5 ms·

As European, it's mind-boggling when I see those 1,000 tab containers at Walgreens, given that I usually buy them in a pack of 12 and only take them very select

by marban 4y ago

As European, it's mind-boggling when I see those 1,000 tab containers at Walgreens, given that I usually buy them in a pack of 12 and only take them very selectively as a last instance. You know, side-effects and stuff.

peddling-brink 4y ago
If you’re willing to share, what side effects do you get from ibuprofen? I have none, or at least the side effects are not noticeable in comparison to the pain I’d otherwise be in.
- I_am_tiberius 4y ago
  That concerns not only ibuprofen but it may cause heart or kidney issues. I think it can't hurt trying to only take it as a last resort.
  - raverbashing 4y ago
    The dose where those are an issue are way above the "maximum dose" noted on the OTC posology
    - cjensen 4y ago
      Doctors routinely tell patients to use way above the maximum OTC dose when instructing them on how to treat difficult muscle problems like back problems. (Please don't do that except under specific instruction).
- ugjka 4y ago
  Not good for the liver, kidneys in the long term I guess (if you take it daily)
  - JLCarveth 4y ago
    You're thinking of paracetamol / acetaminophen. Ibuprofen has little effects on the liver / kidneys.
    - ugjka 4y ago
      I'm sorry
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
    - majkinetor 4y ago
      ibuprofen is ignored by the liver which says a lot about its safety.
    - heydonovan 4y ago
      Nah, Ibuprofen definitely affects the kidneys. It's on my mental list of medications never to try again. It always leaves me writhing in pain (thought it was my lower back that was on fire, turns out it was my kidneys).
      - freeflight 4y ago
        Have you ever tried dipyrone? Never had issues with kidneys with Ibuprofen, mostly noticed it with the stomach, but dipyrone was very noticeably affecting my kidneys.
    - refurb 4y ago
      Nope. Along with GI bleeds, kidney toxicity is an issue. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nsaids-acute-kidney-injury https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nsaids-acute-kidney-injury
  - bombcar 4y ago
    Apparently there are people who will add Tylenol or ibuprofen or aspirin to their daily cocktail of pills even if they don’t feel bad at all. Amazes me.
    - mattkrause 4y ago
      Low doses of asprin are (were?) sometimes used as prophylactic treatment for people at high risk of stroke or heart disease. It's not a panacea--and more recent data suggests that it's probably overused--but the idea itself isn't bonkers.
    - nibbleshifter 4y ago
      Low dose aspirin daily is recommended by cardiologists in my country as a preventative/protective measure against heart disease.
- squarefoot 4y ago
  (European here as well, so I'm referring to way lower dosages compared for example to the US) I don't have any 100% proof of it being caused by painkillers, however years ago I took Ibuprofen based painkillers on unusual higher dosage for some time to fight against pretty nasty back pains (driving exclusively bikes for 38 years comes at a price). After some time I developed some strong anemia, which scared me a lot for having a bad family history (some cancer cases, and my father died of leukemia); by my doctor's advice I did repeated blood tests and stopped taking painkillers for a while (and later never get again to that dosage) while starting a cure with iron and folate. Red blood cells took a while to fully recover but ultimately they did. About backpains, I later learned with immense relief that in many cases postural training will lead to results that painkiller can only dream of: I still have my back problems, and after a motorcycle accident also a stabilized column with screws et al, but no need for painkillers: I keep them for headaches or other things, but my back has never been so damaged and so pain free (touches various things...:).
- justsomehnguy 4y ago
  > what side effects do you get from ibuprofen What if I use it more than a two days straight there is something really wrong with me, so I should drop everything and start emergency recovery procedures, involving a visit to a doc or seek an emergency care
- zrail 4y ago
  Ibuprofen or other NSAIDs taken in high enough concentrations for long enough can lead to peptic ulcers, and depending on the person those concentrations can be within the recommended dosing limits. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478398/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478398/
- mmmpop 4y ago
  I've given myself a peptic ulcer while awaiting a root canal. I had odd eating habits (especially in hot periods) and also like beers... bad combo with handfuls of Advil.
- mrtnmcc 4y ago
  full body hives (about 2% of population has allergy to ibuprofen)
- freeflight 4y ago
  Regular use of Ibuprofen is not good for the gastric mucosa, overuse can lead to gastritis and stomach ulcers.
manquer 4y ago
I was surprised like you too, but later I realized that people were popping pills at that rate because it is used as substitute for primary care which is both expensive and sometimes not easy to schedule, unless it ER getting an appointment can take a lot of time here . Took me a week to a see a dentist, I popped more pills than last 10 years to keep going for a week before I could get prescriptions that actually solved the problem.
- jollybean 4y ago
  No, really, it's safe, and it's a good painkiller and that's it. The Europeans have it wrong on this one. There's no reason not to have regular dose variations at the drug store.
  - theptip 4y ago
    Long term use of NSAIDs may (probably?) contribute to chronic pain: https://bgr.com/science/nsaids-like-ibuprofen-may-actually-be-causing-your-chronic-pain-not-helping/ https://bgr.com/science/nsaids-like-ibuprofen-may-actually-b... (Original paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9954 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9954)
    - jollybean 4y ago
      Yes, but that's not a reason to have anything fundamentally different. I do think maybe some things, he 'first time you buy' you should have the pharmacist spell it out for you. Or it's even 'behind the counter' and you just have to ask for it i.e. 'controlled substance'. But I'm not sure if effectively it would make a change, other than the way it's sold in 'huge quantities' makes people believe they can just eat it up willy nilly.
  - manquer 4y ago
    It may be safe in by itself, but using a painkiller only masks the pain, the underlying issue is addressed later or never and that can create problems for you. Also when the body signals with pain, that needs attention and treatment, taking painkillers frequently may make one ignore a real problem, which perhaps had it been taken more seriously and treated earlier may save lives.

by marban 4y ago

peddling-brink 4y ago

If you’re willing to share, what side effects do you get from ibuprofen? I have none, or at least the side effects are not noticeable in comparison to the pain I’d otherwise be in.

I_am_tiberius 4y ago
That concerns not only ibuprofen but it may cause heart or kidney issues. I think it can't hurt trying to only take it as a last resort.
- raverbashing 4y ago
  The dose where those are an issue are way above the "maximum dose" noted on the OTC posology
  - cjensen 4y ago
    Doctors routinely tell patients to use way above the maximum OTC dose when instructing them on how to treat difficult muscle problems like back problems. (Please don't do that except under specific instruction).
ugjka 4y ago
Not good for the liver, kidneys in the long term I guess (if you take it daily)
- JLCarveth 4y ago
  You're thinking of paracetamol / acetaminophen. Ibuprofen has little effects on the liver / kidneys.
  - ugjka 4y ago
    I'm sorry
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  - majkinetor 4y ago
    ibuprofen is ignored by the liver which says a lot about its safety.
  - heydonovan 4y ago
    Nah, Ibuprofen definitely affects the kidneys. It's on my mental list of medications never to try again. It always leaves me writhing in pain (thought it was my lower back that was on fire, turns out it was my kidneys).
    - freeflight 4y ago
      Have you ever tried dipyrone? Never had issues with kidneys with Ibuprofen, mostly noticed it with the stomach, but dipyrone was very noticeably affecting my kidneys.
  - refurb 4y ago
    Nope. Along with GI bleeds, kidney toxicity is an issue. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nsaids-acute-kidney-injury https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nsaids-acute-kidney-injury
- bombcar 4y ago
  Apparently there are people who will add Tylenol or ibuprofen or aspirin to their daily cocktail of pills even if they don’t feel bad at all. Amazes me.
  - mattkrause 4y ago
    Low doses of asprin are (were?) sometimes used as prophylactic treatment for people at high risk of stroke or heart disease. It's not a panacea--and more recent data suggests that it's probably overused--but the idea itself isn't bonkers.
  - nibbleshifter 4y ago
    Low dose aspirin daily is recommended by cardiologists in my country as a preventative/protective measure against heart disease.
squarefoot 4y ago
(European here as well, so I'm referring to way lower dosages compared for example to the US) I don't have any 100% proof of it being caused by painkillers, however years ago I took Ibuprofen based painkillers on unusual higher dosage for some time to fight against pretty nasty back pains (driving exclusively bikes for 38 years comes at a price). After some time I developed some strong anemia, which scared me a lot for having a bad family history (some cancer cases, and my father died of leukemia); by my doctor's advice I did repeated blood tests and stopped taking painkillers for a while (and later never get again to that dosage) while starting a cure with iron and folate. Red blood cells took a while to fully recover but ultimately they did. About backpains, I later learned with immense relief that in many cases postural training will lead to results that painkiller can only dream of: I still have my back problems, and after a motorcycle accident also a stabilized column with screws et al, but no need for painkillers: I keep them for headaches or other things, but my back has never been so damaged and so pain free (touches various things...:).
justsomehnguy 4y ago
> what side effects do you get from ibuprofen What if I use it more than a two days straight there is something really wrong with me, so I should drop everything and start emergency recovery procedures, involving a visit to a doc or seek an emergency care
zrail 4y ago
Ibuprofen or other NSAIDs taken in high enough concentrations for long enough can lead to peptic ulcers, and depending on the person those concentrations can be within the recommended dosing limits. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478398/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478398/
mmmpop 4y ago
I've given myself a peptic ulcer while awaiting a root canal. I had odd eating habits (especially in hot periods) and also like beers... bad combo with handfuls of Advil.
mrtnmcc 4y ago
full body hives (about 2% of population has allergy to ibuprofen)
freeflight 4y ago
Regular use of Ibuprofen is not good for the gastric mucosa, overuse can lead to gastritis and stomach ulcers.

manquer 4y ago

I was surprised like you too, but later I realized that people were popping pills at that rate because it is used as substitute for primary care which is both expensive and sometimes not easy to schedule, unless it ER getting an appointment can take a lot of time here . Took me a week to a see a dentist, I popped more pills than last 10 years to keep going for a week before I could get prescriptions that actually solved the problem.

jollybean 4y ago
No, really, it's safe, and it's a good painkiller and that's it. The Europeans have it wrong on this one. There's no reason not to have regular dose variations at the drug store.
- theptip 4y ago
  Long term use of NSAIDs may (probably?) contribute to chronic pain: https://bgr.com/science/nsaids-like-ibuprofen-may-actually-be-causing-your-chronic-pain-not-helping/ https://bgr.com/science/nsaids-like-ibuprofen-may-actually-b... (Original paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9954 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9954)
  - jollybean 4y ago
    Yes, but that's not a reason to have anything fundamentally different. I do think maybe some things, he 'first time you buy' you should have the pharmacist spell it out for you. Or it's even 'behind the counter' and you just have to ask for it i.e. 'controlled substance'. But I'm not sure if effectively it would make a change, other than the way it's sold in 'huge quantities' makes people believe they can just eat it up willy nilly.
- manquer 4y ago
  It may be safe in by itself, but using a painkiller only masks the pain, the underlying issue is addressed later or never and that can create problems for you. Also when the body signals with pain, that needs attention and treatment, taking painkillers frequently may make one ignore a real problem, which perhaps had it been taken more seriously and treated earlier may save lives.