# How much Advil can I take ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352 "2003-05-10T18:18:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/1 "2003-05-10T18:18:09Z")
I’m in PAIN ! I’ve got a toothache that just won’t quit. I called every dentist in the phonebook, but since it’s Saturday, I’m out of luck. But, I’m in PAIN ! I tried Anbesol, Oragel, a shot of whiskey, rum, I rubbed ice between my finger and thumb, used an ice pack and almost everything else I can think of. I took 4 Advils, 200mg each, but I’m still hurting really bad. Will it hurt me to take more ? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/2 "2003-05-10T18:26:38Z")
My bottle of Advil (ibuprofen 200 mg) says “Do not exceed 6 tablets in 24 hours, unless directed by a doctor”. Symptoms of overdose. > **[Ibuprofen overdose: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002655.htm)** > > Ibuprofen is a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Ibuprofen overdose occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally takes more than the normal or recommended amount of this medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/3 "2003-05-10T18:29:13Z")
How long ago did you take the advil? Has there been time for it to kick in? If not, then wait and see what happens before you take any more. IANAD, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/4 "2003-05-10T18:32:47Z")
If 4 advils aren’t helping at all, taking more won’t help. If it’s that bad, I would go to another town and find a dentist… there’s gotta be someone who is open. If you have an inflamed nerve, waiting is not a good idea - it could turn into an abscess and you might lose the tooth (although I don’t know the time frame for this or how long you’ve been waiting). Call your local hospital for advice as a last resort. Let us know what happens. I had to have an emergency root canal, and the pain beforehand was pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/5 "2003-05-10T18:56:32Z")
I was once advised by my doctor to take 4 tablets at a time, rather than the standard 2 at a time. The interval between doses was not changed. He first asked me if I had a cast iron stomach. I would agree with **Rusalka** not to take more than 4 per dose. Oil of cloves, applied directly to the tooth/gum, is often effective in reducing tooth pain. Grocery stores usually have it with the spices and cooking extracts. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/6 "2003-05-10T18:58:51Z")
I took the advil about 1 1/2 hours ago. I hasn’t worked and this tooth hurts so much, I don’t really care if they want to pull the tooth. We called every dentist in the area. After this we’d need to go out of state. We called the hospital too, but they told me that they couldn’t do anything either. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/7 "2003-05-10T19:45:12Z")
Is it just the tooth, or is it all the way up the side of your face? If it’s more than the tooth, it may be an abscess, and IMO you would be perfectly justified in calling a dentist at home on a beautiful Saturday afternoon–you can get blood poisoning from an abscessed tooth. [http://www.dental--health.com/paingum\_mouth4.html](http://www.dental--health.com/paingum_mouth4.html) > [@](#): > > Question: > My entire right side of my mouth including tongue and going up to my ear is throbbing… What can I do to stop it? I have taken motrin 600 and gargled with salt water and it is still hurting. > > Answer: > Sounds like you have an acute pulpitis or abscessing tooth. The nerve is reacting by signaling this pain to you so that you will without delay locate and proceed to a dentist who can help you. This type of problem should not be ignored - it will, without fail, only get worse. –or an endodontist. [http://www.aae.org/newstoothpain.html](http://www.aae.org/newstoothpain.html) > [@](#): > > Don’t suffer in silence if you do develop a severe toothache at an inopportune time. Endodontists provide emergency care and will often see patients in pain on short notice. Often they can assess the situation by phone and prescribe medication to control the pain until treatment can be provided. So, find an endodontist? ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey-Hotel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e68b1a/32.png) [@Whiskey-Hotel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey-Hotel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/8 "2003-05-10T19:59:31Z")
When I had shingles the doctor said that I could take 800mg (four 200mg tablets) of Advil every four hours for the pain. She said that was the max safe dosage. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/9 "2003-05-10T20:06:08Z")
You should ask a pharmacist when you have questions like this. 800mg of ibuprofen is probably not going to help a toothache that much, and if you take it on an empty stomach or in repeated doses, you’re likely to get stomach cramps. I can’t believe there is not an emergency dentist available in your town? You don’t get a recording with an emergency number to call when you call your dentist? ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/10 "2003-05-10T20:23:53Z")
Do any of the dentists have a phone number you can call for emergencies? I know if my dentist is not in I can page him if it’s an emergency. Hope you get help soon. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/11 "2003-05-10T20:31:42Z")
Years ago, during some horrid cramps, I took 8. Well, first I took 2. Didn’t work. Then took 2 more. Also not work. Waited half hour. 2 more. Didn’t work. Finally 2 more did the trick. vanilla, waiitng impatientally for menopause. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/12 "2003-05-10T21:02:02Z")
Talk to a pharmacist. Advil can be murder on your stomach and your liver in excessive doses. To minimize the side effects, IIRC you should not take it on an empty stomach or with alcohol. (Warning: IANA medical professional of any kind, but I have sometimes quite wicked ankle pain, and this is what my doc told me. I am otherwise a basically healthy person, so if you have other issues, particularly liver or kidney or gastrointestinal issues, your situation is different. When I last had a bad ankle problem and it was going to be a few days before I could get in to the doc, his nurse told me 600-8000 mg every 6 hours would be OK for a couple of days, but not for any kind of extended period.) I’ve also heard the thing about clove oil, BTW. I had the bad luck to get an impacted wisdom tooth in Russia in 1989, when there were no drugs of any kind and a huge shortage of clean/disposable medical instruments. It was NOT a fun experience. If you think it might be an impacted wisdom tooth or abcess, it might help to rinse your mouth with saltwater or a dilute peroxide solution to clean it out and disinfect it. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/13 "2003-05-10T22:27:20Z")
You need to go to a dentist right away. Call someone out of state if you have to, even to get advice. This could be quite serious if it hurts that much. This is nothing to fool around with. If you let it go, (if it’s an abscess) you could lose more than one tooth, or even worse. I’m not kidding. Please let us know what happens. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/14 "2003-05-10T23:21:29Z")
When I had a bad flareup of sciatica, my doctor had me taking the maximum dosage of Advil AND tylenol, offsetting them by two hours. Like, 2 Advil at 8 pm, 2 Tylenol at 10 pm, 2 Advil at 12 pm and so on. That way you have twice as much painkiller in you, but not an overdose of one kind. Plus that way one type is always in full strength instead of almost cleared out of your system. If you don’t have a problem with Tylenol, maybe you could try that. But not if you’re drinking, of course! And, even if it works, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get to the dentist ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/15 "2003-05-10T23:50:39Z")
We live in very rural area, and I’ve only reached one dentist who had an answering service. He never called back. I’m out of my fucking head with pain. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/16 "2003-05-11T00:01:15Z")
**Go To The Emergency Room.** Jeez. Eva Luna: [[his nurse told me 600-8000 mg every 6 hours would be OK for a couple of days, but not for any kind of extended period.)]] I’m sure she meant **600-800 mg** , not 8000. Vanilla, you were overdosing. Ibuprofin takes a bit of time to work (longer than aspirin, but more effective for cramps), but you should never take more than 800 mg. at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/17 "2003-05-11T00:27:38Z")
Buy some of that lidocane or benzocane ([Anbesol](http://www.anbesol.com/) is one of them) stuff and rub it all over the area. Sometimes it really helps. I just had my first few root canals. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/18 "2003-05-11T00:32:05Z")
Unless of course you already tried that. I swear I’ll read every paragraph before responding. I swear I’ll read every paragraph before responding. I swear I’ll read every paragraph before responding. I swear I’ll read every paragraph before responding. I swear I’ll read every paragraph before responding. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/19 "2003-05-11T00:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JillGat \* > > * * * > > I’m sure she meant **600-800 mg** , not 8000. > > \*\* Ummm, yep. I plead sleep deprivation! Don’t take 8,000 mg! That would be like half the bottle! ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352/20 "2003-05-11T00:53:08Z")
I’ve taken up to 800 mg of ibuprofen at a time for pain, but no more. I probably wouldn’t advise it. Have you tried heat? Not super hot, but soothingly warm. Worst case scenario, I’d go to the ER. It seems to me that if you’re on their doorstep, they should do something about it. Incidentally, ibuprofen can also do a number on your esophagus if you take it regularly without eating first. So get something in your stomach before you take more. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-advil-can-i-take/174352.md?page=2)