A Toradol (ketorolac) shot typically provides pain relief for about 4 to 6 hours. The drug is dosed every 6 hours when repeated doses are needed, which gives you a practical window for how long you can expect one injection to work. Some people feel relief wearing off closer to the 4-hour mark, while others get a solid 6 hours before pain returns.
How Quickly It Kicks In
Most people start feeling pain relief within 20 to 30 minutes of an intramuscular (IM) injection, which is the type given into the muscle of your upper arm or thigh. An intravenous (IV) dose, delivered directly into a vein, works faster, often within 10 to 15 minutes. Peak pain relief generally arrives within 1 to 2 hours regardless of the route.
Toradol works by blocking the production of prostaglandins, chemicals your body releases at the site of injury or inflammation that amplify pain signals. By shutting down that process, Toradol reduces both pain and swelling. It belongs to the same family of drugs as ibuprofen and naproxen (NSAIDs), but the injectable form hits harder and faster than a pill you’d pick up at a pharmacy.
What Affects How Long It Lasts
The drug’s half-life in healthy adults under 65 is roughly 5 to 6 hours, meaning half the medication has been cleared from your body in that window. In adults 65 and older, clearance slows down, so the drug stays active somewhat longer. Kidney function plays a significant role too. If your kidneys process the drug more slowly, its effects (and side effects) can linger.
Body weight matters as well. People who weigh less than about 110 pounds (50 kg) receive lower doses and may metabolize the drug differently. Age, kidney health, and weight are the three main factors that determine whether your shot lands on the shorter or longer end of that 4-to-6-hour range.
Single Shot vs. Repeated Doses
Toradol can be given as a one-time injection or as a series of shots spaced 6 hours apart. The dosing depends on your age, weight, and how the drug is delivered:
- Single IM dose (under 65): 60 mg
- Single IM dose (65+, under 110 lbs, or kidney issues): 30 mg
- Single IV dose (under 65): 30 mg
- Single IV dose (65+, under 110 lbs, or kidney issues): 15 mg
When repeated doses are used, the standard regimen is 30 mg every 6 hours for adults under 65, with a daily ceiling of 120 mg. For older adults or those with kidney concerns, the limit drops to 15 mg every 6 hours and a maximum of 60 mg per day.
The Five-Day Limit
One of the most important things to know about Toradol is that it carries a hard maximum of 5 days of total use, whether you receive shots, oral tablets, or a combination of both. This isn’t a soft guideline. The risk of serious gastrointestinal complications, including stomach ulcers, internal bleeding, and perforation of the stomach or intestinal wall, increases directly with both dose and duration. These events can happen without warning symptoms and can be fatal.
Many people receive just a single shot in an emergency room or urgent care setting and never need a second dose. If pain continues beyond that first injection, your provider may give additional shots over the next day or two, or transition you to oral ketorolac tablets to finish out the short course. Either way, the combined clock for all forms of ketorolac tops out at 5 days.
Switching From a Shot to Oral Tablets
If you’re sent home with oral ketorolac after receiving a shot, the tablets continue the same pain-blocking effect in a less potent form. The oral dose for adults under 65 is typically 20 mg for the first tablet (taken when the injection would next be due), followed by 10 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed. The key detail is that every day on oral tablets counts toward that same 5-day total. If you had injections for 2 days in the hospital, you have 3 days of oral tablets remaining at most.
Common Side Effects
Because Toradol is a powerful NSAID, it shares side effects with other drugs in the class but can cause them more intensely. The most frequently reported issues after a shot include nausea, pain or bruising at the injection site, drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. Stomach discomfort is common even with short-term use.
The more serious concerns revolve around the GI tract and kidneys. Even a short course can irritate the stomach lining, and people with a history of ulcers or GI bleeding face higher risk. Toradol also temporarily reduces how well your blood clots, so it’s avoided before surgeries where bleeding is a concern. Kidney strain is another consideration, particularly if you’re dehydrated or already have reduced kidney function. These risks are the reason the drug is reserved for short-term, moderate-to-severe pain rather than everyday aches.
What to Expect After Your Shot
If you received a Toradol shot in the ER or at an urgent care visit, you’ll likely notice pain starting to creep back sometime between 4 and 6 hours later. That’s normal. For many acute pain situations, like kidney stones, post-surgical pain, or severe headaches, a single shot provides enough relief to get through the worst of it, and milder over-the-counter options like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can bridge the gap afterward.
If pain returns at full intensity before the 6-hour mark and isn’t managed by other methods, that’s worth a follow-up conversation with whoever gave you the injection. Toradol is effective, but it’s a short-term tool designed to control a pain spike, not to manage ongoing or chronic pain.