Addicted to ibuprofen, any Dr's around to tell me honestly if it's that bad?

OP if the driver for taking them is headaches (rebound headaches are definitely a thing as others have said) then plan to have non drug alternatives. Wheat bags - the type you put in the microwave - and 4head are two options that could help you manage the transition.

It’s not addiction 🤔

This is extremely worrying. At the very least it's probably given you medication overuse headache. You might not even have migraine. Check out the Heads Up podcast which has an episode about Medication Overuse Headache. And speak to a doctor immediately.

I'm no medic but even I know you are seriously overdosing, just with your morning dose of FIVE tablets. You need to go to your GP asap and be totally honest about the length & scope of your addiction. You are facing either a long detoxification regime or organ failure. Your choice.

It’s not an addiction, there are no addictive substances in it. It’s a habit.

I hope this thread has been a wake up call for you. Ibuprofen is not addictive and you can break the habit without experiencing any of the physical withdrawal symptoms associated with addictive medications.

It may be worth considering something like hypnotherapy to help you with the psychological impact of breaking the habit.

Do be completely open and honest with your GP. You have left yourself open to some significant and possibly life threatening gastric issues so you need your GP access and assessment of any symptoms to be easy.

I agree with everyone saying you need to speak to your doctor to find a way to safely manage your symptoms and also to try to get to the root cause of the headaches, so that you can hopefully put a stop to them.

Ibuprofen is, as everyone has said, really bad for your stomach.

You don’t need to be ashamed but equally you do need some medical help.

It sounds like you’re getting rebound headaches. It’s a real thing and they aren’t helped by taking more of the ibuprofen or paracetamol. It’s basically headaches caused by the medication.

I take amitriptaline and panadeine forte for my migraines when they get really bad. I also take anti nausea medication. I have been diagnosed with a very rare migraine condition and I also get normal migraines with facial numbness.

I’ve seen two neurologists, two ENT’s and had so many scans and my migraines have been so bad they’re attributed as the cause of lesions all over my brain (which means my brain has been damaged).

You need to ask for a referral to a neurologist, you need brain scans and you need to be on a prescription pain killer.

You need blood tests to check your kidneys as well as your liver.

If you really want to get off the ibuprofen I suggest that when you get your next migraine you put your feet in a tub of the hottest water you can stand. There’s science to this. It apparently works. I also suggest you have some Gatorade and Powerade as there’s evidence dehydration can trigger migraines.

My dh has just been told he has some damage to his kidneys because of his excessive use of ibuprofen and other anti inflammatory medications.

Long term too much NSAID can destroy your kidney function.

Please don't feel ashamed of yourself.

I've been diagnosed with chronic pain and take pain medication (prescribed) daily but I know what it's like to feel like you "need" to take something for the pain.

My GP and doctors at the Pain Clinic and my physio all told me that your body becomes resistant to pain relief and that it can actually cause pain - I'm also on Amitriptyline 40mg for Spinal Stenosis as I have nerves trapped in my vertebrae but it's now at the point that it's not working for me - luckily I'm at Pain Clinic on Tuesday to hopefully review and change my pain management plan.

I might sound daft and I apologise if you've mentioned it or if someone else has as I haven't had time to read the entire thread, but have you tried rubbing a layer of menthol cream (like 4Head if they still do it - there are loads of different menthol creams available online for you to research - just be careful you don't use too much as it can sting your eyes) to ease your headaches.
I use Vicks Vapour rub in a thin layer across the top of my head as it relaxes and opens up blood vessels and it really does help - if I have a really bad headache, I put the vapour rub on and then go to bed for an hour and usually feel better when I wake up.

Make an appointment to see your GP - they won't be angry with you or think any less of you - you do need help to sort this though and you've made the first step already - good luck x

A CT scan would not show damage to the lining of your stomach, you would need an endoscopy (camera test) for this. Please don’t be falsely reassured by the CT.

The upper safe limit is 2.4g/24 hours for an adult and it sounds like you’re taking around 4g/24 hours (if taking the 400mg tablets) so you are at risk both from toxicity and long term side effects. Please speak to your doctor, they will not judge you but they can signpost you to psychological support and arrange investigations to assess if this has caused any physical harm.

Anything can be addictive. Most addictions are psychological, not physical.

Yes, psychologically addicted, rather than physically is a correct term. To avoid pain and make the situation that much "better". Also, as an anti-inflammatory drug it sometimes fights other conditions, but that's very individual (acne rosacea, for example).
Go to your Doctor, OP, nothing is lost at this time.
Good luck. 🍀

A two minute search would tell you different.

www dot verywellmind dot com backslash ibuprofen-addiction-symptoms-causes-and-treatment-5215000

I have a friend 60Male who suffered from horrendous headaches and he was was on the dissovable codine/co-codamol (500/30?) like it was squash which solved the headaches. When he eventually stopped the tablets a few days later the headaches stopped. We we all worried as he wouldnt see a doctor and we wondered whether it was a tumour etc - but no - too many over the counter drugs - we're not sure how he used to get so many tbh.

I am a Doctor. Please go and see your GP, you need to stop overusing ibuprofen- you are definitely at risk causing yourself harm. And you also need help to address the headaches/migraines and period pains you are having.

i would reassure you that ibuprofen does not have any addictive properties, per se, in the way opiates such as codeine or tramadol do. Your body will not become dependent on them in the same way. But, you can become psychologically reliant on them- patients take them in anticipation as they want to avoid the pain, worry/are convinced that if they don’t they will be sore etc, so they feel they just have take them. It can become a compulsion for some people. So, you would be unlikely to get the physical side-effects that you would get from cessation of an opiate (nausea/vomiting, stomach cramps, sweats, shaking/tremor etc), but it can feel frightening having to stop- i get that.

In answer to your question regarding risking your health- yes, you are risking some potentially very serious complications. You are taking far too much ibuprofen- I think you must be taking up to 2000mg or 4000mg per day (depending on whether your tablets are 200mg or 400mg). The recommended dose for most adults is 1200mg in 24 hours (400mg up to three times daily). Worst case scenario is you are taking over 3 times the recommended daily dose, and doing so on a frequent basis.

Taking ibuprofen- which is from a group of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs)- frequently, even within the recommended dose, carries a risk of causing gastrointestinal irritation and if patients have to do this for a period of time, they are often prescribed medication to take alongside these ( usually a PPI, such as omeprazole) to reduce these risks. At higher doses, or if taken frequently, NSAIDs can cause gastritis, stomach or small bowel ulceration and even gastro-intestinal bleeds. You might get quite bad heartburn/ reflux as a first symptom. Overuse can also cause kidney problems for some people, though this tends to be more of a problem if overdose is significant or if the patients has other factors like dehydration or infection, or is elderly. If you are significantly exceeding recommended dosage and doing so frequently you are putting yourself at higher risk of these complications.

You say you are getting frequent migraines/headaches despite taking amitriptyline (I assume as a prophylactic to try and reduce the frequency of migraine). The issue you have here is that you may be getting medication overuse headaches (headaches actually related to taking medication frequently is a well recognised phenomenon). You could be getting these as well as migraine, or perhaps they are overuse headaches and not migraines now. It’s going to be hard to tell if you’ve been taking medication daily for a while. It may be you need to stop the ibuprofen altogether- you may find headaches worsen initially but they will taper off- in order to do this. It could be that amitriptyline is not the right prophylactic for you. It might be that you need help to identify your triggers (not always easy) and reduce or mitigate your exposure to them (if possible). Your GP can help with this, but sometimes they will have to refer to a headache specialist if standard protocol for treatment is not working or any uncertainty regarding diagnosis. For instance, in our area the headache clinic will only accept referrals for patients who have failed to respond to 3 relievers (treatment for the headache) and tried at a minimum of 2 prophylactic, or failed response to 3 prophylactics if the reliever is effective.

As for period pain- if this is problematic (beyond normal level of cramps/pain), again you need to speak to your GP about it. This could also require further investigation and better treatment of it is causing you to overuse ibuprofen to such an extent.

please see your GP, explain honestly what is happening and what you have been taking, and get the help you need.

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3401617/

Is there codeine in the Ibrufen.

Cutting down will be prolonging the problem.

could you try reducing rather than cold turkey? so 4 in the morning and 4 later on, for a few days. then 3 etc. to see if it makes any difference to your headaches etc? then try and see if you can do without most days?

Don't be ashamed of yourself. It happens slowly.
Addiction impacts people from park bench to park avenue.

One of the major concerns is long term damage, so speaking out and asking for help is the best first step. Please, do make an appointment to see your GP.

I would also be concerned about the drug interactions between ibuprofen and Amitriptyline as when I was prescribed Amitriptyline I was told not to take anti-inflammatories as it can increase the risk of hyponatraemia (low sodium in the blood) which can cause muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, sickness, drowsiness, disorientation, confusion, and seizures.

If you didn’t take them, what would feel different that day? More pain? I didn’t think they were addictive so is it just that without them you’re in too much pain?