Serious gastrointestinal side effects associated with ibuprofen are dose-related: most occur with the high doses prescribed by doctors for the long term treatment of chronic disorders such as arthritis. This problem is extremely rare at the low doses recommended for short-term treatment with over-the-counter ibuprofen products and the risk is therefore negligible. In fact, the available evidence shows that the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects with over-the-counter doses of ibuprofen (up to 1200 mg/day) is comparable with that associated with paracetamol (acetaminophen). Furthermore, comparisons with other NSAIDs have consistently demonstrated that ibuprofen has the lowest risk of gastrointestinal side effects of any drug in its class.

No link between Ibuprofen and necrotising fasciitis
There is no scientific evidence that shows a causal link between ibuprofen and necrotising fasciitis, a serious bacterial infection that attacks the skin and soft tissues. This issue has received a lot of attention in the media following the publication in 1999 of an American study of 19 children with chicken pox who had developed necrotising fasciitis. The study examined the drugs the children had taken and found that 15 had been treated with paracetamol and 9 had been treated with ibuprofen. There was no evidence that either drug played a role in the development of necrotising fasciitis.

Furthermore, the safety of ibuprofen has been confirmed by government agencies that have been monitoring the widespread use of ibuprofen for many years. In 1999, safety data from the UK Medicines Control Agency showed that no cases of necrotising fasciitis associated with ibuprofen had been reported since records began in 1963. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (which monitors the safety of drugs), after reviewing the available data, concluded that no association has been demonstrated between the use of ibuprofen and necrotising fasciitis.