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

[Isithonestlythatbad]

Since being in my twenties (I'm 39 now) I take 5 ibuprofens every morning, sometimes 5 again in the afternoon.
I suffer terribly with headaches/migraines and period pains so got into the habit of taking them regularly. I'm on amitriptaline for my bad heads but can't stop taking the ibuprofen every day.

Can anyone tell me honestly am I risking my health? I currently don't have any side effects but when I told my friends they were horrified. I'm too scared to tell my Dr. So if anyone can offer me any advice I'd be grateful. Thank you!

OP I don’t think it’s helpful to think of it as an addiction because it reinforces the idea that it’s out of your control.

It’s an engrained habit. A habit that could do you a lot of harm, and that you need to stop, with help if needed, but a habit nonetheless.

It is within your control to do something about this.

I don’t know if this is the right thing to suggest but what of you start to wean yourself off? Instead of 5 take 4 for a week, then 3.
And speak to your gp. You need proper help for the root cause.

Speak to your doctor openly OP. They’re their to listen and help with no judgment.

it will be bad for your stomach and kidneys.

the good thing is that you know you need to seek help and do something about it.

best of luck!!

Sorry, quoted a previous poster by accident!

Any substance misuse can be classed as an addiction.

Addiction is a set of behaviours and obsessive compulsions. Saying a product isn't addictive isn't true, you might not have physical withdrawal, but a mental one.

They said for years, weed isn't addictive, it is seriously addictive.

Listen to some recovery podcasts or listen to snippets of 12 step program, you need to talk to your OH too, a support system.

Please please confide in your GP.

Pls just contact your dr’s surgery ASAP or if you don’t want to initially speak to someone, do an online consultation. I used to work in a dr’s surgery and surgery staff hear all sorts of different things and will not judge you at all. It’s imperative that you do this. I have to add that I am not a clinician.

I am not allowed to take Ibuprofen as once had an ulcer. I know someone who only took it once and had internal bleeding. It can affect liver, heart and kidneys as well as stomach, I believe.

You say that you have had symptoms of heartburn in the last month so you may already have stomach issues. You would probably need an endoscopy, rather than the scan that you had, to check your oesophagus and stomach for ulcers or damage.

Honestly, pls do not feel embarrassed contact your dr’s surgery ASAP, you will feel so much better once you have done this, Good luck.

but ibuprofen is not addictive🤔

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?

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.

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

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?

Is there codeine in the Ibrufen.

Cutting down will be prolonging the problem.

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

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.

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.

A two minute search would tell you different.

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

Thank you very much for taking time to give me your response. I am very appreciative.

I will book an appt with my GP. I hate what I could be doing to my body and this has really made me want to stop.

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. 🍀

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

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.

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

Long term too much NSAID can destroy your kidney function.

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.

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.