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Naproxen
Generic Name: Naproxen
Brand Name: Naprosyn
Indications
Naproxenis indiacted in the treatment to reduce pain, inflammation, and stiffness caused by many conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, injury, abdominal cramps associated with tendinitis, and bursitis.
Dosage and Administration
Naprosyn tablets are available as 250mg, 375mg and 500mg tablets for oral administration.
Normal Dosage:
The recommended strategy for initiating therapy is to choose a formulation and a starting dose likely to be effective for the patient and then adjust the dosage based on observation of benefit and/or adverse events. A lower dose should be considered in patients with renal or hepatic impairment or in elderly patients.
Overdose: Overdose symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, seizures, sweating, numbness or tingling, and slow breathing.
Drug Description
Naproxen is a proprionic acid derivative related to the arylacetic acid group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The chemical names for naproxen and naproxen sodium are (S)-6-methoxy-a-methyl-2-naphthaleneacetic acid and (S)-6-methoxy-α-methyl-2-naphthaleneacetic acid, sodium salt, respectively. Naproxen and naproxen sodium have the following structures, respectively:
naproxen (R=-COOH) C14H14O3 mol wt 230.26
naproxen sodium (R=-COONa) C14H13NaO3 mol wt 252.23
Naproxen has a molecular weight of 230.26 and a molecular formula of C14H14O3. Naproxen sodium has a molecular weight of 252.23 and a molecular formula of C14H13NaO3.
Side effects
The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Disturbances of the gut such as indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
- Headache.
- Dizziness.
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
- Sensation of spinning (vertigo).
- Sensation of ringing, or other noise in the ears (tinnitus).
- Skin reactions such as rash or itching.
- Ulceration or bleeding in the stomach or intestines.
- Retention of water in the body tissues (fluid retention), resulting in swelling (oedema).
- Increase in blood pressure.
- Visual disturbances (consult your doctor if you experience any visual disturbances so your eyes can be checked).
- Drowsiness.
- Concentration difficulties.
- Depression.
- Seizures (convulsions).
- Hypersensitivity reactions such as narrowing of the airways (bronchospasm), swelling of the lips, throat and tongue (angioedema), itchy blistering rash or anaphylactic shock.
- Abnormal reaction of the skin to light, usually a rash (photosensitivity).
- Kidney, liver or blood disorders.
Precautions
- Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. May increase the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight. Use a sunscreen and wear protective clothing when exposure to the sun is unavoidable.
- Avoid alcohol or use it with moderation. If you drink more than three alcoholic beverages a day, this medication may increase the risk of dangerous stomach bleeding. Talk to your doctor before taking if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages a day.
- Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. May cause dizziness. If you experience dizziness, avoid these activities.
- This drug belongs to the FDA pregnancy category B. Do not take this drug without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant.
Drug Interactions
- Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following drugs:
- aspirin or another salicylate (form of aspirin) such as salsalate (Disalcid), diflunisal (Dolobid), choline salicylate-magnesium salicylate (Trilisate, Tricosal, others), and magnesium salicylate (Doan's, others)
- another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), fenoprofen (Nalfon), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, others), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT), ketorolac (Toradol), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene), sulindac (Clinoril), or tolmetin (Tolectin)
- an over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, or pain medicine that contains aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or ketoprofen
- an anticoagulant (blood thinner) such as warfarin (Coumadin)
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