Naproxen sodium 550 mg is used to treat pains or aches in the body and several conditions which include arthritis among others. It is important to see a doctor before start using Naproxen sodium since there are certain aspects that may affect the human body if you take Naproxen sodium which is one of the drugs in the NSAID group of drugs. Some of the conditions that should be considered while taking Naproxen include other medications that a person is taking, other medical conditions that a person may have and any other medical condition that a person is treating.

It is always important to consult a doctor when adjusting dosages and this is to determine the benefits and effects. Since Naproxen sodium 550 mg is taken to treat various conditions, doctors recommend different dosages for each of these conditions. People who take Naproxen for treating acute pain or painful menstrual periods they will have to be over 18 years and a dosage of 220 mg to 550 mg two times daily. In this case the maximum dosage on a daily basis is 1100mg. For those people who are using over the counter Naproxen such as Aleve they should follow the instructions that are always written in the label.

The recommended over the counter dose should not be exceeded and it is also important not to use the Naproxen dosage for more than 10 days unless told otherwise by the doctor. People who use Naproxen sodium 550 mg for treating arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis are supposed to take a dosage of 275 mg or 550 mg two times a day. However, this dosage may be increased to 1650 mg daily by the doctor after several weeks if the person is still in pain. If this also does not relieve the pain the patient will have to consider other pain relief options.

People who take Naproxen sodium for treating gout they are supposed to take a dosage that starts at 825 mg which should be followed by 275 mg dosage for every 8 hours until the gout attack subsides. There are however several considerations that a person should take when using Naproxen sodium 550 mg and any other dosage. One of them is it is supposed to be taken with a water glass and after the person has eaten. Taking the drug with milk will help in preventing stomach upsets. It is always important to take the lowest effective dose of Naproxen as well as using the least amount of time as this decreases the risk of getting serious side effects.