Taking ibuprofen while exercising

[alexandrasm]

I have a painful injury. I’m awaiting a specialist appointment but in the meantime my GP has advised that I use prescribed pain medication. When not using that she advised me to use ibuprofen and paracetamol. I made her aware that I was still exercising - running three times a week and going to the gym twice a week.

I’ve just been informed that using ibuprofen while exercising increases your risk of kidney injury massively, as it decreases blood flow to the kidneys.

I’m now panicking massively as I’ve been doing this for over two months now. AIBU to call the GP tomorrow and ask for bloods to check on my kidneys given that I’ve been putting myself at risk???

I would guess that your Dr has said it's ok on a "balance of risk" approach. By which I mean, there is an increased risk of some issues by taking ibuprofen long term, but in your case, the benefits of doing so (being able to continue exercising) outweigh these risks.

By all means though, ask again for a more detailed explanation of risks on both sides so you can make an informed decision! But they are almost always deciding between one balance of risk and another, rather than "good" vs "bad".

What sort of running are you doing - if it's 10k runs & a couple of hours in the gym then absolutely fine

If you're training for ultra endurance runs or are an elite athlete training several hours a day then speak to a doctor specializing in elite athletes.