Meloxicam vs Ibuprofen: what is the difference?
Meloxicam leans toward COX-2 and lingers in the body far longer than ibuprofen, and it is prescription only in most countries where ibuprofen is not.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 6 of 23 atoms, is too small to align on.
Side by side
| Meloxicam | Ibuprofen | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 351.4 g/molC14H13N3O4S2 | 206.28 g/molC13H18O2 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 2 | 1 |
| Half-life in the bodyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Not recorded | about 2 h |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists | Not on our lists |
|
| Also sold asEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Not recorded | Advil, Motrin, Nurofen |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | NSAIDs | Over-the-counter medicines, NSAIDs, Non-opioid painkillers |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Prescription medicine | OTC medicine |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Aromatics, Amides | Carboxylic Acids, Aromatics |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA, Safe Work Australia via PubChem; ECHA via PubChem | Danger | Warning |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | Not recorded | 636 mg/kgpure ibuprofen, rat, oral |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Half-life in the bodyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedIn a typical adult: the time the body takes to clear half of it.
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Also sold asfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, Safe Work Australia via PubChem; ECHA via PubChem
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Safe Work Australiafrom sourceAttributionSource: Safe Work Australia, Hazardous Chemical Information System, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 54677470 (Meloxicam) and 3672 (Ibuprofen).
In more detail
Both are NSAIDs, and meloxicam is dosed once a day where ibuprofen is dosed through the day. The structures are not close: meloxicam is an oxicam built on a thiazine ring with a sulfur-containing core, while ibuprofen is a small propionic acid on a benzene ring, and the weights differ accordingly at 351.4 against 206.28. Meloxicam is prescription only in the United States and the United Kingdom, where ibuprofen is sold over the counter, and that is the practical line between them. Both carry the class effects NSAIDs share, on the stomach lining and on the kidneys, and neither selectivity nor dosing schedule removes those.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Meloxicam and Ibuprofen?
- Meloxicam leans toward COX-2 and lingers in the body far longer than ibuprofen, and it is prescription only in most countries where ibuprofen is not.
- Is Meloxicam bigger than Ibuprofen?
- Meloxicam is the heavier molecule, 351.4 g/mol against 206.28 g/mol for Ibuprofen. Meloxicam is C14H13N3O4S2 and Ibuprofen is C13H18O2.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.