Children
Ibuprofen is suitable for children, who tolerate it well. It provides fast and effective reduction of fever and relief of mild to moderate pain, such as sore throat, teething pain, toothache, earache, headache, migraine and minor aches and sprains.

Published research over the past years has concluded that ibuprofen is a very efficient, fast-acting, long lasting antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug. Eighteen paediatricians from around the world, who participated in the 1st International Conference on ibuprofen use in paediatrics, all agreed with published data indicating that ibuprofen can be more effective, has got a longer duration of action and is at least as well tolerated as paracetamol.

Ibuprofen has been approved by official government regulators as first line treatment of pain, and fever in acute situations in France and the USA, and is the drug of choice in migraine attacks in children. In overdose, ibuprofen is much safer than paracetamol or aspirin.

Scientific data and clinical experience confirm that ibuprofen offers an excellent balance between efficacy and safety. Due to its positive evaluation worldwide, doctors increasingly prescribe and recommend paediatric ibuprofen. It is appropriate for use without medical supervision for treating infants. In some countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Russia, United Kingdom) paediatric ibuprofen is indicated for infants aged 3 months and above (Canada 4 months and above). Medical practice may differ in other countries and the lower age limit may be 6 months: always check the label before administering ibuprofen. In the UK, ibuprofen suspension 100 mg/5 ml may be prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of fever following vaccination for infants as young as 2 months; in such cases, the usual dose is 2.5 ml (50 mg), repeated after 6 hours if necessary.

Key features of ibuprofen:
Ibuprofen is one of the best-tolerated NSAIDs in adults, and its tolerability seems to be even better in children.
*Ibuprofen has got an anti-inflammatory effect at a daily dose of 30-40mg/kg body weight.
*Ibuprofen is increasingly used in young children below the age of 6 months and even in premature babies. Over-the-counter ibuprofen is licensed in several countries, for example; France, Ireland and Romania, for children from 3 months.
*In contrast to paracetamol, ibuprofen has no toxic metabolites and its toxicity after accidental or deliberate overdosing is milder and rarely life-threatening.
*Ibuprofen is suitable for use in children with asthma. Short-term use of ibuprofen is not associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events in children with asthma (1). (In some countries the label advises not to use any NSAID in asthmatic patients).

If your child needs treatment for pain or fever, you should inform the pharmacist or your doctor if your child has experienced any problems before when taken ibuprofen, paracetamol, aspirin or other NSAIDs.

Like other NSAIDs and many drugs, ibuprofen has rarely been associated with an allergic skin reaction causing blistering and rash in both children and adults. In adults, the risk associated with prescribed ibuprofen has been estimated at less than one case per million users during the first 8 weeks of treatment, or 0.013 cases per million defined daily doses in the first 2 weeks(2). Because most published evidence does not differentiate between prescribed and over the counter ibuprofen, the precise risk associated with occasional use of low doses of ibuprofen is unknown but believed to be very small. Nevertheless, anyone who develops a rash or blisters while taking ibuprofen should stop treatment and seek medical advice.

1. Lesko SM et al. Asthma morbidity after the short term use of ibuprofen in children. Paediatrics 2002;109:2
2. Mockenhaupt M et al. The risk of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: a multinational perspective. J Rheumatol 2003;30:2234-40

Should children with chicken pox take ibuprofen?
Chicken pox (varicella) is a common illness of childhood caused by the Varicella-Zoster virus. One of the main symptoms is fever. Ibuprofen is often used to reduce this fever in children. However it should only be used for children under a doctor's supervision as it may mask other symptoms occurring in context with this condition .

Several studies have been published that suggest an association between NSAIDs and serious bacterial infections such as necrotising fasciitis. However, no causal association has been demonstrated between such bacterial infections, chicken pox and ibuprofen.

Is there a risk of Reye's syndrome with ibuprofen?
There is no published evidence to link ibuprofen with Reye's syndrome in children. The cause of this rare but sometimes fatal condition is unknown although it was at one time in the past thought to have been causally associated with the use of aspirin, but not other analgesics, in children under 16 years old, particularly for the treatment of fever and viral infections.