Is there any harm in taking 3 advil for a migraine?

My co-worker has a migraine. She cannot recall if she took her usual 2 advil this morning (within the past hour) or not. Can she take one Advil now? If she did take her advil t...

My co-worker has a migraine. She cannot recall if she took her usual 2 advil this morning (within the past hour) or not.

Can she take one Advil now?

If she did take her advil this morning and took one now, that would total 3 advil.

If she did not take her advil this morning and took one now, that would total 1 advil.

Would 3 advil have any harmful effects or is that fine for her?
Additional Details
Thanks for the comments, everyone! This is great news for her. Our office is hot and the lights apparently make her feel bad. This girl really needs to start writing down when she takes pills, or something.

Someone asked her weight. I'm not sure, but it's definitely more than 120.. she looks more on the 'heavy' side.

MAC & CHEESE	kinda

mel y	no, when i went to the doctor i told him i was having horrible migraines and he said that i was too young for migraine medication but i could take up to four advila t one time...and i am average weight and height to your probabluy fine unless you weight 15 lbs. haha

Shifty	haha not the slightest chance i take 3 for a regular headache...it would take over 7 to maybeee have an effect

dbgyog	We have treated 15 - 20 yrs cases. There is no medicine for H/A OR MIGRAINE. Not only these but for almost all painful diseases. Hence they become chronic. Acidity, excessive wind, cold , heat, sour food and sinusitis, constipation, intestinal inflammation; Blockage in the flow of Vital Energy are their causes. None of them can be treated with medicine. Our 100% success in treating migraine &H/A confirms it. Acupuncture is the best treatment. I can treat it with naturopathy and YOG, but how can you manage pl see. Avoid late sleeping if possible;spicy, sour, stale bakery foods and alcohole. Sweet foods, sweet fruits, milk, rice and good sleep will help you. But you try one herbal remedy- two drops of drumstick leaves' juice in opposite nostril if one side pains and both nostrils if full H/A will give you rescue. Betel leaf helps but it isvery strong. If it is acute pl search a painful point 3-6 mm behind your thumb nail and press it, H/A will disappear within 30 seconds. Source(s): SHREE SWASTHYAYOG TREATMENT, TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE R.H. – 19, Jhulelal Society, Sector – 2/E, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, INDIA.

HuggieSunrise	I personally know a moron whos swallowed 40 and only came out of it with an emotional breakdown. Tell her to go for it for America Till underverse come!

BaFfler	There's a new development in migraine therapy: http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html

logan28	If she did take them it means it is not working. Tell her to take Excedrin Migraine from now on. It works great. As to your question, I wouldn't take another one. Two is enough. Tell her to wait a couple more hours before taking another one.

boogers	I would call a pharmacist and ask them. They can answer questions like this. I do know it is a little rough on the liver and kidneys to take large doses of Ibuprofin at one time. There are a few things she can do to relieve pain naturally. Have her place a cold, wet wash cloth or paper towel over her face for a few minutes. This constricts lymph nodes and relieves pressure from the head. For reflexology, tell her to pinch her big toe. I know this sounds odd, but there is a link between the big toe and the head. Taking a walk, tying a cloth around her head (this slows blood flow which lessons throbbing and pounding). I also know that if you take too much medication, it can tend to make the headache worse.

MONA H	it wont hurt any thing as long as she doesnt make it a habit and do it all the time.

Savannah	it's safe! if you take 3 it is only 600 mg and highest safe dose you can have is 4 of them because it's only 800 mg! good luck!

lee hampton	i am not a health care pro, but i have taken 3 before and it didnt harm me.

Irina MD	Tell her to go ahead and take 2 Advil. Even if she took 2 Advil in the morning already, they are partially metabolized by now, also 4 Advil or even 7 taken at the same time will not cause any seious side effects. In order to get symproms of Advil toxicity you need to take a minimum of 10 AT ONE TIME. IF she didnt take Advil in the morning one pill will do nothing for her because it is below therapeutic dose.

Aussie Nurse	its fine - just don't do it consistently, it wouldn't be 'over the counter' if it were that easy to overdose on.

kay_flood	she can even take two. Advil is only 200 mg, it is common for doctors to prescribe 800 mg doses. I would just make sure she eats a cracker with it, so she doesn't get an upset stomach along with the headache.

Matthew H	Well, as long as she is in good health three Advil should be fine. You just don't need to take that many regularly or take like 5 at a time.

jcann17	No, 3 would not be harmful and is not an overdose.

newjdguy	I do it all the time; then two hours later take two Excedrin. I continue to alternate until it subsides. Just don't do it every day.

KidCuervo	I'm not one to tell people to OD, but i'm a pretty big guy so i tend to take 3 Advil when they reccomend 2. Ditto for asprin and Tylenol and Ibuprofen. If it only says to take 1 i wouldn't take more than 2.

smplyme132	Doctors say that 4 Advil's are equal to a prescribed pain pill. Being a chronic suffer from migraines, as far as over the counter meds, bayer's Aspirin is the best. A coke and several bayer's work wonders. If you try this, you need to chew the bayer up first and then wash down with Coke. Tell her to go see her Dr. there are great marketed pain killers just for migraines that work as fast as 5 minutes to relieve. She may never have to suffer from a migraine again if she just took that trip to talk to her Dr about this. I take Maxalt, it melts on your tongue and gets in the blood stream immediately. Then I take Inderal (a blood pressure med, use to help chronic migraines) at night to help control the on set of migraines. I am a new person, over the last few years when I finally talked to my Dr about migraines. God love her. I know the PAIN!!!

Scotty Doesnt Know	A normal "Advil" tablet or caplet has 200 mg of Ibuprofen. "Prescription strength" Ibuprofen is typically 800 mg. There are typically no ill effects from taking up to 800mg in a "dosage period", so there shouldn't be much difference in whether she takes one or three.

MISSI	No...taking three Advil is not harmful. I take 800mg of Advil anytime I use it. They prescribe 800mg of Ibuprofen daily

saveit	800 mg of Ibuprofen three times a day is the standard at the pharmacy i work. i often take three of the 200 mg tablets for my regular headaches. i suggest excedrin for migraines though.

Nicole	No, not at all, but she should munch on something, because Advil can cause a belly ache if taken on an empty stomach.

roskoroskorosko	How much does she weigh? If she weighs 120 or more it should be fine, but she should not take another one for about 4 hours.

guitar_junkie420	i usually take 4 no problems here

kk	Just tell her to take 1 excedrin. They work great. I am suprised to see your quiestion. I get them too. It feels like I am the only one that gets them. Please star this answer as a best answer. I need points!!!! Thanks!!!! Shianne

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,	she can take 3, I take for at a time for my migraines