Naproxen 250mg Tablets

Naproxen 250mg is a prescription-only non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). At Ways Pharmacy it is used for the short-term treatment of recent lower back pain caused by a strain, lifting or twisting in adults. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your symptoms, checked for warning signs and reviewed your health and other medicines.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Complete a short questionnaire and confirm your identity by uploading photo ID or showing it on a video call.
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to go through your answers and confirm whether the medicine is suitable.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you select the pack and check out on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. Through the online service the pharmacist supplies one course of up to 10 tablets (5 days). If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends self-care instead — you pay nothing and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Once approved, orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from Holborn.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Adults: one 250mg tablet twice a day, morning and evening, with or just after food
• Swallow whole with water and drink enough fluids
• Through the online service the pharmacist supplies one course of up to 10 tablets (5 days). Repeat courses are not routine
• If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless it is nearly time for the next one. Never take a double dose
• Do not take other anti-inflammatory painkillers, including ibuprofen, diclofenac or high-dose aspirin, at the same time

The 28- and 84-tablet packs are supplied only if a pharmacist decides a longer course is appropriate; they are not supplied through the online service. Keep moving and carry on with daily activities as much as you can — long periods of bed rest usually slow recovery. See your GP if the pain is not improving after 5 to 7 days, gets worse, keeps coming back or has lasted more than 6 weeks. See our back pain service for more information.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Anyone under 18
• Anyone allergic to naproxen, aspirin or another anti-inflammatory, or who has had asthma, swelling (angioedema) or hives triggered by one
• People with an active stomach ulcer, current bleeding from the stomach or gut, or previous bleeding caused by an anti-inflammatory
• People with severe heart failure, or severe kidney or liver problems
• People already taking another anti-inflammatory, or a blood thinner where an anti-inflammatory is not appropriate
• People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, unless the pharmacist confirms it is appropriate — naproxen is not usually suitable

Go to A&E or call 999 straight away if back pain comes with numbness around your bottom, genitals or inner thighs, new difficulty peeing or loss of bladder or bowel control, or new weakness in your legs. Also get emergency help after a serious fall or accident. See your GP or call NHS 111 if you also have a fever or unexplained weight loss, have had cancer, have a weakened immune system, or the pain is severe, getting worse or bad at night.

Tell the pharmacist if you are over 65, have high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, kidney or liver problems, or have had a stomach ulcer, and about every medicine you take — especially aspirin, blood thinners (such as warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, clopidogrel or ticagrelor), steroid tablets, SSRI antidepressants, blood pressure tablets (ACE inhibitors, ARBs or diuretics), methotrexate, lithium, ciclosporin or tacrolimus.

Possible side effects

Common side effects include indigestion, heartburn, feeling sick, tummy discomfort, headache and dizziness. Less common are vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, fluid retention and rash. Stop taking it and get urgent medical help if you vomit blood, pass black or tarry stools, have severe tummy pain, wheezing or difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, a blistering or severe skin rash, or are passing much less urine than usual.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.