Blue, pink and gold LOXONIN boxes can make a quick drugstore stop confusing. Start with the pain you want to relieve, then match the full product name. The names are not a simple ladder from weak to strong.
A quick tip from Irene
All six provide the same 60 mg amount of the main pain-relieving ingredient per adult dose. Added ingredients, tablet design and the number of tablets differ. Fine focuses on period pain; PRO focuses on body pain. With Premium, remember the no-driving rule.
Your 3-minute choice: what matters to you?
S | A simple starting point
A useful starting point if you want to compare the basic formula: loxoprofen sodium hydrate is its only active ingredient. One tablet per adult dose.
S Plus | Added magnesium oxide
Adds magnesium oxide to the main pain reliever. This design does not make it suitable for every stomach condition or for taking on an empty stomach.
S Quick | A formulation difference
Uses a fast-disintegrating tablet design and adds magnesium aluminometasilicate. Quick describes a formulation feature, not a guaranteed number of minutes to pain relief.
S Premium | Check your driving plans
Marketed for troublesome headaches, with a sedative ingredient and caffeine to support pain relief. Do not drive, cycle or operate machinery after taking it.
S Premium Fine | Look for Fine
Focuses on period pain, adding peony extract and hesperidin to support pain relief. Contains no sedative ingredient or caffeine.
PRO Physical | A body-pain focus
Marketed for lower-back, shoulder and joint pain, with added peony and licorice extracts. These are tablets to swallow, not patches. No sedative ingredient.
These starting points follow the manufacturer’s product features; they do not establish which medicine will work best for you. All six are Class 1 OTC medicines for ages 15+, requiring a pharmacist’s explanation when buying.
Match the box: the words that prevent mix-ups
ロキソニンS
Look for ロキソニンS
ロキソニンSプラス
Look for プラス
ロキソニンSクイック
Look for クイック
ロキソニンSプレミアム
Look for プレミアム
ロキソニンSプレミアムファイン
Look for プレミアムファイン
ロキソニンPROフィジカル
Look for PROフィジカル
Product photos: Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare. Photos are not shown to scale. Sources are listed at the end.
Pay particular attention to プレミアム (Premium) versus プレミアムファイン (Premium Fine): the shared word does not mean the same formula. The manufacturer has changed the S-series box designs without changing ingredients, indications or pack quantities. Older boxes may still be on sale; use the full name, not colour alone. PRO was excluded from this redesign.
Ingredients: understand what stays the same
Each adult dose contains loxoprofen sodium hydrate 68.1 mg, equivalent to 60 mg anhydrous loxoprofen sodium, for pain and fever. The amounts below are per dose, not per tablet. Taking two tablets of a two-tablet product does not give twice the loxoprofen dose.
| Type | Adult dose | Other active ingredients per dose |
|---|---|---|
| S | 1 tablet | No other active ingredient |
| S Plus | 1 tablet | Magnesium oxide 33.3 mg |
| S Quick | 1 tablet | Magnesium aluminometasilicate 100 mg; fast-disintegrating tablet design |
| S Premium | 2 tablets | Allylisopropylacetylurea 60 mg + anhydrous caffeine 50 mg; magnesium aluminometasilicate 100 mg |
| S Premium Fine | 2 tablets | Peony dry extract 36 mg + hesperidin 30 mg; magnesium aluminometasilicate 100 mg |
| PRO Physical | 2 tablets | Peony dry extract 36 mg + licorice dry extract 50.4 mg; magnesium oxide 33.3 mg |
The extra ingredients help distinguish the formulas; a longer list is not automatically better. The five products other than Premium contain neither sedative ingredients nor caffeine. This does not rule out side effects such as drowsiness or dizziness in an individual.
How many tablets, and how often?
- Ages 15+: one tablet for S, Plus or Quick; two tablets for Premium, Fine or PRO.
- Under 15: do not use any of these six products.
- Timing: take when symptoms occur, normally up to twice daily. A third dose is allowed only if symptoms return. Leave at least four hours between doses.
- How: take with water or warm water and avoid an empty stomach as far as possible. Do not take routinely to prevent pain.
Before use: the checks that matter on a trip
- Do not combine with other pain/fever medicines, cold medicines or sedatives. Premium also must not be combined with motion-sickness medicine. Do not stack different LOXONIN products.
- Avoid alcohol before and after taking any of the six. Premium’s no-driving rule still applies despite its caffeine.
- Do not use if allergic to an ingredient or if pain/cold medicine has caused asthma. Also do not use while receiving treatment for stomach/duodenal ulcers or liver, kidney or heart disease, or if a doctor has identified a blood disorder.
- Do not use within 12 weeks of your due date. For other pregnancy stages, possible pregnancy, breastfeeding, older age, ongoing treatment or relevant medical history listed in the leaflet, check with a doctor or pharmacist first.
Do not simply keep taking it until the trip ends. Stop and consult a doctor or pharmacist if there is no improvement after one or two doses. If pain keeps returning over three to five days, stop and see a doctor. Do not use continuously long term. Seek urgent care for breathing difficulty, black stools, vomiting blood or severe abdominal pain after taking it.
At the store: bring the full name to the pharmacist
Save time for the rest of your trip
Save the box photo of the type you want to discuss, then look for 第1類医薬品 or the pharmacist counter. An open drugstore may be unable to sell it while its pharmacist is absent. After the required explanation, check the name and tablet count. A clear choice is more useful than collecting all six boxes.
Questions before you buy or use it
Is Premium automatically stronger than S?
The names do not establish a strength ranking. All six have the same main pain-reliever amount per adult dose, with different added ingredients and formulations. Premium contains a sedative ingredient and caffeine and must not be used before driving.
Is Fine only for women or only for period pain?
No. Period pain is its main marketing focus, but its listed indications also include headaches, toothache, other pains and fever. Suitability depends on the person and the medicine’s directions, not gender alone.
Can I take one tablet of a two-tablet type instead of S?
Follow the directions for the exact product rather than making your own conversion. S, Plus and Quick use one tablet per adult dose; Premium, Fine and PRO use two, and their formulas differ.
Can I take a stomach-care formula on an empty stomach?
The added ingredients do not cancel the instruction to avoid an empty stomach or contraindications such as treatment for stomach ulcers.
Sources and photo credits
Based on Japanese manufacturer information. English names help you read this guide; match the full Japanese name when shopping. Official photos retain the original packaging artwork. Read the current leaflet supplied with your pack before use.
