Is Ibuprofen Safe For Aches and Pains?

This article was born out of our own curiosity on the subject. We’ve taken ibuprofen (Advil) for years for things like aches and pains, muscle soreness and cramps. We don’t take any other medications so we thought it would be smart to dig into the research a little and see what the short and long term effects of taking ibuprofen are.

Disclaimer

We are not doctors. We do not pretend to be doctors. We cannot be your doctor and we cannot give you medical advice. Consult YOUR doctor before starting or stopping any medication.

Now that that’s out of the way let’s start as we often do with some definitions.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen was discovered in 1961 and became available without a prescription in the mid 1980’s. Ibuprofen belongs to a category of drugs called Non Steroid Anti-Inflammatories or NSAIDS. It works by acting on compounds known as Prostaglandins.

Prostaglandins

Prostaglandins are sometimes called “local hormones” because they work close to where they are produced in the body vs all over. They serve a bunch of different functions, but one of those functions is to cause inflammation.

Unless you’ve been in hibernation for the last few years you’ve been hearing a lot about inflammation. It’s thrown around a lot and spoken about as quite the scary thing to avoid.

Inflammation

Inflammation is actually our bodies natural response to an injury. Call it protective mechanism. We accumulate white blood cells at the site of the injury which causes redness, swelling, heat, pain and sometimes fever. All of these effects of inflammation serve potentially beneficial purposes. Swelling can keep us from using an injured joint, heat and increased blood flow bring healing and pain helps us know that something is wrong.

So even though these effects of inflammation are actually to help us, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. This is probably why ibuprofen has gained favor since its discovery. Since prostaglandins cause inflammation, ibuprofen works on the enzymes that produce prostaglandins. It prevents them from being formed, thus preventing inflammation and its effects. Aspirin and other NSAIDS work in a similar way.

Just like every medicine, there are possible negative side effects.

Inhibiting positive functions of prostaglandins

Prostaglandins have other purposes in our bodies besides causing inflammation. Since ibuprofen inhibits the forming of prostaglandins, we can miss out on their other functions which include protecting the lining of our gut and promoting blood clotting.

NSAID manufacturers have also developed topical medications that can be applied at the site of the injury. These work by being absorbed through the skin. The effects are felt locally vs all over the body when a pill is taken orally and absorbed through the gut. This also helps reduce the potential side effect of gut bleeding.

Combining medicine and alcohol

A 2004 study showed that if you drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks per day your risk of stomach bleeding increases. Before you combine alcohol and Ibuprofen you should talk to your doctor, especially at dosages exceeding the amounts prescribed or recommended.

It’s affect on asthma

Research has also shown that ibuprofen can worsen symptoms of asthma in a small population of people with existing asthma. Common symptoms of this side effect include increased runny nose, shortness of breath, red eyes and facial swelling. If you have these symptoms after taking ibuprofen you should talk to your doctor.

It’s link to heart risks

The FDA has also issued strong warning that NSAIDs (including ibuprofen) has been linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. More specifically, your risks are increased at higher dosages and if you have any existing heart conditions.

The common theme in all of this is that as with all medications there are potential risks and side effects that come along with the benefits.

You should always aim to manage pain and inflammation preventatively through appropriate training volume and recovery. Should you feel it necessary to take ibuprofen to manage pain or inflammation I would recommend NOT exceeding the recommended dosage and NOT taking it long term. If you’re concerned about the potential risks associated with taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs, those two pieces of advice can help mitigate the risks.

I want to make another point.

For better or worse we’re often trained and made to believe that there is a pill that we need to take for everything that ails us.

Got a headache? Take a pill.

Did you sneeze? We have a pill for that.

Feel something a little funny? Better get a prescription.

It’s almost an obsession sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti medicine or anti doctor. Not at all. But at the same time I recognize that there is a large mental component involved and I always want to be careful to consider the big picture when it comes to taking medicine.

Do I really need to take something or do I just want to because I think it will make me feel better?

Do the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks?

I hope you’ve learned something about how Ibuprofen works from reading this and feel like you can make a more informed decision next time you reach into the medicine cabinet.