Can you take Advil and ibuprofen together?

In this article:

• Can you take Advil and ibuprofen together?
• Advil and ibuprofen dosage considerations
• Are Advil and ibuprofen the same?
• Difference between Advil and ibuprofen

In this article

• Can you take Advil and ibuprofen together?
• Advil and ibuprofen dosage considerations
• Are Advil and ibuprofen the same?
• Difference between Advil and ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to treat various inflammatory conditions. It’s available both as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug and by prescription. As an OTC medication, ibuprofen is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat fever, pain, menstrual cramps, headaches, migraines, sore throats, cold and flu symptoms, joint pain and stiffness, and dental pain.

Ibuprofen is a generic drug, and Advil is a branded version of ibuprofen. This means that ibuprofen is the active ingredient in Advil and that Advil and ibuprofen are essentially the same medication. Other branded versions of ibuprofen include Midol and Motrin. However, the Advil brand has various types of Advil preparations, such as Advil Cold and Sinus, which may have more active ingredients than just ibuprofen. Those versions are not the same as generic ibuprofen. For the sake of this article, we’ll be comparing regular Advil to ibuprofen.

If you have both ibuprofen and Advil in your medicine cabinet or are considering purchasing them both, you may want to know: Can you take Advil and ibuprofen together? This question comes up often in people who are feeling frustrated because they are taking one of these medications and aren’t finding adequate relief. Or, someone may only have one ibuprofen tablet and one Advil tablet left and wonder whether it’s safe to take them both together. Here’s what the experts say.  

Can you take Advil and ibuprofen together?

Simply put, it’s usually not a good idea to take Advil and ibuprofen together, explains Pamela Tambini, MD, a double board-certified physician in internal medicine and addiction medicine and medical director at Southeast Detox. “Advil is simply a brand name for ibuprofen, so taking them simultaneously is doubling up on the same medication,” she explains. “This can increase the risk of side effects like stomach irritation, kidney strain, and higher blood pressure.”

As Sazan Sylejmani, Pharm.D., a pharmacist at Westmont Pharmacy, points out, if you have various pain-relief drugs in your medicine cabinet, it’s important to read labels carefully. He has seen people unintentionally doubling up on similar medications, like Advil and ibuprofen. “One time, I had a customer who was unknowingly taking ibuprofen in different brand forms simultaneously, which led to mild side effects,” he says. After this person adjusted their regimen to avoid duplication of medications, these symptoms improved significantly.

But the above examples assume someone is taking a full dose of each drug. Let’s say you have a headache, a muscle ache, or any condition that ibuprofen or Advil can treat, but all you have at home is one ibuprofen tablet and one Advil tablet. “If each Motrin or Advil pill was 200 mg and the [total] dose was 400 mg, I would feel comfortable allowing a patient to take one of each,” says John Foote, MD, an anesthesiologist at Long Island Anesthesiologists. 

However, Dr. Foote emphasizes that you should not exceed the recommended dose. “I would not, however, double up the dose,” Dr. Foote advises. “If one is supposed to take only 400 mg, I wouldn’t take 400 mg of Motrin and 400 mg of Advil together.” The important thing, Dr. Foote emphasizes, is knowing what the total dosage is for these medications and making sure you don’t exceed this dose.

Advil and ibuprofen dosage considerations

As Dr. Foote points out, if you are considering taking Advil or ibuprofen, it’s vital to consider dosing since the two drugs are essentially the same, and it is important to avoid taking too much.

Advil and ibuprofen dosing in children

According to the Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP), you can’t give ibuprofen or Advil to kids under the age of 6 months unless your child’s healthcare provider recommends it. Your pediatrician will advise you on the exact dose your child should take based on their weight. Younger children will typically take Advil or ibuprofen in liquid form, and older children may use chewable tablets or swallowable tablets or capsules.

Advil and ibuprofen dosing in adults

Adults can typically take 400 mg of either Advil or ibuprofen every four to six hours. These medications usually come in 200 mg tablets, and in that case, you would take two tablets to equal 400 mg. Depending on your condition, your healthcare provider may advise you to take 600–800mg of Advil or ibuprofen every six to eight hours.

Are Advil and ibuprofen the same?

It’s easy to confuse Advil and ibuprofen because they have different names and come in different bottles. But Advil and ibuprofen are the same medication. “Advil and generic ibuprofen are essentially the same regarding the active ingredient—they’re both ibuprofen, which reduces pain, inflammation, and fever,” Dr. Tambini says. 

Difference between Advil and ibuprofen

As the FDA notes, there is no difference between generic and brand-name drugs like ibuprofen and Advil. Both generic and brand name drugs have the same active ingredients, same strength, same dosage, and are manufactured with the same safety standards. So, how exactly are drugs like ibuprofen and Advil different?

There are two main areas where these medications may vary: inactive ingredients and pricing. Let’s take a look at various medication factors, and how ibuprofen and Advil compare.

Drug class

Both ibuprofen and Advil are NSAIDS that decrease inflammation in the body. Other common NSAIDs are Aleve (naproxen) and aspirin.

Side effects

Ibuprofen and Advil have the same side effects. These include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn. Serious side effects can include heart attacks, stomach and intestinal ulcers, liver failure, kidney failure, and anemia. 

Average costs

Typically, generic versions of medications cost less than brand-name versions. As such, ibuprofen usually costs less than Advil and other brand-name versions of ibuprofen, such as Motrin and Midol. For example, the average retail price of Advil is $16 for one bottle of 80 capsules, but you could pay about $3 for a similar version of ibuprofen with a SingleCare coupon, depending on the pharmacy.

Forms and standard dosages

Advil and ibuprofen are dosed exactly the same. Dosing in children varies based on weight. Dosing in adults is typically 400 mg taken every four to six hours. A healthcare provider may prescribe higher doses, such as 800 mg every six hours, depending on your condition.

Risks

According to the ibuprofen label, you should consult with a healthcare professional before taking either ibuprofen or Advil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and you should not use ibuprofen or other NSAIDs if you are 30 weeks pregnant or more. You shouldn’t take these medications if you have had allergic reactions to ibuprofen or any ingredient found in either ibuprofen or Advil. People who are having coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery or other major surgery should not take these medications close to the date of their surgery. People with a history of kidney disease, liver disease, gastrointestinal conditions, or high blood pressure should consult with their healthcare provider before taking these medications, as should people over the age of 65.

Ingredients

One area where these two medications may differ is in inactive ingredients. “Minor differences in inactive ingredients (like coatings or fillers) may occur, but these usually don’t affect how the medication works,” Dr. Tambini says.

Some versions of Advil have additional active ingredients. For example, Advil Cold and Sinus has pseudoephedrine HCL, which is a nasal decongestant, in addition to ibuprofen. 

Bottom line

In general, you can’t take full doses of ibuprofen and Advil together, because they are the same medication, and taking them together would exceed the recommended dosage. However, it is generally safe to take one ibuprofen tablet or capsule and one Advil tablet, depending on the dosage of each, as long as you don’t exceed the recommended dosage of ibuprofen. Consult your healthcare provider if you have questions about ibuprofen or Advil and about taking them together.