Ibuprofen
In this section
Does it work?
What is it?
How can it help?
Why should it work?
Can it be harmful?
What's the evidence?
Does it work?
Yes. If you take ibuprofen, there is a good chance that the migraine headache will get better. But for a severe migraine attack you will need a prescription dose of ibuprofen, not the lower dose you can buy over the counter.What is it?
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). You can buy it over the counter at a pharmacy. Or you can get higher doses on prescription from your doctor.Nurofen and Cuprofen are common brands, but you can also just ask for ibuprofen.
How can it help?
Ibuprofen can make your migraine headache better. It can reduce your pain so that it is either mild or gone completely.1 2 3 4 Here is what else we know from the research.
- Ibuprofen also helps with other symptoms, such as being sick or extra-sensitive to noise or light.
- If you take ibuprofen you are less likely to need to take other painkillers to treat your migraine headache.
- One study showed that ibuprofen reduced the pain of migraine or got rid of the attack in almost three-quarters of people taking it.3 For comparison, some people in the study took dummy tablets (called placebos). And only half of them said that their pain became mild or went away completely.
- Ibuprofen can also help with the overall symptoms of a migraine attack. One small study looked at 25 people. It showed that ibuprofen cut in half people's scores on the migraine index (a scale that rates the severity of migraine headaches and other symptoms). Ibuprofen also reduced by half the number of people who needed to take more medicine for their migraine.2
- Another study has shown that only a higher dose of ibuprofen (400 mg) works for severe migraine attacks.5
Why should it work?
Like other NSAIDs, ibuprofen works by stopping your body making chemicals called prostaglandins. Your body makes these chemicals when you are in pain or injured. Prostaglandins cause inflammation and make you more sensitive to pain. By stopping the prostaglandins, ibuprofen can help you feel better.Can it be harmful?
The drawback of ibuprofen and other NSAIDs is that they can irritate the lining of your stomach. This may cause stomach ulcers or bleeding in your stomach. It's usually best not to take NSAIDs if you have a stomach ulcer or if you've had one in the past.A study showed that about 1 in 10 people taking ibuprofen had pain and discomfort in their stomach, but this side effect was not a serious problem.2
Guidelines for doctors say that patients who need an NSAID should take ibuprofen first because it has fewer side effects than other NSAIDs. Guidelines also say that if you need an NSAID you should:
- Start on the lowest recommended dose
- Not use more than one NSAID at a time.
Taking high doses of some NSAIDs every day for a long time may increase your risk of getting a heart attack or a stroke. This is unlikely to be a problem with the doses you take for a migraine. But if you'd like to read more, see Warnings about side effects of NSAIDs.
What's the evidence?
What's the evidence for ibuprofen?Sources for the information on this page:
- Kellstein DE, Lipton RB, Geetha R, et al. Evaluation of a novel solubilized formulation of ibuprofen in the treatment of migraine headache: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study. Cephalalgia. 2000; 20: 233-243.[PubMed]
- Kloster R, Nestvold K, Vilming S. A double-blind study of ibuprofen versus placebo in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. Cephalalgia. 1992; 12: 169-171.[PubMed]
- Havanka-Kanniainen H. Treatment of acute migraine attack: ibuprofen and placebo compared. Headache. 1989; 29: 507-509.[PubMed]
- Sandrini G, Franchini S, Lanfranchi S, et al. Effectiveness of ibuprofen-arginine in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research. 1998; 18: 145-50.[PubMed]
- Codispoti JR, Prior MJ, Fu M, et al. Efficacy of nonprescription doses of ibuprofen for treating migraine headache: a randomized controlled trial. Headache. 2001; 41: 665-679.[PubMed]
- British National Formulary. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Section 10.1.1. British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Also available at http://bnf.org (accessed on 24 September 2009).
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