Interactions with other drugs

If you are taking ibuprofen during a period of toothache, you should pay attention to what other medications are taken at the same time. If anticoagulants (drugs that inhibit blood clotting) or thrombolytics (used to dissolve a blood clot) are taken, they can increase the risk of bleeding in combination with ibuprofen. If ibuprofen is taken together with a drug containing acetylsalicylic acid, the mode of action of the former may be reduced, so that the anticoagulant effect is weaker. Zinc may reduce the effect of ibuprofen. There may be a risk of lithium poisoning because ibuprofen reduces the excretion of this substance and it remains in the kidney for longer and in higher concentrations.

What to do if ibuprofen does not work?

If ibuprofen is taken in too low a dose, the active ingredient may be too weak to suppress the pain completely. For example, a 200 mg tablet rarely works in an 80 kg patient who takes painkillers more often. To eliminate the pain, a higher dose must be taken.

This advice should not be used arbitrarily. If the tablet does not work, a doctor should be consulted. If the tablet is not absorbed into the bloodstream due to vomiting or diarrhea, it cannot work.

In such cases, the active ingredient can be administered to the body via suppositories or infusions. There are also some patients who cannot tolerate the active substance. The alternative is paracetamol.

However, this preparation is less anti-inflammatory than ibuprofen or other painkillers. If the toothache comes because of an inflammation of the gums, paracetamol only suppresses the pain. Ibuprofen, on the other hand, also indirectly combats the cause.

It is important to note that the drug takes some time to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach lining. If the stomach is full, the passage may be hindered. This prolongs the onset of action. The tablets can also be inhibited by other drugs.