[tajsss]

Anyone take anything like IBP before a race or any other anti-inflammatory? I have my first Oly coming up this weekend. My back starts to get a little store towards the end of the bike and my knees start to feel it a bit as well during the run. Any reason to or not to do this?

Tim

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[roadie gal]

I frequently take 400-600mg of ibuprofen about 1/2 hour before a long training ride. When I did the Markleeville Death Ride, I took it before the ride, six hours into the ride and at the end. (and for DAYS after. lol)

My suggestion would be to make sure you take it with some food and to try it out in training before your race to make sure you don't get any stomach discomfort with it. I've been told that the gel caps are a bit easier on the stomach because they disolve completely so there's no chance of a pill fragment hanging around irritating your stomach lining.

[tajsss]

Thanks for the reassurance. I've never had a problem with them before, but I'll take some before my workout Wednesday just to be sure.

[slowandsteady]

I've been told that the gel caps are a bit easier on the stomach because they disolve completely so there's no chance of a pill fragment hanging around irritating your stomach lining.

Actually, it doesn't really work that way. It is involved with the target that it binds to which is more systemic. Celebrex and Vioxx(easy on the stomach) bind only to COX-2. Ibuprofen and aspirin bind to both COX-1 and COX-2. It is this COX-1 inhibition that causes the gastric ulcers/bleeding.

[chrisesposito]

I think that acetominophen (e.g., Tylenol) is probably better to take than any of the NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). If I correctly remember the article on this I recently read, NSAIDs affect either kidney or liver function (maybe both) to a greater degree than acetominophen does.

[tajsss]

How much does this stuff really affect us though? It may have a small affect on the stomach, but is it really just paranoia of something that will only occur if you are taking this stuff all the time day in and day out, or something that actually occurs with minimal use? Just curious. I've heard of the affect on the stomach, but I tend to think most of the warnings are just to keep everyone scared. One time I even heard a report on how milk was really harmful to the body. Is it all just bs? I mean, this stuff has been around for a long time and I've never heard of any serious side-effects asside from the reports saying it's bad for you.

Is it effect or affect? Man, I can never remember the difference. Oh well.

[kmkurdone]

I run D1 Cross Country and take IBP before almost all of my races because I have slight knee problems. My trainers have told me this....Obviously it is better to not take anything if you don't have to. If you do have to take something, you can take IBP but only for races. The reasoning behind this is because you don't want to mask injuries during training. It's not worth covering up pain and hurting yourself worse down the road.

That being said, i agree that you should try it on a couple of training ride/runs to see how it effects you. But if it does feel fine when you try it, only use it for races so you don't end up hurting yourself worse.
Hope that helps! Good luck!

[Triguy]

Also some anti-inflammatories thin your blood, I don't know the science here but isn't that the exact opposite of what you want(wouldn't it be some sort of anti-EPO)?

[slowandsteady]

How much does this stuff really affect us though? It may have a small affect on the stomach, but is it really just paranoia of something that will only occur if you are taking this stuff all the time day in and day out, or something that actually occurs with minimal use? Just curious.

I work for a pharmaceutical company and the side effects that are listed usually only happen to 2-3% of the population. This can be for any number of reasons, but it isn't so much paranoia as we have to report anything that is a statistically significant adverse event. But, yes, basically overdoses or daily use for months or years can result in some GI bleeding. But just as some people like suicide wings and others can't even eat a bell pepper, drugs affect everyone just a little bit differently. Over the counter drugs become over the counter drugs because they have been in use for many years and have an excellent safety profile which includes a large distance between the therapeutic window and the toxicity window. Toxicologists commonly say the difference between a drug and something that is toxic, is dose. Just about anything can be made toxic by dosing it high enough.

[merlinextraligh]

I think that acetominophen (e.g., Tylenol) is probably better to take than any of the NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). If I correctly remember the article on this I recently read, NSAIDs affect either kidney or liver function (maybe both) to a greater degree than acetominophen does.

It's actually the opposite. Tylenol, even at the dose set forth for Extra strength tylenol is associated with liver damage, particularly if you drink alcohol. There has been some sucusseful litigation against the makers of Tylenol for liver fialure claims, and there was a new study reported last week, that the maximum reccomended dose of Extrastregth Tylenol may be sufficient to cause liver damage.

[slowandsteady]

Also some anti-inflammatories thin your blood, I don't know the science here but isn't that the exact opposite of what you want(wouldn't it be some sort of anti-EPO)?

Thin blood is a misnomer. It really means that the blood does not clot as well.

[merlinextraligh]

I frequently take 400-600mg of ibuprofen about 1/2 hour before a long training ride. .

there's at least one study that indicates taking anti inflammatories before training diminishes the training effect. The theory behind it is that you get stronger by overtasking your muscles, and then recovering stronger. By limiting the inflamatory reaction the thought is you don't get as much training stimulus. don't know if its true, but it made some intuitive sense, and there is at least some data to support it.

[tajsss]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'll probably try the IBP before my race and see how it does. I rarely ever take any kind of medicine/drugs unless I'm in a lot of pain so I'm sure the few times I take it won't make much a difference on me.

slowandsteady, thanks for all your input as well. You know how the media like's to hype things up though. The slight chance that something negative could happen from any drug, and it's all of a sudden the worse drug you could ever take. It's funny. Thanks for the reassurance.

I'll let everyone know if I notice a difference in a race report next week.

[slowandsteady]

High doses of ibuprofen can cause renal failure in atheletes, though extremely rare.

[mscycler]

I take about 400 mg of IBP before any of my longer (>3 hrs) rides. My advice would be to take one before the race (like during a training session) not wait until race day. That way, if there are any ill effects, you know before race day.

just my two cents though...

mscycler

[Triguy]

Thanks slowandsteady, you make sense.

[uclamutt]

I think that acetominophen (e.g., Tylenol) is probably better to take than any of the NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). If I correctly remember the article on this I recently read, NSAIDs affect either kidney or liver function (maybe both) to a greater degree than acetominophen does.

To my knowledge, acetominophen is only useful for fevers.... :)

[H2OChick]

I got NSAID-induced gastritis last year, but it was after about a month of taking IBP very regularly. It wasn't much fun, but cleared up pretty quickly with the right meds. Now I'm cautious, but I still take them - just not for long periods.

My husband's ortho suggested he take 600-800 mg prior to playing basketball and he finds it makes a huge difference in how his knee feels. (Had surgery, and BTW he's 6'4" 200lbs, so that dose isn't for everyone...)