Use during pregnancy and for children | Nurofen®

Use during pregnancy and for children

In the first six months of pregnancy the risk of malformations caused by Nurofen® is low. Pregnant women should only take Nurofen® after a careful risk-benefit assessment by their doctor. In the first two thirds of a pregnancy, ibuprofen is one of the drugs of choice for pain and fever relief, along with paracetamol.

In the last third of the pregnancy it is not advisable to take Nurofen, as Ibuprofen can damage the unborn child. Directly before birth Nurofen can be administered to suppress the contractions and thus delay the birth.Since the active ingredient ibuprofen and its degradation products only pass into breast milk in very small quantities, adverse effects on the infant are not yet known. For this reason, it is generally not necessary to interrupt breastfeeding when Nurofen® is used for a short time.

However, early weaning should be considered if a longer period of use or higher dosages are prescribed. In premature babies (before the 34th week of pregnancy) ibuprofen can be used to close an open ductus arteriosus Botalli (connection between the aorta and pulmonary artery in the prenatal bloodstream). Nurofen® and the active ingredient ibuprofen is not suitable for children under six months of age.

In older children, the age limit for use depends on the approved dosage of Nurofen® as stated in the package insert or as prescribed by the paediatrician. As a rule, 7 to 10 milligrams of ibuprofen per kilogram of body weight are given as a single dose. The maximum daily dose is 30 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

If the child has already had an allergic reaction to an active substance from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. acetylsalicylic acid), Nurofen® should not be administered. It is particularly important that a child never takes more Nurofen® than the recommended dose. In the inherited metabolic disease cystic fibrosis, treatment with very high doses of ibuprofen significantly improves the symptoms in children with mild cystic fibrosis. However, ibuprofen is not widely used in this area due to its potential side effects.