Can you take Ibuprofen with antibiotics?
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Oct 24, 2023.
There are literally hundreds of antibiotics used to treat infections, so once you receive your prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can also take ibuprofen at the same time that you take the antibiotic.
The best way to determine if you can take any medications together is to have a drug interaction screen performed by a health care provider.
For example, antibiotics that may affect your kidney or stomach could interact with ibuprofen, which can also be toxic to the kidney in some patients.
Certain antibiotics can also increase your risk for bleeding, and ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), can also increase the risk of bleeding.
Usually this is not a problem, but you should always double check.
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Naproxen vs ibuprofen: What's the difference?
Ibuprofen is short acting, while naproxen is long acting and more likely to cause an upset stomach. Naproxen and ibuprofen are both NSAIDs so they are similar in many ways, but there are important differences. Continue reading
Can you take ibuprofen on an empty stomach?
Despite popular belief that you have to take ibuprofen with food, you can take ibuprofen on an empty stomach and this will give you faster pain relief than taking it with food. Food increases the time it takes for ibuprofen to be absorbed, although it won't affect how much is absorbed. There is actually no evidence that taking ibuprofen with food prevents gastric irritation – ibuprofen at OTC doses has a low incidence of gastric irritation anyway. Continue reading
What's the difference between aspirin and ibuprofen?
Even though aspirin and Ibuprofen are both NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and work similarly, there are several differences between the two drugs and they are not considered interchangeable. Continue reading
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Drug information
- Ibuprofen Information for Consumers
- Ibuprofen prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Ibuprofen (detailed)
Related support groups
- Ibuprofen (262 questions, 236 members)