For every 1kg of body weight, a person is prescribed a dose of 10mg when using ibuprofen for kids. This dosage is then administered every 6-8 hours. With this in mind, our calculator defines how much is needed for a one-time dose of ibuprofen for your child. You may find a breakdown of each calculator variable below:
• Child’s weight: A simple one to begin with – this is where you enter the child’s body mass.
• Ibuprofen amount: The one-time dosage of ibuprofen that is a child needs to take.
• Solution strength: As the name suggests, this is the concentration of ibuprofen which is found in the solution you’re using (conveyed as mg per ml). The information for this variable should be found on the medicine bottle.
• Solution amount: This is when all other variables are taken into account, and the ibuprofen solution’s final volume – to the equivalent of a one-time dose – is provided.
For those seeking the maximum dosage of ibuprofen, this is also covered by our calculator. The calculator also assumes that the safest maximum dosage of ibuprofen is 40mg for each kilogram of body weight.
Speaking of maximum doses, there are two types to take into account. One is the maximum daily drug, which is the total amount of ibuprofen your child can take per day (in 6-8 hour intervals).
The other is the maximum daily solution, where the maximum daily dose is recalculated to the solution’s volume, using the identical concentration as previously mentioned.
If your child requires more medicine than the maximum dose, you can use paracetamol and ibuprofen alternatively. However, it’s important to consult a pediatrician before going above the recommended dosage limits.
For this example, let’s go with a child that weighs 45kg. With this information, you can easily find the ibuprofen amount and maximum daily drug.
• Ibuprofen amount: When you remember the standard 10mg dosage for each kilogram, this calculation is an easy one to understand: 10 * 45 = 450mg
• Maximum daily drug: This is the same calculation, however you replace the 10mg with the maximum dose of 40mg: 40 * 45 = 1800mg
Now when you provide a child with an ibuprofen solution that features a concentration of, say, 20mg/ml, this is how the calculator works:
• Solution amount: this is where the ibuprofen total is divided by its concentration. For this example, we take the 450mg we got from our previous equation for the following: 450/20 = 22.5ml
• Maximum daily solution: This is when we take the maximum daily drug total and divide it by the solution strength: 1800/20 = 90ml
