Read the Fine Print

i·bu·pro·fen (ī'byōō-prō'fən)
n. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, C13H18O2, used especially in the treatment of arthritis and commonly taken for its analgesic and antipyretic properties.

Dosage: Adults: 200-400mg every 4-6 hours, no more than 1200mg/day

Reading bottles and packaged instructions went by the wayside since my reading vision started failing me years ago. You know, my arms aren't long enough syndrome? Who reads Ibuprofen instructions, anyway. I've taken it for years for the occasional headache. It says to take one or two every four to six hours. One or two? Since I don't take anything until my headache is really bad, I always take two not taking any chances.

Anyway, a while back I ran out of my huge bottle of Equate (I miss Walmart) brand that I brought over from the states. I popped in at the pharmacy to see what they had to offer. I asked the Pharmacist if he had such a creature, "yes, yes, what strength?". "EXTRA", of course, was my answer. He retrieved it and I paid for it thinking, geez $10 for thirty tablets. That won't last long at my household. Sure enough I was back at the pharmacy a couple of days ago and approached the shelf where the pharmacist had gotten my previous purchase. Wow, they have all kinds of strengths of Ibuprofen...200, 400, 600. What's up with that? I picked up the strongest available, paid for it, and then as I was walking to the door I hesitated and said to the pharmacist, "take two, right?". He says, "in a day?". "No, at a time", I said. He got all excited saying, "NO, NO, only take one!", while rubbing his tummy in circular fashion. "You get stomach hurt, heartburn!".

So, yes, I've been taking 1200mg at a time, when I'm only supposed to be taking 400mg. I thought they just had awesome Ibuprofen here. No telling how many David was taking, since he usually takes four at a time for the anti inflammatory effect on his aching back. Live and learn, the Doha way.

Moral of the story: DON'T BE IN DENIAL. IF YOU CAN'T SEE THE PRINT, GET OUT YOUR GRANNY READING GLASSES!

To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!