Ibuprofen or other NSAIDs and COVID-19
Guidance from the Commission of Human Medicines (CHM) Expert Working Group on coronavirus (COVID-19)
Key messages:
- Patients can take paracetamol or ibuprofen when self-medicating for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and headache, and should follow NHS advice if they have any questions or if symptoms get worse.
- Patients should always read the patient information when taking over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol, and follow the instructions on how to take the medicines.
- Healthcare professionals should consider a patient’s individual risk factors, including any history of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal illness, when prescribing ibuprofen. Additionally, ibuprofen should be used with caution in patients with known renal impairment.
- The lowest effective dose of ibuprofen should be used for the shortest duration necessary to control symptoms.
- Patients who have been prescribed NSAIDs as a treatment for a long-term condition, such as arthritis, should keep taking these medicines as normal. Adult patients who take low-dose 75mg aspirin regularly for prevention of heart attacks or for vascular disease should continue to do so.
- Healthcare professionals, patients and carers should report any suspected side effects from a medicine including those purchased over-the-counter to the Yellow Card Centre Scotland.