It's one of the features of Ibuprofen that you can take it at those levels without killing yourself. Most people don't, but some people do - sometimes because doctors tell them to.
This makes it different to Paracetamol, where you only have to double or triple the standard dose to cause temporary liver damage, and increasing it only slightly further puts you in danger of death.
> it's not a dose people will commonly take in their "day to day" activities
A lot of people who exercise multiple times a week take "Vitamin I" every day. So do people who have frequent headaches, back or joint pain, etc. I probably came close to these levels during a bout of plantar fasciitis, though I've since switched to naproxen in such cases. It might not be common in your immediate circle, but in the broader world it's not rare enough to raise any eyebrows.
I went through a period of heavy physical activity without good equipment, which caused quite bad shin splints. My doctor prescribed precisely this dose, along with some physiotherapy. I think it's quite common for inflammatory problems like that.
Wow, all the ones I have (and I don't remember seeing any different in Australia) all say do not take for more than three days at a time (except with a doctor's advice).
Are you sure it didn't have codine in it? In the UK, the only (AFAIK) non-prescription medication with that sort of warning is anything containing codine.
Correct. Adults can take up to 800mg q6hrs and I routinely prescribe that dosing after ankle sprains, etc for a few days. 6 wks duration would be way out of my comfort zone.
I've been prescribed that sort of dosage to deal with inflammatory issues. From limited personal experience, larger does are not about pain relief, but bringing inflammation (eg bursitis) under control.
Sometimes pain management is a balancing act between dangerous side effects and misery that makes it hard to want to keep living. Chronic pain isn't really something a third party can make decisions about; it may be that ibuprofen isn't the right choice, but lots of other choices (opiates, for instance) may have even more negative effects (like addiction and risk of deadly overdose).
Of course, there are folks who take over-the-counter meds as though it is safe at any dose and frequency. That might warrant a nudge toward reading the label about safe dosage, or a mention of a recent study on the subject.
Exactly this. I have a chronic wrist injury from a previous job. Physiotherapy hasn't really helped, and the only thing that does help when I have a bad day is naproxen (another NSAID in the same class as ibuprofen). I feel guilty taking it in the dose I do (1000mg/day) but it's the only thing that makes life bearable and makes me functional.
A lot of people I know that powerlift do 4 x 800mg for 5 days or so. I think the thinking is to give the injury a "blast" of ibuprofen to bring the swelling down fast, rather than a lower dose for a longer period.