Any medical professionals that can explain to me the difference b/t OTC Ibuprofen and Script Ketoprofen?

Question

I went to my doctor for back pain, and headaches, and he gave me Ketoprofen 75mg. I went to fill it and the pharmacist told me it was the same thing as Ibuprofen OTC. I looked it up in my drug book, and found that they are very similar, and both NSAID's, but not the exact same thing. I know that the Ibuprofen was labeled as "OTC" and Ketoprofen was labeled "also available without a prescription" Is there a difference? Maybe the base product used to make the drug? I dont know. I am a nurse and it benefits me to research drugs as I come across them. Any help would be aprreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

It's similar to ibuprofen, but not the same. You used to be able to buy ketoprofen without a prescription in the U.S., but the company that marketed it had manufacturing problems last year and one website said it's no longer available. I could not confirm this, regardless many stores stopped carrying it as a result. Orudis-KT was the brand name and it was available as a 12.5mg tablet.

Ketoprofen rhymes with ibuprofen for a good reason, they're close chemical cousins and belong to the same family of drugs - NSAIDs - non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Non-steroidal meaning they're not related to the steroid cortisone.
You should be able to get the same level of relief from ibuprofen, but ketoprofen has a longer half-life and it's more potent. The side effect profile is essentially the same.

With many drug chains offering cheap generics it's probably cheaper to get a Rx filled for ketoprofen than buying O-T-C ibuprofen. Still, the best O-T-C NSAID is naproxen, better known as Aleve.

I hope this helps.

Rick the Pharmacist

Answer 2

I would have thought your pharmacist could have answered your question. Other than they are the same thing.

Most pharmacist know the chemical compound of drugs and can tell you exactly what they are and aren't made of.

I believe that you should start there.

However, most OTC drugs that are the same are just weaker.
My doctor told me to take two tablets and if that doesn't work in 15 minute then take another. He said that the added pill would be the same as the perscription.

I went so far as to call a pharmaceutical company to find out exactly what was in a certain drug.

I am not a nurse or a doctor. I am someone that is highly allergic to many things. Sometimes just the filler they use in making a drug is bad for me.

Answer 3

The only way to tell for sure - basically the difference in chemical structure of the drugs - would be in the Physicians Desk Reference.

What it looks like to me is that the Ketoprofen is a higher dose than what can be bought OTC. Naproxen Sodium can be purchased OTC as Aleve, but it's prescribed too. The only difference is the prescribed pills are stronger.

I think it just saves you having to take several pills instead of just one.