dexibuprofen: prescribing and clinical use
Focused clinical detail for use alongside current product information, local policy and patient-specific assessment.
dexibuprofen: clinical details
Prescribing considerations
- Assess gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic and cardiovascular risk, concurrent medicines, hydration and previous NSAID reactions.
- Older people and patients with hypertension, heart failure, renal impairment or previous gastrointestinal disease are more susceptible to complications.
- Dexibuprofen can mask infection symptoms; reassess persistent or worsening infection-related pain or fever.
- Prostaglandin inhibition can reversibly impair female fertility.
Contraindications and cautions
- Hypersensitivity to dexibuprofen, another NSAID or an excipient.
- Previous aspirin- or NSAID-induced asthma, bronchospasm, rhinitis, urticaria, nasal polyps or angioedema.
- Previous NSAID-related gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation, or active or recurrent peptic ulceration or haemorrhage.
- Active bleeding, including cerebrovascular bleeding.
- Active Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
- Severe heart failure, renal dysfunction or hepatic impairment.
- Third trimester of pregnancy.
Monitoring
- Renal function and blood pressure in susceptible patients and with medicines affecting renal haemodynamics.
- Liver function, renal function and blood counts during prolonged treatment.
- Gastrointestinal bleeding, fluid retention, worsening infection and hypersensitivity.
- Potassium, coagulation or interacting-medicine concentrations where indicated.
Clinical pharmacology
Dexibuprofen is ibuprofen’s active S(+)-enantiomer and a non-selective NSAID. It inhibits prostaglandin synthesis, is about 99% protein-bound, undergoes hepatic metabolism and is eliminated mainly through the kidneys as inactive metabolites.
Formulation and product differences
- The selected product is a film-coated oral tablet.
- The score line assists swallowing but does not provide equal portions.
- The product is essentially sodium-free.
dexibuprofen preparations and strengths
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 200 mg, 300 mg, 400 mg
dexibuprofen interactions
Check prescribed, over-the-counter and complementary products with a pharmacist or prescriber. Important interactions include:
Other NSAIDs, including COX-2 inhibitors
Increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers and other NSAID toxicity; generally avoid combining them.
Warfarin and other anticoagulants
Increased anticoagulant effects and bleeding risk; monitoring may be required.
Aspirin and other antiplatelet medicines
Bleeding risk may increase, and regular dexibuprofen may reduce aspirin’s antiplatelet effect.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.