About this medication
- Naprosyn (naproxen) is a pain and anti-inflammatory medicine. It is used to ease pain, swelling, and stiffness from arthritis, muscle and joint injuries, and menstrual cramps.
Relieves pain and inflammation; it does not reverse arthritis damage.
How to use it
- Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water. Do not crush or chew it.
- Take this medicine with food or milk to help protect your stomach.
- Take this medicine exactly as your healthcare professional tells you. The amount and how often you take it will be on your prescription label.
If you miss a dose
- If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed one. Do not take two doses at the same time.
Use the prescribed formulation at the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary duration.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Do not take this medicine during the last three months of pregnancy.
- Talk to your doctor before using this medicine earlier in pregnancy, since it may still carry some risk.
- Do not take this medicine while breastfeeding.
Avoid in late pregnancy; from 20 weeks requires specific medical advice. Discuss breastfeeding.
Before you use it
- Tell your healthcare professional if you have ever had a stomach ulcer, stomach bleeding, or heartburn problems.
- Tell your doctor if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or liver disease.
- Tell your doctor if you have asthma, nasal polyps, or have ever had an allergic reaction to ASA (aspirin) or another anti-inflammatory medicine.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
- Tell your doctor about all other medicines you take, especially blood thinners, water pills, or other pain relievers.
Important warnings
- This medicine can increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke, which can happen without warning and can be fatal. This risk may be higher the longer you take it.
- This medicine can cause serious stomach or intestinal bleeding, ulcers, or tears, which can happen without any warning signs, especially in older adults.
- Rarely, this medicine can cause a serious skin reaction with blistering or peeling skin. Stop taking it and get medical help right away if this happens.
- Do not take this medicine during the last three months of pregnancy. It can harm your unborn baby.
- Use the lowest dose that controls your symptoms, for the shortest time you need it.
Avoid active ulcers/bleeding, NSAID allergy, severe renal/heart disease and peri-bypass use.
Possible side effects
- Upset stomach, heartburn, or stomach pain.
- Constipation.
- Nausea.
- Headache.
- Feeling dizzy or drowsy.
- Ringing in your ears.
- Itching, bruising, or a rash.
- Swelling in your hands, feet, or legs.
- Sweating more than usual.
Indigestion, nausea and abdominal discomfort.
When to get help
When to get emergency help
- Chest pain, sudden weakness on one side of your body, or trouble speaking, since these can be signs of a heart attack or stroke.
- Vomiting blood, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.
- Black, tarry, or bloody stools.
- Severe stomach pain that does not go away.
- A severe skin rash, blisters, or peeling skin.
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing.
When to contact a healthcare professional
- New swelling in your legs or feet, sudden weight gain, or shortness of breath.
- Yellowing of your skin or eyes.
- Unusual bruising or bleeding.
- A stiff neck, severe headache, or fever without an obvious cause.
- Any new or worsening stomach discomfort.
Black stools, bloody vomit, chest pain, breathlessness or reduced urine require urgent care.
Other medicines and products
- Take this medicine with food or milk to help prevent an upset stomach.
- Avoid taking other pain relievers, including other anti-inflammatory medicines or ASA, unless your doctor tells you to.
- Tell your doctor about all medicines you take, including blood thinners, water pills, blood pressure medicines, lithium, and methotrexate, since this medicine can interact with them.
- Limit alcohol while taking this medicine, since it can increase the risk of stomach bleeding.
Review anticoagulants, other NSAIDs, lithium and blood-pressure medicines.
Missed doses, storage and accidental exposure
- Store this medicine at room temperature, away from heat and moisture.
- Keep it out of the sight and reach of children.
- Return unused or expired tablets to your pharmacy for safe disposal.
Follow your own product’s missed-dose instructions. If you are unsure, ask the Care365 clinical team before taking an extra dose. Contraceptives, injections and modified-release medicines may need a specific plan.
Keep the original packaging and follow its storage, expiry and disposal instructions. Keep medicines away from children and pets. Ask about refrigeration, after-opening limits and safe sharps disposal when relevant.
For suspected overdose or accidental swallowing, contact poison control or urgent medical care promptly. Call emergency services for breathing difficulty, collapse or a seizure.
Key points to remember
- Take this medicine with food to protect your stomach.
- Do not take more than the amount your doctor prescribed.
- Tell any doctor or dentist you see that you take this medicine before you have surgery.
- Talk to the Care365 care team if you are unsure whether this medicine is safe to combine with something else you are taking.
These practical points come from the Pharmasist patient handout for the same product monograph cited by this guide.