The pharmaceutical market in Australia offers a wide range of various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Naproxen is among most popular ones and is successfully used by both doctors and patients for the treatment of joint inflammation.

Comparative trials on Naproxen proved the drug to be at the same level with many popular NSAIDs, when it comes to relieving pain and inflammation, with additional advantage of cardiovascular tolerance.

Steady platelet aggregation suppression places this drug among medicines with highest safety profile for the cardiovascular system, which makes Naproxen available for Australians with heart failure.

Favorable safety profile and unique pharmacological properties of Naproxen allow using it in people of various age groups, starting from children at the age of 5 and older, for holding long-term therapy of:

• osteoarthritis (degenerative),
• rheumatoid arthritis,
• ankylosing spondylitis.

Australian patients can choose between two pharmaceutical forms of Naproxen and various dosages, in which it is available at the pharmaceutical market, i.e. tablets and suspension for oral administration. Both drug forms provide the same therapeutic effect.

• In retail pharmacy chains, Australians can buy 125mg/5mL oral liquid Naproxen, which is sold under the trade name Phebra.

This dosage form is most convenient for pediatric patients. A convenient dosing syringe or a cup that you will find together with the bottle of oral suspension in Naproxen package allow you to provide and accurate measuring of the required dose.

Before you start measuring the necessary dose, you should gently shake the bottle and make sure to take exactly the required amount of milliliters, since one contains 25 mg of Naproxen. For a more pleasant experience, the manufacturer provided the drug with a pineapple-orange flavor.

By the release rate of the active ingredient, Naproxen tablets, available in the Australian market, are:

• sustained release (contain 750 mg and 1000mg of Naproxen);
• modified release (contain 375 mg, 500 mg, and 660 mg of Naproxen);
• rapid release (contain 250 mg, 275 mg, 375 mg, 500 mg, and 550 mg of Naproxen).

Such a vast choice of dosages makes it easier to select the required dose for each patient individually. Keep in mind that your doctor should base on your age, as well as the type of the inflammatory joints disease you are suffering from, when choosing your perfect daily dose.

As the treatment begins, Naproxen dose that is selected individually is usually the minimum effective dose for each patient. Further on, doctor can adjust the dose or prescribe a long-term dosing schedule that you should carefully follow.

The effect that Naproxen provides lasts longer than that of other popular drugs for inflammation reduction. Due to this feature, you can take the drug just two times in 24 hours.

To reduce the inflammatory process and pain syndrome in acute forms of osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis, patient is prescribed 500 mg to 1000 mg of Naproxen per day in two divided doses.

It should be borne in mind that the initial dose should not be less than 500 mg of Naproxen, and it is gradually increased, depending on the patient’s needs. At that, long-term use of the drug requires caution and specialist’s control.

As the surveys show, the use of Naproxen allowed most Australians to achieve improvement already in the first few days of therapy. However, they did not need additional drugs. The medicine effectively stopped the pain attack and reduced inflammation and swelling of the joints.

Doctors also prescribe Naproxen as a symptomatic tool in the treatment of dysmenorrhea, as well as to alleviate chronic pain and acute migraine attacks. Usually, when you feel a migraine attack approaching, you should take 750 mg of the drug. (Do not exceed 1250 mg within 24 hours).

Body weight is the factor that doctors should take into account when calculating Naproxen dose for pediatric patients, who suffer from the chronic rheumatologic disease. The following dosing regimen is recommended for 5-year olds and older children:

• 10 mg of Naproxen per 1 kg of body weight, divided into two intakes.
• 12-hour time interval between the intakes.

Despite the favorable safety profile, Naproxen can cause side effects, most common of which have proven to be impaired bowel movement, nausea, heartburn, and indigestion. Despite these and other possible side effects, Naproxen still hits the top among other NSAIDs in Australia with high efficiency.

In Australian pharmacies, Naproxen tablets are sold under the following trade names: Naprosyn, Soden, Inza, Aleve, Naprogesic, Crysanal, Anaprox, Proxen, and Naprofem.