In normal condition human don’t like pain because it is against our survival instinct but, it is also true that sometimes we have to deal with various types of physical pain and uncomfortable feeling. This is why there are so many painkillers like Aleve Vs Advil available over the counter to help us stay productive despite the lack of comfort. For those who are eyeing these drugs to ease their pain, see which brand seems to deliver the most effective benefit below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– What are the Types of OTC Painkillers
– What are the Concerns about NSAIDs
– What are Aleve and Advil
– How are the Drugs of Aleve and Advil
– What Aleve and Advil are made of
– What Forms the Ingredients may Come in
– What are the Side Effects of Aleve and Advil
– How to Take Aleve and Advil
– Aleve Vs Advil
Over the Counter Painkillers
Our body is complex and while they are also powerful, sometimes there are issues happening that cause discomfort as a side effect of how our body mechanism works. Pain is the best lesson of everything and this is why our ancestors were able to stay alive back then and resulting in our current society. Pain means danger and by avoiding danger we can survive for longer which is why those people who due to some health reason can’t distinguish pain is overall in a higher danger of harmful effects.
While the reason why our body can feel pain is crucial mechanism to stay alive, in modern days where surviving effort is not highly needed as our ancestors back then, pain can create a very disturbing effect and reducing our daily productivity. Of course we are talking about light pain such as aching muscle or back pain and swelling due to a fairly light contact with solid objects and such which most of the time doesn’t need a professional expertise to treat.
With how many cases of minor pain we can experience any time, the solution for this issue is also available abundantly out there and most of them are accessible from drug store as over the counter medicine. You can choose the alternatives so called herbal medicine, homeopathy such as Boiron painkillers which is based on Arnica plant or numerous NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Naproxen. All of them are generally safe to consume but not all people will experience the same benefits with each product.
Concern about NSAIDs
Just like when consuming a product for a prolonged time, many of us must have concern against a drug especially when talking about NSAIDs because there seems to be side effects about their safety. Taken from Clevelandclinic we should not take over the counter NSAIDs continuously for more than 3 days for fever and 10 days for pain without supervision from a professional. This is because while they are highly effective as a painkiller, the purpose is for short term use only.
In general, this type of drugs will work very quick and some can even show the effect only within a few hours while some may need more time like a week or two before the soothing effect can be felt by the patient. If you are taking the drug for a long period of time, make sure to consult first so the health provider can monitor whether there is a bad side effect from the used drugs that may affect your health and get a change of treatment when necessary.
About Aleve and Advil
With a greater amount of options comes a greater amount of time to choose one as well because chances the people you ask for recommendation will give different answers on which painkiller works the best for him/her. However, it is also true that our bodies are different so we will never know the exact answer without trying and see the effect on our firsthand experience itself. But, if you want to choose fast, checking what bestselling NSAIDs can help much as well.
Among those many brands and drugs sold as painkillers, Aleve and Advil are two of the most popular being recommended by so many people and it means they do perform pretty well. We are sure most people are familiar with these brands because they are available at the drug store and chances you may also ever used one of them before. Like many other drugs meant to reduce pain and making your body more comfortable, these two are promising to work fast and effective against various pains. See also: Advil PM Vs Motrin PM.
However, they are not made for heavier injury or pain and mostly taken to help people deal with minor aches and pains due to light arthritis, back pain, and overall body aches, fever, or pain like cramps and period pain. Aleve and Advil may promise the same things but they are made from different active ingredients for the former is using Naproxen while the latter is using Ibuprofen. You might be more familiar with Ibuprofen but Naproxen is also widely used as a painkiller.
The example of other NSAIDs that are using this drug as its active ingredient are Anaprox and Naprosyn which we can get similarly from over the counter or with a physician prescription. As for Ibuprofen, we usually will know if a painkiller has the drug inside just from the package and one concern we want to mention here is there seems to be an issue about the usage of the drug on people with heart problems like stroke and peptic ulcers so you may want to use it with more care.
Aleve and Advil Caplets and Tablets
Because they are designed to deal with many types of pain, these painkillers are coming in the form or oral medication so we can take them a few times a day when the pain relieving effects wear off. Compared to when using for example arthritis cream, consuming an oral medicine is more convenient for it will be done in one go and faster to take but then again, the effect may take more time to be effective.
What’s different is Aleve comes in the form of a caplet while the Advil drug is in coated tablet form which makes the latter has smoother surface and probably slicker to swallow especially for those who find it hard to take solid medicine. They have different packages and price wise, one box of Aleve with 250 tablets in it is sold at $22.99 and Advil with a total of 100 tablets sold at $9.98 per box.
Aleve and Advil Ingredient
Just like when choosing any medicine or supplement and any care that we need to consume or put on our body, ingredients matter and this is how we can see the real difference between Aleve and Advil. They are using the same popular active ingredient as the painkilling agent which is Naproxen and Ibuprofen. They are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and similarly works by temporarily preventing the body from releasing a substance called prostaglandin that contribute to inflammation causing pain and fever.
While they are very similar to each other, it doesn’t mean that they are identical as well because pain relief from the effect of Ibuprofen will not be able to last as long as the relief we get from Naproxen so it also means we don’t have to take Aleve as often as taking Advil. It makes the drug a more convenient option for treating pain from chronic conditions. Ibuprofen, on the other hand can be used in young children yet the other can only be consumed by person older than 12 years.
Aleve and Advil Drug Forms
Another difference you can find about the main or active ingredient in Aleve and Advil is the form itself because while these two in our article are similarly caplet/tablet, in fact there are several other forms of the drugs you can get from these brands. Ibuprofen usually also available in liquid gel capsule, chewable tablet, liquid oral drops, and liquid oral suspension yet the latter usually only available in the form of either tablet or liquid gel-filled capsule which is also offered by Advil.
Aleve and Advil Side Effects
Another thing you may want to consider when taking NSAIDs not only just these two brands is the side effects because on some people they can create quite concerning side effects. We did mentioned that Ibuprofen have to be carefully used by people with heart issue but it also applied and even more concerning in Naproxen like Aleve. Some common light side effects are stomach pain, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and constipation.
Aleve and Advil Dosage
To get the best benefit from Aleve and Advil, we should take them as recommended and with the nature of Naproxen which is stronger than Ibuprofen, we can take this drug less often than when using Advil. With the latter we should take 1 tablet for every 4 or 6 hours as the symptoms persist or adding it to 2 tablets. With Aleve, we can take one caplet every 8 or 12 hours when experiencing pain or in general only 2 caplets a day.
Comparison
These popular NSAIDs can be a great solution to relieve our minor pain so we can be active throughout the day, but they are also different because Aleve is using Naproxen and Advil with its Ibuprofen. With the nature of their active ingredient, Aleve will work in a prolonged period of time so we don’t have to take the drug as often but, for those with heart issues, it will possess more risk a well.
Conclusion
Pain is indeed an issue that can counter our productivity but with painkillers, we can ease the uncomfortable feelings away and be more active. Between these two options we recommend those with no heart issue to get Aleve since it stays longer than Advil.
