Ringl Ibuprofen

On a day I had a migraine and only one painkiller left (brought from a visit back home), I stopped by my local super-drug store. I must have looked confused and unhappy and a store pharmacist asked if she could help me find something. I told her I had a migraine and muscle pain. She showed me the painkiller section and told me the product Ringl IV (Ivy?) was rated the best one for migraines.

She even showed me the back of the package reading the symptoms I mentioned: migraine and muscle pain, in addition to menstrual pain and sudden fevers. In that stage I may have had trouble reading the small print. I thanked her and she left me to be indecisive for a few more minutes, considering the brand I know one student uses (Eve A).

The reasons I chose this product were that it was recommended and it was the strongest dosage of painkiller available over the counter. The package shows 200 mg per tablet of ibuprofen. The other brands were only around 100 mg each.

You may have heard Japanese painkillers are very low dosages compared with what Americans are used to, plus they're more expensive. Painkillers are one of the things that are good to stock up on if you visit home (or when moving to Japan for the first time). To compare, the generic (drugstore brand in photo above) naproxen sodium painkiller I brought back with me contains 220 mg per tablet. It's also a small bottle with 50 caplets that I paid probably $5 for. I'll be buying something like this again when I visit next time.

That being said, the painkiller from the US is fine for muscle aches but does nothing for a migraine. The Ringl pack of 18 tablets cost me 1,680 yen. There's a larger pack for a better price per tablet, but I thought it would be best to test it out first.

The size of the package seems ridiculous for only 18 tablets, especially compared with the bottle of 50 from the states. The reason is that it's packaged like a prescription medication in blister packs.

First I used one tablet as recommended. Several hours later, I had felt no relief - my migraine was worse. I didn't feel like it helped with muscle aches either, but they weren't especially bad that day. So I took another tablet.

This month has been especially bad with migraines nearly every day. I'm over it. It makes working a lot less fun. With a long day starting the next morning, I was hoping to end it that night, but didn't have high expectations. I don't usually bother trying painkillers as they don't usually help.

The package says after taking two tablets it's alright to take a third if you don't have any relief from the pain. The maximum dosage recommended for age 15 and up is 600 mg per day. If this is too weak then a visit to the doctor is probably needed for something stronger. As expected, the second dosage did nothing and I just went to bed.

Have any of you found dosages closer to what you're used to back home for a better price or more effective over the counter brands?