What is ibuprofen made up of

In India, for example, it is the preferred treatment for fever and pain and in the US, it has been an over-the-counter drug since It is also used to treat inflammation in conditions like arthritis. And as Dr Adams himself discovered on a trip to Afghanistan in the s, even remote village pharmacies along the Khyber Pass were selling his wonder drug.

But, he says modestly, the discovery didn't change his life at all. It all started with a year-old boy from Northamptonshire, who'd left school with no clear plan for his future. He started an apprenticeship in retail pharmacy at Boots and the experience whetted Stewart Adams' appetite for a more challenging career.

His mission at that time was to find a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis which was as effective as a steroid but without any of the side-effects. He started looking at anti-inflammatories and, in particular, the way aspirin worked, which no-one else appeared to be doing. Aspirin was the first non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to be developed, in Although aspirin was commonly used as a painkiller at the time, it had to be given in very high doses so the risk of side-effects, such as an allergic reaction, bleeding and indigestion, was high.

This meant that by the s it was falling out of favour in the UK. In the search for an alternative, Dr Adams recruited chemist Dr John Nicholson and technician Colin Burrows to help him test the potency of more than chemical compounds. The key was to find a drug that would be well tolerated. From the front room of an old Victorian house in the suburbs of Nottingham, the small team patiently tested and re-tested compounds until they found something worth trying on patients in the clinic.

Dr Adams realised his chances of success were minimal but he and his staff persevered over 10 long years. And he was always prepared to act as guinea pig, testing two or three compounds on himself.

That would never be allowed now, he admits, but they were careful to carry out toxicity tests beforehand. During that time, four drugs went to clinical trials and failed before, in , they settled on one called 2- 4-isobutylphenyl propionic acid, later to become ibuprofen. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of heart failure in four European countries: nested case-control study.

BMJ ;i Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide case-time-control study. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother ; — J Infect Dis ; — Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for spinal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ann Rheum Dis ; — Risk of acute myocardial infarction with NSAIDs in real world use: bayesian meta-analysis of individual patient data. BMJ ;j Strength and dosage vary according to age, so always check the product instructions for exact amounts. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are available in every pharmacy. GoodRx can give you an idea of specific prices in stores near you. The side effects of acetaminophen and ibuprofen may differ. This is because your body breaks them down differently.

For example, acetaminophen is broken down and removed by the liver. Acetaminophen has a warning about liver damage it can cause that can be fatal cause death. Liver damage can happen if you take too much in a hour period. For more information, read about the dangers of acetaminophen overdose. Ibuprofen, on the other hand, is removed from your body by your kidneys. Taking it for a long time can cause kidney damage and stomach bleeding.

Using high doses of ibuprofen for longer than recommended can increase your risk of:. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can cause dangerous interactions when you take them with certain medications.

To reduce your risk, make sure you tell your doctor about all drugs, supplements, and herbs you take. Taking either acetaminophen or ibuprofen may cause problems if you have certain health issues. Talk to your doctor before using acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you have:. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both treat pain, but they work slightly differently in your body. Each drug can pose different safety issues, especially if you have existing health conditions.

How different can they be? Learn more to judge for yourself.