Ibuprophen facts
 

Are there different types of Ibuprophen available and which is best for an anti-inflamatory aid for cycling? I believe I read somewhere that Ibuprophen can safely be taken every day; is this true? How many mg's do you normally take after a ride or daily? Thanks.

I try to avoid taking ibuprofen or anything unless I need it.

If I come in from a ride, and I feel fine, I don't take anything. But if I'm halfway through a ride and my knees start to ache, I'll take 200-400 mg. And then I'll try to determine if the reason my knees are aching is because a recent injury is acting up, or if it is a bicycle fit problem. I'd rather fix the actual problem then just mask the pain.


And you see ... when I was 4 years old I had rheumatic fever, and developed a heart murmur. At the time, penicillin was the wonder drug, and the belief was that children like me should be on penicillin until the age of 12, and then every time we felt even slightly ill for the rest of our lives after that. It was considered completely safe! I was on penicillin every single day of my life till I was 12, and then frequently after that to the age of 18. By that point research had discovered that if an antibiotic was taken every day, a person would develop an immunity to it. And sure enough I had. For the next 18 years or so, I couldn't taken penicillin or anything like it ... it had absolutely no effect on me. It's only just recently that I've been able to take it again, but I rarely do.

So ... when people say that something can safely be taken every day ...... I'm very sceptical.

Yes and no. Hope that clears it up... If you are taking the stuff
daily something is wrong and should be fixed. The stuff puts a strain on the system;
it's not big but over time it can become a problem.

Get some cooler packs to ice down what hurts and find a way to prevent it if
possible.

I have arthritis in 2 vertebrae in my neck. My doctor has prescribed ibuprofen at 600mg, 3 x per day. The make or name brand did not matter according to him.

Do I take it? Only when it is so painful that I can't sleep at night. I have found that exercise (love those endorphins) and stretching is far more effective than ibuprofen.

There is no cure for my arthritis and I have learned to live with: limited range of motion, tingling sensation down my arm at times, and constant pain which is alleviated by a neck stretching contraption prescribed by a physical therapist.

But... it will never keep me off of my bike.

I only use pure paracetamol if I have severe pain, and I'm very restrictive about it. Only use it for really bad tooth aches (I have "weak" teeth) and bad migraines. Paracetamol and oxymetazoline (nasal spray) are the only medications I use.

Been on penicillin twice in my life. Can't remember the reason for the first time (I was 5-6 years old), but the second was double-sided pneumonia at age 16.

During a depression with panic attacks I suffered from in late 2004, I was prescribed a very safe and mild drug, based on hydroxyzine (Atarax). It was very effective in getting me to relax and sleep, and has virtually no side effects. Took Atarax daily for a couple of months, and as I got better, only once in a while for another couple of months. Now it's been more than two years since I last took it.

My point about all this is that I try to avoid taking drugs, and the ones I do have to take, I try to use as infrequently as possible and in very low doses.

Read the side effects of Ibuprofen. Still interested?

Yeah, read the side-effects of ibuprofen. Doesn't matter the brand-name, they're all the same stuff. One of the symptoms I had was elevated blood-pressure. I took the stuff at maximum-dosage for about 3-weeks for a sprained ankle. By the end of this three weeks, I tested my BP just on a hunch. It had gone from 115/70 to 140/90 !!! :eek: After another 6-weeks, I tested again and was back to normal at 112/75. Quite a scare there!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have heard mixed feelings about NAISD's.

I remember once reading that ibuprofen and other anti-inflamatories inhibit the training effect one seeks from training. The theory being that when muscles heal themselves from microdamage caused by training, they become stronger and better equiped to handle stress. Anti-inflamatories mask the inflamation and prevent this compensatory reaction. Not sure if this is true, but if it is one should refrain from using anti-inflamatories for post training muscle soreness.

You need to put this questions to people on the 50+ forum (or not, if you're not that old yet) and probably ignore responses from young folks (if you are over, e.g., 50); otherwise, it's like asking a chick if they should read the instructions for use before using their wings to leave the nest. Answer: "No--everything just works--or better work--or, you're dead." I think things may get a little more complicated the older your legs get: e.g., trade-offs to be considered--positives and negatives given the range of options. At least, that's my experience: after a bike ride, I often have a short-term ibuprophen deficiency. :)

Good point. I am 41 so yes, knees are getting a bit older . . .

I'm 40, and I'd still rather look for the cause of the problem rather than depend on a drug. My "old" knees can still ride some pretty hefty distances without pain.

OK, I'm 60-- the joints are getting creaky. Just like you youngsters, I don't want to douse myself with ibuprofen or anything else as a "preventative" or ritual post-hardride antidote as in: 400mg's with my Endurox. That said, I'll admit to using ibu. following days where I stupidly push it trying to hang with bronzed youth types or simply pushing gears too big for me on hills. Those little aches or flare ups do seem to happen more frequently these days and age hasn't made me any smarter about over-use.

Still, I much prefer post ride ice and common sense and only like to use anti-inflammatories as a last choice.

We 60 year old types aren't that much different than you kids......just a bit more banged up and brittle. ;)

Ibuprofen is a good anti-inflammatory. I sure wouldn't take it every day, but I think it has its place. I have a rotator cuff injury that acts up from time to time. My doc's explanation was that the inflammation is self-perpetuating in that while swollen and inflamed, pretty much any movement continues to irritate it. It takes a day or two of Ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation enough that it can heal.

You should avoid taking NSAIDs on a daily basis. Some athletes have had their careers cut short by taking Ibu on a daily basis (they took a bunch), but more importantly, they can mask pain that is really telling you to slow down.

It okay now and then if you've overdone it, it's not good on a daily basis.

As for the brands, they all have the same active ingredient, but they use proprietary buffering (ie inactive) compounds to control how the drug dissolves. That means you might have less stomach upset on some brands than other.

I read an interesting article lately that many olive oils (the ones with the peppery taste that make you cough when you swallow it) have a natural anti-inflammatory in them that is at least as effective as ibuprofin, along with speculation about whether that is what makes mediterranean diets so healthy.

I can't find the article now, but if I find the link I'll post it.

JB

Edit - here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/dining/06curi.html
you may have to register to read the article - IME the Times doesn't spam, and much of the content is free, so you have nothing to lose.

I heard once a long time ago that flax seed oil was a bit of an anti-inflammatory too.

Interesting - when I started adding ground flax to my breakfast (mostly fresh fruit smoothies), I swear I noticed that I felt better during and after exercise, and I notice if I don't use it. I always chalked it up to expectations/placebo effect.

JB

I'm about to start a weeklong tour with a badly bruised rib. Advil really takes the edge off the pain, and I was planning on taking some every morning. Should I just deal with the pain? (I'm 44, if that helps!)

They are generally safe, but if abused can be dangerous which is true of pretty much everything. They block COX 1 & 2 which are inflammatory markers. They can cause intestinal bleeding and ulcers if abused. You shouldn't be depending on them unless a doctor has said so. That said, if you take it with food you should be protected from the bleeding issues. The prescription strength is 800 mg. The over the counter dose is 200-400 mg.

Why are you thinking about taking ibuprofen?

slowandsteady, if you're asking me why I'm thinking about taking it, it's to reduce the pain from the ribs while I'm trying to ride. It takes the edge off the pain, and I've planned this trip for months and don't want to cancel just because I was in an accident.

Ah, so then go ahead and take some. Take the lowest amount you can and be sure to consume it with food.

For short term use ... like when you've got a bruised rib (Pedal Wench) or a separated shoulder (me) ... ibuprofen etc. can be beneficial. I have had it recommended by various Drs. to keep the inflammation down.

It's long term use that can become a problem.

All Ibuprofen is reletively the same. The only difference between brands is the inactive ingredients.

I wish my knees were as good as yours:) . . .