For Pain Relief, Lower Doses of Ibuprofen Works As Well As Higher Doses

Overview:

Ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is widely used in Primary Care and the Emergency Department (ED) for treatment of a variety of acute painful conditions such as musculoskeletal pain, dental pain, tension headache, and dysmenorrhea. It is one of the most commonly administered oral analgesics used in both an inpatient and outpatient setting. Many advocate for ibuprofen doses greater than 400mg orally, assuming a greater effect. Unfortunately, NSAIDs in general are commonly prescribed at doses above their analgesic ceiling threshold which will not offer an incremental analgesic advantage but potentially increases the risk of harm. This discussion will compare the analgesic efficacy of 3 commonly used dosing regimens (400mg, 600mg, 800mg) of oral Ibuprofen in the ED for patients presenting with a variety of acute pain conditions to assess whether or not lower doses of ibuprofen (400mg) provide comparable analgesic effects to that of higher doses.

Objectives:

1.  Describe how Ibuprofen is utilized in both an inpatient and outpatient settings.
2.  Understand the analgesic efficacy of 3 common Ibuprofen dosing regimens.
3.  Understand what this study adds to our knowledge.
4.  Evaluate the relevance of Ibuprofen dosing and its impact on clinical practice.

Arlene Reyes, MD
PGY-3 Resident
Family & Community Medicine
UT Health San Antonio

Financial Disclosures:

Arlene Reyes, MD and her faculty mentor Marcy Wiemers, MD have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

The Family & Community Medicine Professional Development and Grand Rounds Committee members (Marcy Wiemers, MD, Maria Del Pilar Montañez Villacampa, MD, Christine Song, DO, Nehman Andry, MD, Margaret Finley, MD, Andrew Dinh, DO, Maureen Alvarado, DO, Richel Avery, MD, Inez I. Cruz, PhD, and Nichole Rubio) have no relevant financial relationships to commercial interests to disclose.

The Family & Community Medicine Professional Development and Grand Rounds Committee member Carlos Roberto Jaén, MD has disclosed he receives royalties from General Practice and Family Medicine for being UpToDate Editor-in-Chief.

Credits:

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Participation Credit (1.00 hours)

Target Audience:

Specialties – Primary Care; Family Medicine
Faculty, residents, other health care providers and staff from our department; physicians and health care providers from San Antonio and South Texas; and medical students in our third-year clerkship and fourth year rotations.

Accreditation:

The UT Health Long San Antonio School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation:

The Long School of Medicine designates this live activity up to a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses and other healthcare professionals will receive a Certificate of Attendance. For information on applicability and acceptance, please consult your professional licensing board.

For activity related questions, please contact:
Name: Nichole Rubio- FCM Grand Rounds Coordinator
Email: rubion@uthscsa.edu

For CME general questions, please contact
Ph: (210) 567-4445
Email: cme@uthscsa.edu