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How much mg ok for ibuprofen

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How much mg ibuprofen ok for knee pain

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"ibuprofen"[MeSH Terms] AND "osteoarthritis, knee"[MeSH Terms]

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ibuprofen dosage knee pain osteoarthritis maximum daily dose OTC 1200 mg

For knee pain in a healthy adult, 200 to 400 mg every 6 to 8 hours is usually enough. You can take it up to every 4 to 6 hours if you need to. Keep the total to 1,200 mg in 24 hours unless a doctor has told you to take more.
Over-the-counter use
  • Take 200 mg (1 tablet). If that doesn't help, take 400 mg (2 tablets).
  • Wait at least 4 to 6 hours between doses.
  • The over-the-counter limit is 1,200 mg per day (6 tablets of 200 mg). Over-the-counter use is meant for short periods, about 10 days for pain, before you check with a doctor (FDA review).
Prescription use
  • A doctor can prescribe up to 800 mg per dose, no more than 3,200 mg per day. Some labels and reviews cite 2,400 mg per day as the usual ceiling.
  • Higher doses add risk without clearly adding pain relief. Rosen's Emergency Medicine says no NSAID beats ibuprofen 400 mg for pain, and that 600 or 800 mg doses are not shown to work better. It also says raising the dose raises the risk of side effects. (Rosen's Emergency Medicine, Ch. 6)
  • Goodman & Gilman's notes that tablets of 200 mg or less are sold without a prescription.
How to take it more safely
  • Take it with food or milk.
  • Use the lowest dose that works, for the shortest time.
  • Don't combine it with other NSAIDs such as naproxen, aspirin or diclofenac tablets.
  • Acetaminophen (paracetamol) can be taken alongside it if you need more relief.
  • For ongoing knee osteoarthritis, a topical NSAID gel (such as diclofenac) is often tried first. It has less effect on the stomach and kidneys.
Check with a doctor or pharmacist first if you:
  • Are over 65.
  • Have stomach ulcers or bleeding, kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure or heart failure.
  • Have asthma triggered by NSAIDs.
  • Are pregnant, especially in the third trimester.
  • Take blood thinners, aspirin, steroids or SSRIs.
Stop and get medical help if you have black stools, vomiting blood, severe stomach pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, or swelling of the face or legs.
If the knee pain lasts more than a few days, or comes with swelling, redness, warmth, fever, locking, or an injury, get it examined rather than raising the dose.
A recent PubMed check found no new evidence that changes this advice. It did find a 2025 meta-analysis on ibuprofen and upper GI bleeding (PMID 40728676), which is a reason to keep doses low and short-term.
This is general information. Your age, weight, other illnesses and other medicines can change what's right for you.
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