The pain and fever medication (also known as analgesic, antipyretic) Novalgin® is available as tablets or film-coated tablets (a special layer provides a more pleasant taste and makes swallowing easier), drops or suppositories in pharmacies only on prescription. The treating physician adapts the dosage and the duration of application of the Novalgin® prescribed by him to the intensity of the pain or the level of fever of the patient. It is also possible to adjust the dosage to the patient’s body weight and age.
It is important to choose the lowest possible pain and fever reducing dose to avoid unnecessary stress on the body. However, it can take about 60 minutes before the onset of a noticeable effect. The duration of effect is then about 6 hours.
The doctor’s prescription is based on the following recommendations for tablets/film tablets (one tablet contains 500mg Novalgin®): For babies under one year of age a single dose of 50-100 mg is tolerated; exceeding the maximum daily dose of 300 mg can cause severe side effects or consequential damage. At the age of 1-3 years higher single doses (100-250 mg) and a maximum daily dose of 750 mg Novalgin® are possible. Slightly older infants (4-6 years) tolerate a single dose of 200-375 mg with a maximum daily dose of 1100 mg Novalgin®.
Children between 7 and 12 years of age can take 200-750 mg as a single dose without any problems, but should stay below the limit of 2000 mg per day. For 12 to 14-year-olds, the possible single dose is 400-900 mg; however, a maximum daily dose of 2000-2600 mg should not be exceeded. Adolescents and adults aged 15 years and older may take 500-1000 mg per single dose and a maximum daily dose of 4000 mg of Novalgin® (but not all at once but spread over the day).
If Novalgin® drops (one drop contains 25 mg Novalgin®) are used for pain relief or fever reduction, the following guidelines apply: Babies under one year of age may receive 2-5 drops as single dose and a maximum of 12 drops of Novalgin® per day with plenty of liquid. 1-3 year old infants tolerate 3-10 drops per administration and up to 30 drops per day. At the age of 4-6 years it is recommended to give 5-15 drops without exceeding 45 drops as maximum daily dose.
For children between 7 and 12 years of age 8-30 drops are within the recommended single dose range; the maximum dose is 60-90 drops. Adolescents up to the age of 14 years can take 15-35 drops without any problems, but should only take 100 drops per day. For adolescents over 14 years of age and for adults, 20-40 drops are considered a single dose and 120 drops a maximum daily dose.
The prescription of Novalgin® suppositories (1 suppository contains 300 mg or 1000 mg Novalgin®) is only possible after the age of 4 years. Children between 4 and 14 years of age may receive 1 suppository of 300 mg each as a single dose. The maximum daily doses are 3 suppositories each containing 300 mg Novalgin® for children up to 6 years, 4 suppositories for children up to 9 years, 5 suppositories for children up to 12 years and 6 suppositories for children up to 14 years.
Adults and children over 14 years of age may use 1 suppository of 1000 mg as a single dose, but not more than 4 suppositories per day. In elderly patients with limited renal function (also known as limited creatinine clearance), dose adjustment in the form of dose reduction, especially in long-term use, should be performed by the physician, as Novalgin® is mainly broken down via the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
