Aleve vs Advil

Aleve and Advil are two very popular pain relievers being used today. They are among the leading brands of NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) that are widely being marketed throughout the world. The two are over-the-counter medications that need no prescription from the doctor in order for one to buy them. They are typically used for common symptoms of pain like toothache, menstrual cramping, backache, headache, muscular aches and even help reduce fever. They can also help relieve the symptoms of mild arthritic pain. They also have a similar range of side effects.

The primary difference between them though is the active ingredient used to make the drug. For Advil, ibuprofen is the generic used. About 200 mg of ibuprofen is packed in one standard dose of Advil. For Aleve, Naproxen Sodium is used. Unlike Advil, Aleve uses a little more (20 mg more) of its active ingredient for its standard dose.

In this connection, the two medications are dosed differently. Advil, when taken by adults at 12 years and older, one pill is recommended every 4 or 6 hours for as long as the symptoms are still present. If ever this formulation is not yet effective, then double dosing would okay, that is, if you won’t exceed the daily limit of 6 pills. Aleve is assumed to have a longer therapeutic effect (but perhaps because of the amount of the active ingredient used), thus it is taken every 8 to 12 hours while the symptoms still last. For your initial dose, you can actually take two Aleve pills as long as you won’t exceed 2 pills within an 8-12 hour timeframe. For the daily limit, one should not take more than 3 Aleves.

With these differences in dosing, the two are not prescribed to be taken concurrently. Taking both at the same time will just increase the possible occurrence of side-effects by twofold. Just select one, as prescribed by your physician.

By the way, there’s also a prescription formulation for Advil. An 800 mg pill is available for the more chronic pain types and for the most severe forms of migraine.

Overall, although the two are from the same drug class, they still differ because:

1. Advil is an ibuprofen while Aleve is naproxen sodium.

2. Advil uses less of its active ingredient (200 mg) while Aleve uses more (220 mg).

3. Advil is prescribed to be taken every 4-6 hours while Aleve is usually administered every 8-12 hours.

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