior Strength Advil Chewables

Advil dosage for aches, pain, and fever

For adults and adolescents 12 years or older, Advil can be used to temporarily relieve minor aches and pain due to headache, muscle ache, backache, toothache, premenstrual/menstrual cramps, or the common cold. Advil can also be taken for the temporary relief of fever or chills.

• Adults and adolescents (12 years and older): 200-400 mg every four to six hours. Max dosage 1200 mg in 24 hour period.

• Pediatric patients (11 years and younger): Ask a pediatrician.

• Renally impairment with creatinine clearance of 30-60 ml/min: Use with caution (consult your healthcare provider)

• Renally impairment with creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min: Do not use

• Dialysis patients: Do not use

• Hepatically-impaired patients: Use with caution (consult your healthcare provider)

Women who are pregnant should not take Advil unless directed by a physician. 

Advil should not be used after 20 weeks of pregnancy because it can cause serious complications to the kidneys and lungs. Advil also should never be taken after 20 weeks of pregnancy because it can cause serious complications and possibly death to the unborn baby. 

Only an extremely small amount of Advil is present in breast milk, so Advil is considered a preferred pain relief medication for nursing mothers. The manufacturer, however, advises talking to a doctor before taking it.

People with heart disease, congestive heart failure, gastritis, ulcers, high blood pressure, asthma, narrowing of the arteries, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or who are taking blood thinners should consult with a doctor before taking Advil.

Advil dosage for pets

Advil, Motrin, or any other OTC ibuprofen should never be given to pets or other animals. Ibuprofen is not FDA-approved for use in animals and is toxic to dogs, cats, birds, and other common pets. NSAIDs can cause severe stomach ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, or stomach perforation as well as liver or kidney damage in pets. Cats are particularly unable to metabolize ibuprofen. If your pet needs fever or pain relief, talk to a veterinarian. They will prescribe an FDA-approved NSAID similar to ibuprofen (but specifically made for animals) or another more appropriate drug in dosages suitable for the animal.

How to take Advil

Advil is taken with water by mouth as a tablet, caplet, gel caplet, or liquid gel capsule. The manufacturer-recommended dose is one tablet (200 mg) every four to six hours while symptoms persist.

When taking an Advil tablet, caplet, or gel capsule:

• Follow the instructions on the medicine label if you are using this medicine without a prescription.

• Take one tablet, capsule, or gel capsule with a full glass of water.

• Continue taking one tablet, capsule, or gel capsule every four to six hours as long as symptoms last.

• If one tablet, capsule, or gel capsule does not provide enough symptom relief, you can double the dose to two tablets, capsules, or gel capsules every six hours.

• Advil can be taken with food or on an empty stomach. If it gives you an upset stomach, you can take Advil with food or milk. 

Missed dose

If you take this medicine regularly and miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to use the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not use extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

When taking or administering Advil, consider the following safety tips:

• Store the medicine in a closed, childproof container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. 

• Always check the expiration date. If the medicine has passed its expiration date, dispose of it safely and purchase a new bottle.

• To avoid unintended overdose, keep a medication diary or use an app to record when you take each dose. Don’t take another dose until the proper time.

• When taking a pill or capsule, try to avoid lying down for at least a half hour to allow the pill to pass through the esophagus.

Advil dosage FAQs

How long does it take Advil to work?

Advil tablets should start working in about 15-30 minutes and reach peak effectiveness at fever reduction or pain relief in one to two hours. Liquid gel capsules, however, will start working slightly faster and reach their peak in about an hour.

How long does Advil stay in your system?

At the recommended dosage, Advil should effectively control fever or minor pain for four to six hours, but it will take about a day for the drug to completely leave the body. By six hours, only a small fraction of the Advil dose remains in the bloodstream. 

The body rapidly metabolizes ibuprofen, that is, the body chemically changed it into another inactive chemical (called a metabolite). Healthcare professionals measure the body’s metabolism of ibuprofen by half-life, the amount of time it takes for the body to metabolize half the amount of ibuprofen in the body. The half-life of ibuprofen in adults is just about two hours. This means that in two hours, half the dose taken is gone.

Children can take six to eight hours to clear ibuprofen from the bloodstream. Seniors, however, seem to clear ibuprofen from the body at the same rate as other adults.

What happens if I miss a dose of Advil?

Advil is meant to be used as a symptom-relief medication rather than as a treatment for any underlying condition. For this reason, Advil should only be used at the lowest dose possible and only as long as symptoms persist. The worst that can happen if a dose is missed is a return of symptoms. If you miss a dose and symptoms don’t return, you don’t need another dose. 

If, on the other hand, you miss a dose and symptoms return, don’t worry. Go ahead and take another tablet or capsule. This will reset the dosing clock, so don’t take another dose for another four to six hours. Never take a double dose of Advil to make up for a missed dose or any other reason.

How do I stop taking Advil?

If Advil is used occasionally to relieve minor aches and pains or fever, it should be discontinued as soon as symptoms fade. Used sporadically and occasionally, Advil does not produce noticeable withdrawal symptoms when discontinued.

However, if Advil is used chronically for headaches (15 days or more per month), you may develop rebound headaches, a condition called medication overuse headache. Still, Advil can be discontinued suddenly even if overused. If Advil is being taken for 15 days or more per month, seek professional medical advice. Your healthcare provider can help by developing a treatment plan to prevent headaches, and treat them when they do occur.

Stop taking Advil if pain worsens or persists for longer than 10 days or if fever persists for longer than three days or rises above 103 degrees F. In extremely rare cases, Advil can cause severe and potentially life-threatening skin reactions. Stop taking Advil and seek emergency medical care at any sign of a severe allergic reaction such as redness, swelling, rash, purple skin, or blisters. 

What can be used instead of Advil?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Motrin Infant Drops can be used in place of Infants’ Advil in children older than six months. Consult your child’s pediatrician for guidance on appropriate product selection and dosage. Also, generic formulations are available. 

What is the maximum dosage for Advil?

The maximum daily dose of Advil is 1200 mg, but the maximum daily dose of prescription ibuprofen is 3200 mg for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, lupus, and other inflammatory conditions. Never take more than six Advil tablets, caplets, or gel capsules (1200 mg total) in 24 hours, unless prescribed by a doctor.

What interacts with Advil?

As a general rule, it’s better to take Advil with food to prevent heartburn, stomachache, or other digestive system problems. Ibuprofen should never be taken with alcohol; the combination increases the risk of stomach bleeding and other gastrointestinal problems.

Very few drugs or dietary supplements decrease Advil’s effectiveness as a pain reliever. The one notable exception is bile acid sequestrants, one category of drugs used to treat high cholesterol. These drugs will interfere with the body’s ability to absorb Advil as well as some other drugs. 

On the other hand, caffeine increases the ability of ibuprofen to relieve pain when the two are taken together. Some pain relievers combine caffeine with aspirin and/or acetaminophen, but no product currently combines caffeine and ibuprofen.

Like all medicines, Advil can interact with other drugs. To start with, do not combine ibuprofen with other drugs containing ibuprofen or similar NSAIDs such as aspirin or naproxen. The combination may raise the risk of potentially serious side effects. In particular, ibuprofen and other NSAIDs interfere with the body’s ability to form blood clots, so taking too much ibuprofen or combining it with other NSAIDs significantly raises the risk of bleeding or bruising. Always seek out professional medical advice before combining pain medications.

For the same reason, Advil should not be taken with anticoagulant medications or certain antidepressants (SSRI, SNRI). The combination could result in potentially dangerous bleeding episodes. Many dietary or herbal supplements also have anticoagulant properties. Fat-soluble (ADEK) vitamins, folate supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, ginger, garlic, and many other supplements have been linked to coagulation problems and bleeding episodes. Talk to a healthcare professional if you’re taking ibuprofen with supplements. 

Advil should also not be taken with a selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). These drugs, typically used to treat depression, also have anticoagulant effects. When combined with Advil or similar drugs, the combination significantly increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. 

Ibuprofen decreases the effectiveness of some important prescription medications including blood pressure medications such as ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, and diuretics. Combining Advil with some of these drugs also increases the risk of Advil side effects.

Resources:

• Advil

• Advil Safety

• Get the Facts about Pain Relievers for Pets

• Ibuprofen

• Ibuprofen compound summary

• Stopping the vicious cycle of rebound headaches

• Anticoagulant activity of select dietary supplements

• Excretion of ibuprofen into breast milk

• Ibuprofen summary

• Ibuprofen Toxicity

• Is the combination of ibuprofen and caffeine effective for the treatment of tension-type headache

• Over-the-Counter (OTC) Ibuprofen: Cardiovascular Safety & Consumer Use