Ibruprofen gel - rubbing on partner should I be worried ?

[gabrielle1201]

28 weeks - rubbed gel onto partners back. Didn't realise it says not to use over 6 months pregnant. Obviously I didn't use it but I went and washed my hand immediately afterwards and I'm just concerned. Should I be worried at all ?

I did exactly this. Fortunately I realised quickly and thoroughly washed my hands. Baby is now 2 and is just fine so thankfully no harm done.

It means dont use on yourself as in your bump... it wont cause any harm by rubbing it onto your partner you and baby will be fine x

You didn't use it on yourself & you washed your hands immediately afterwards. It will be absolutely fine, don't worry a minute longer about this.

Going to call in morning for just done reassurance. NHS said 30 weeks but I think it means using it on my in large quantities. Thank you for the reassurance.

UPDATE: so I called my Fetal assessment unit and they just said a one off is fine but don't do it again basically. Still a bit iffy like was hoping she could have reassured me more I don't feel less bloody anxious but I mean it's done and that's that.

@gabrielle1201 An anaesthetist I knew reckoned that it hardly goes through the skin at all - certainly she wouldn't recommend bothering with it for treating sporting injuries (i.e. take tablets in preference) so the fact that you washed your hands afterwards and the hospital aren't too worried about you should reassure you OP!

I think I am just overthinking and obviously over googling. But I do feel a lot better than previously just have to remember to not do it again really. Although your comment has reassured me more ! Can go to sleep and just let it be a lesson. Thanks!

You won’t have gotten much (if any) systemic absorption from this, especially as you washed your hands immediately. I wouldn’t worry.

@Weathergirl1
That's not accurate. My undergraduate degree was in pharmacology and you can absorb drugs in high quantities through the skin.
Having said that the levels found in standard ibuprofen gels are not going to be high enough to get a big dose especially if you only had it on your hands for minutes. The studies which have found complications associated with ibuprofen use in pregnancy would have been with longer term higher dose exposure. The minamilistic amount that would have entered your system is highly highly unlikely to do anything to the baby.
So yeah dont do it again but try not to worry your baby will be fine.

@Harriet123 presumably she said that to me then in conjunction with knowing that an over the counter gel had very little in it so wasn't particularly useful.

I did the same. You'll be fine.

Thank you all. Feeling a lot better and staying away from the gel. Partner can wait 11 weeks or I'll get gloves or something if he needs me to do it.

Good idea
If your going to use gloves use latex style ones rather than any kind of cotton or material ones as these can absorb the gel.
@Weathergirl1 the skin is the slowest way to absorb the drug so washing hands blocks the absorption.
They work by diffusion so you get the highest concentration of the drug in a localised area so the spasming muscle right under the skin. So in that localised area you should have sufficient levels to mediate an effect.
From there the drug will seep into the blood to be metabolized. It's this systemic level that would need to be high to impact the baby but is unlikely to reach the potentially dangerous levels you would reach by say taking it orally.