Wellness

[goldensrbest]

Asking what maybe a dumb question, but i always thought ibuprofen was pretty much the same,be it advil ,or other brands i have arthritis and bought motrin , it seems it works better for me ,than  others,why? Puzzled about this.

[FranandZoe]

Might be a higher dosage than you took previously.  I thought it was the same too.  Motrin and Advil are just brand names of Ibuprofen.  

[Still Raining]

Same stuff, different name.

BUT be careful about added ingredients.

Otherwise the olde placebo effect.  It can be real, shows up in every clinical trial.

[mspemberley]

Motrin combines ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I use Motrin for my arthritis because it gives me the most relief. You can google the brand name Motrin and get the FAQ's. 

[I am still oxox]

@mspemberleyWhat Motrin is just ibuprofen like Advil. It does not contain anything else. But there is a version of Advil with Tylenol in it perhaps that's what you are thinking of

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@mspemberley wrote:

Motrin combines ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I use Motrin for my arthritis because it gives me the most relief. You can google the brand name Motrin and get the FAQ's. 

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[Group 5 minus 1]

Ask your pharmacist.

[KingstonMom]

When Ibuprofen first came out, I tried it for a bad headache after a head injury.

The next thing I knew I was in the hospital with kidney failure.

Spent 32 days on dialysis before kidneys started to function again.

I can't take it now, only Tylenol based products.

Ibuprofen is nothing to take lightly.

[SilleeMee]

Maybe the difference could be in the form you took...tablet vs gel cap. Some are better absorbed than others. 

ETA-

There are 'time-release' versions as well and some of those don't always work as intended. They seem to not 'release'.

[I am still oxox]

@KingstonMom My cardiologist strongly suggests I do not take it

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@KingstonMom wrote:

When Ibuprofen first came out, I tried it for a bad headache after a head injury.

The next thing I knew I was in the hospital with kidney failure.

Spent 32 days on dialysis before kidneys started to function again.

I can't take it now, only Tylenol based products.

Ibuprofen is nothing to take lightly.

---

[BlueFinch]

Ibuprofen is simply a generic version of Motrin. The only active ingredient being ibuprofen in both. Fillers may differ. As mentioned here already, there is a newer version of Ibuprofen that includes Tylenol, too, which is clear on the ingredient list.

Ibuprofen also has some differences in the delivery. There is even a gel version that has prompter effects than the tablet forms. But, it still should be the same, otherwise. 

All that said, after working in health care for 38 years, I do have some skepticism, even with prescription drugs. And, there have been situations to support my concern. I'll share one.

For example, if you are on thyroid replacement meds and want to change from the brand name Synthroid to the generic levothyroxine, you are required to have labs drawn in three months because there has been documented differences in effects on Thyroid blood levels.

Now, why is that, we ask?  This is a well known issue. And, why hasn't something been done about this? We're always told generics have to be exactly the same as the brand name. Not true, apparently.

It appears Synthroid may be the better choice, but it is much more expensive and I've known some who refuse to take the generic. I'm left to wonder how many other drugs aren't exact in generic form. 

So, @goldensrbest , yours was not a silly question. It could be that there's just a minute difference in the brand name Motrin, that is making the medication more effective for you. I think we have to pay attention to our feelings and responses, with every medication we take.