Naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is used to relieve the inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis), juvenile arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis), tendinitis, bursitis, and acute gout; it is also used to relieve menstrual cramps and other types of mild to moderate pain.
Naproxen is available in tablet and liquid form.
Naproxen is also known as Naprosyn, Naprosyn EC.
Common Side Effects
It is found that a long term use of Naproxen leads to many side effects which include, but are not limited to, those mentioned below.
They are constipation, gas, diarrhea, sores in mouth, headache, excessive thirst, lightheadedness, drowsiness, feeling that the tablet is stuck in your throat, fast heartbeat, itching, skin reddening, swelling on different body parts, difficulty in falling and staying asleep, changes in vision, loss of appetite, back pain, difficulty in breathing, unexplained weight gain, pale skin, sore throat, fever, excessive tiredness, chills, and other signs of infection, pain in the stomach, cloudy, discolored, or bloody urine and difficult or painful urination
Make sure to consult your doctor if these symptoms are severe and persistent in nature. Do not take any more tablets until you speak to him or her.
Dosage
Naproxen comes in various forms such as regular tablet, extended-release tablet, enteric-coated tablet and also as a liquid suspension suited for oral administration. Usual dosage in which Naproxen comes are 250 mg, 375 mg and 500 mg. These pills are usually recommended twice a day.
When prescribed and administered in the correct dose, for a specific period, it is found to relieve the signs and symptoms of the above said diseases by reducing the inflammation, and the associated stiffness and pain.
Adults
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Ankylosing Spondylitis The usual dose of Naproxen is 250 milligrams, 375 milligrams, or Naproxen 500 mg times a day (morning and evening). Improvement of symptoms should be seen in 2 to 4 weeks.
Acute Gout
Starting dose of Naproxen is 750 milligrams, followed by 250 milligrams every 8 hours until the symptoms are relieved. EC-Naprosyn should not be used to treat gout.
Mild to Moderate Pain, Menstrual Cramps, Acute Tendinitis, and Bursitis Starting dose is 500 milligrams followed by 250 milligrams every 6 to 8 hours as needed. The most you should take in a day is 1,250 milligrams. Do not take EC-Naprosyn for these problems.
Children
The usual daily dose is 10 milligrams per 2.2 pounds of body weight, divided into 2 doses. Follow your doctor’s directions carefully when giving a child this medicine.
The safety and effectiveness of Naproxen have not been established in children under 2 years of age.
Older Adults
Your doctor will probably have you take a reduced dose.
Missed Dose
In case you forget a dose and its time for the next dose, don’t take a double dose to compensate the missed one. Instead, skip the missed dose and continue with your schedule.
Overdose
As with any other drug overdose, Naproxen overdose can also lead to various health complications. Naproxen overdose happens when someone takes more than the prescribed amount of this medication accidentally or intentionally. In case of such an overdose the person will get affected in various body parts such as eyes (blurred vision), ears (ringing sensation) and throat. Other organs which can get affected are gastrointestinal system, heart and various blood vessels, lungs, nervous system and skin.
Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, heartburn etc. are some of the symptoms shown by the patient when the drug overdose affects the gastrointestinal system. Sometimes, it is also possible that the gastrointestinal system gets affected so badly that bleeding in the stomach and intestines will also occur. This can happen without warning at any time particularly in older adults.
When Naproxen overdose affects the heart and various blood vessels a circulatory failure will result. Similarly when the central nervous system gets affected by the overdose the most common symptoms seen are agitation, dizziness, coma, severe headache, confusion, unsteadiness etc. Apart from these, Naproxen overdose can also impair with renal functionality. So it’s very important that, you do kidney function tests and make sure that your kidneys are not affected by the overdose.
Liver damage is also possible due to overdose of naproxen. Symptoms in this case, vary according to the degree of overdose occurred. In case of a mild liver damage only a few symptoms will surface whereas a severe damage can even lead to liver failure. Also, keep in mind that factors such as age, race, gender, overall health and underlying liver problems may also influence a person’s risk of developing liver problems .
Always seek immediate medical attention by calling up the emergency room in case such an overdose ever happens to anyone you know. Keep in mind that if not treated properly, such an overdose can be severe and even lead to death.