11 Jan 2022
Diclofenac belongs to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) class of medications (NSAID). Diclofenac is a pain reliever used to treat mild to moderate pain and the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Diclofenac is an over the counter medication, you can even buy Diclofenac over the counter from certified online pharmacy.
Ibuprofen is also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Ibuprofen is a pain reliever used to treat various ailments, including headaches, tooth pain, menstrual cramps, muscle pains, and arthritis.
Is It Better To Take Diclofenac Or Ibuprofen?
Diclofenac is a more strong NSAID than Ibuprofen and requires a prescription from your healthcare professional. Diclofenac was found to be more effective than Ibuprofen for arthritic pain alleviation in a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Arthritis Research and Therapy. The researchers looked at data from 176 trials that included 146,524 participants.
Diclofenac was also found to have a decreased risk of stomach-related side effects than Ibuprofen. When compared to other NSAIDs like celecoxib and naproxen, diclofenac was found to be more effective. (Granatto, C.F., Grosseli, G.M., Sakamoto, I.K., Fadini, P.S. and Varesche, M.B.A., 2020)
Similarities Between Diclofenac And Ibuprofen
NSAIDs like diclofenac and Ibuprofen are routinely used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis inflammation and pain. Both medications are nonselective NSAIDs, which means they block the prostaglandin-producing COX-2 and COX-1 enzymes.
Conditions Treated
Diclofenac
Diclofenac is a medication used to treat mild to moderate pain and the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis is another condition for which Voltaren is used. This medication is also used to treat menstrual cramps under the brand name Cataflam. Migraine headaches are treated with diclofenac powder.
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is used to treat a type of joint disorder due to excess uric acid in the blood called gout, minor musculoskeletal injury, fever, headache, pain, pain with menstruation
rheumatoid arthritis, joint inflammatory disease in children and young adults joint damage causing pain and loss of function, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis ankylosing spondylitis, a rheumatic disease causing pain and stiffness in the backbone.
Is Diclofenac The Same As Ibuprofen?
Diclofenac is a prescription NSAID, whereas Ibuprofen is available without a prescription or over-the-counter. Diclofenac is only prescribed for adults, whereas Ibuprofen is safe for children. So, diclofenac and Ibuprofen are not the same (Pradal, J., 2020).
Scientific Study For Diclofenac Vs Ibuprofen
A study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of various oral analgesics in relieving pain and distress in adults following tooth extraction and deep cavity preparations under local anesthesia.
One hundred and twenty patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The paracetamol (1 gram) group had 40 patients, the Ibuprofen (400 mg) group had 40 patients, and the diclofenac potassium (50 mg) group had 40 patients.
Patients rated their post-extraction and deep cavity preparation pain on standard 100 mm visual analog scales immediately after surgery, 2, 4, and 6 hours later (VAS). Furthermore, each patient was assessed for signs of distress using a 5-point face scale both preoperatively and immediately postoperatively.
At 4 hours postoperatively, the diclofenac potassium group had significantly lower mean pain VAS scores than the paracetamol and ibuprofen groups. Diclofenac potassium was found to be more effective than paracetamol or Ibuprofen in reducing postoperative pain after tooth extraction and deep cavity preparation (Comparison of paracetamol, ibuprofen, and diclofenac potassium for pain relief)
