Ibuprofen Dose Conversion: 90 mg to mL
For pediatric ibuprofen suspension at the standard children's concentration of 100 mg per 5 mL, a 90 mg dose equals 4.5 mL.
Calculation Method
The conversion is straightforward using the standard children's ibuprofen concentration:
- Standard concentration: 100 mg per 5 mL 1
- Calculation: (90 mg ÷ 100 mg) × 5 mL = 4.5 mL
Critical Safety Considerations
Concentration Verification is Essential
Always verify which ibuprofen concentration you are using before dosing, as two different pediatric formulations exist and confusion between them leads to significant dosing errors:
- Children's ibuprofen: 100 mg per 5 mL 1, 2
- Infant's ibuprofen: 200 mg per 5 mL (concentrated formulation) 2
Research demonstrates that 31% of all ibuprofen dosing attempts resulted in errors exceeding 50% of the intended dose, with significantly higher error rates when using the concentrated infant formulation (mean error 39 mg) compared to the children's formulation (mean error 27 mg) 2.
Dosing Device Matters
Use an oral syringe rather than dosing cups or droppers to minimize measurement errors 2. The study found that even with provided measuring devices, substantial dosing errors occurred across all age groups of caregivers 2.
Clinical Context for 90 mg Dosing
A 90 mg dose corresponds to the appropriate weight-based dosing for a child weighing approximately 9-12 kg when using the recommended range of 7.5-10 mg/kg 3. The effective dose range for ibuprofen in children is 7.5-10 mg/kg, with maximum temperature reduction occurring 3-4 hours after administration 3.
For infants 3-6 months of age weighing 5-6 kg or more, ibuprofen can be safely administered at 5-10 mg/kg per dose, given 3-4 times daily (maximum 30-40 mg/kg/day total) 4.