Class Explorer · Pain & inflammation
NSAIDs
COX inhibition: prostaglandin-dependent pain and inflammation fall, and so do the prostaglandin-dependent defenses (gastric mucosa, renal perfusion, platelets).
Members
IbuprofenThe everyday NSAID, and pharmacy's most instructive over-the-counter risk profile.NaproxenThe long-acting NSAID with the least cardiovascular signal.
Also in this class: Naproxen (longer, least CV signal) · Diclofenac (most CV signal, topical form) · Celecoxib (COX-2 selective, GI-sparing) · Ketorolac (potent, short-course only). Full pages arrive as the library grows.
Compare the members
Ibuprofen
- GI risk
- Moderate
- CV risk
- Low-moderate
- Note
- OTC default
Shared across the class
- Indications
- Pain, fever, inflammation
- Adverse effects
- GI ulceration/bleeding · Hemodynamic AKI · BP elevation and fluid retention · CV thrombotic risk (varies)
- Contraindications
- Active GI bleed · Third-trimester pregnancy · Severe HF · Post-CABG
- Monitoring
- BP with regular use · Renal function in the at-risk · GI symptoms
What makes each agent different
- GI risk falls with COX-2 selectivity (celecoxib); CV risk rises with it (and with diclofenac); naproxen sits kindest on the heart.
- Topical NSAIDs deliver local benefit at a fraction of systemic exposure.
There is no 'safe NSAID', only a best-matched one at the lowest dose for the shortest time.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15 · Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th ed.