Ibuprofen, yea or nay?

#1

When I’m more active (days off/weekends), I get sore (my legs/knees/ankles mostly). Is it ok to take ibuprofen? I don’t take more than 2 doses per week. Is there something else I could be doing instead to “bounce back” after being more active? (I realize this is just my body’s reaction to moving more and I’m ok w/ that, just want to make sure I’m doing the right things.)

#2

I used to pop ibuprofen like M&M’s until the FDA went from saying it could cause strokes and heart attacks to it DOES cause strokes and heart attacks. So now when I’m achy I take NOW boswellia extract…it takes the edge off the pain without the dire health warnings…it’s not as fast acting but works for me. My parents and their parents died of complications of strokes so I’m trying to do all I can to reverse the family curse, starting with Keto and eating as clean and natural as possible. :slightly_smiling_face:

(Jennifer) #3

Used to eat it like candy, but found that turmeric is awesome for pain. I have arthritis in my hips and no knee cartilage so I still take it every so often, but the turmeric has helped me cut back my ibuprofen by at least 90-95%.

I take these, twice a day. http://www.puritan.com/herbal-supplements-005/turmeric-curcumin-1000-mg-078826?mvc=1

(jketoscribe) #4

Ibuprophen also effects gut flora. I try to avoid it now.

Occasionally I have a sciatica flare up. I try lots of self care instead of ibuprophen: heat, ice, interferential electrical stimulation, infrared sauna, massage, yoga, turmeric tea.

Usually my flareups are associated with a dietary “indescretion”–my own damn fault!
I occasionally use a muscle relaxer to get some sleep.

#5

I avoid it because it is not recommended after weight loss surgery. I also have a tendency to get dependent on any pain meds and they become decreasingly effective plus I get rebound pain. I try to avoid them as much as I can now. For headaches, I go with magnesium, salt and feverfew. Other pain like back pain for example I would try a relaxing bath with epsom salts and then I have this cream my dad sent from Thailand which is basically a herbal mix that works pretty well. I agree about turmeric - it is magic stuff. Failing the above, I take paracetomol and very occasionally triptans for migraine. You could also try alternating heat and cold for pain.

(Tom) #6

If you’re tolerating the ibuprofen and its just episodic use, you’re probably fine. I second good movement training, pt, and other nonpharmacologic measures as being far better than just popping pills, but sometimes it’s useful. If you’re worried about the ibuprofen causing a stall or other negative effects in your progress, I’d recommend keeping track of things, so you can adjust things accordingly. As for turmeric, I’m a fan, but guess what? It’s a COX inhibitor just like ibuprofen. It remains to be seen whether turmeric will have deleterious effects, but that’s a topic for another day.

Bottom line, don’t take too much, don’t take it too often, and keep an eye on your progress. If ibuprofen is the only variable that has changed and your progress stalls, then ditch it and see how it goes.

disclaimer: I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. For all anyone knows, I’m a Mongolian yak posing as a guy in a basement posing as a medical student

(Ashley Haddock) #7

I used to have to take ibuprofen pretty much all the time, or alternate it with other meds, because of my debilitating headaches that sometimes turned into migraines. I still get them occasionally but it’s not every day like it used to be. I still take ibuprofen as needed but I’m so glad I don’t have to take it a lot anymore.

(eat more) #8

adding foam rolling will help as well

#9

Thanks for all the informative replies. I don’t usually take a lot of pain meds, but I will switch to heat/ice for a bit to see if that helps. I have felt like I’ve been battling the same pound for just over a week now (I know a stall isn’t a stall for 3 weeks thanks to this great group). :smile:

The foam roller is more painful for me, at least at this point. But I do use tennis balls to work out back issues (I have damage to my SI joints from a fall a few years ago).

#10

Thanks for all the informative replies. I don’t usually take a lot of pain meds, but I will switch to heat/ice for a bit to see if that helps. I have felt like I’ve been battling the same pound for just over a week now (I know a stall isn’t a stall for 3 weeks thanks to this great group). :smile:

The foam roller is more painful for me, at least at this point. But I do use tennis balls to work out back issues (I have damage to my SI joints from a fall a few years ago).

Thanks again!

(Sondra Rose) #11

I use arnica gel for muscle soreness and take 1000 mg Krill oil to keep my joints happy. Has definitely helped me bounce back faster.

#12

Yesterday was a very active day for me. I hit my 10,000 steps and stood for most of the day at work. Came home and did some pretty intensive cleaning (grandson’s room, included lots of bending over to pick up toys, etc). (Back story: Few years ago I had a major tumble on the ice, which caused damage to my SI joints and esp my left leg.) Last night back pain and esp left leg hurt so bad it was difficult to sleep. I still feel “tender” today. I picked up some icy hot type stuff and plan to take it easy today. I was hoping keto (and weight loss) would resolve this issue (heal maybe?). Am I expecting too much too soon? I don’t want steroid shots again, I’ve avoided them for years because they don’t help for very long. I’m a tad frustrated simply because I FEEL like walking and doing more, but my left leg literally goes numb after, say 500 to 750 steps.

TL;DR: Is it possible that keto and weight loss will help with back/leg pain given enough time? (if anyone has experience with this) thanks

(Tom) #13

In a word: probably. From an inflammatory standpoint, you’ll probably have less inflammation, and thus hurt less on keto. And from a biomechanical standpoint, less weight = less load/strain/torque/other physics term I’m probably forgetting. For my N=1 anecdote, dropping 70 lbs makes my knees crunch less, and my feet are way less tired at the end of the day than they used to be.

#14

Thanks. I’m down 34 pounds so far. I’m just going to take it easy and not push things on the walking. I appreciate your thoughts on this.The fact that I’m even walking (extra) again is in itself amazing (to me anyway :smile: lol )

(Tom) #15

Way to go! And yes, listen to your body. Overdoing it with heroics will be counterproductive to real progress, which takes diligence over time. One day you’ll notice how much farther and easier you walk, which will only make you enjoy the walking even more.

(Trisha) #16

On occasion my sister has really bad episodes of SI dysfunction. When it flares up, she goes to the chiropractor. After a couple sessions she feels much better.

(Stephanie Hanson) #17

I have several chronic injuries. If they’re preventing sleep, I take ibuprofen. I don’t “power” through the pain. I’ve found that if I’m tired or in chronic pain for too long, I have cravings and end up overeating. So, for me, using ibuprofen to get adequate pain relief so I can get adequate sleep is the better of evils. I attempt to combat flora die off issues with probiotics each day. Just my 2 cents.

(Jacquie) #18

Like @Stephanie if the pain prevents sleep then I’ll take ibuprofen. I’m post-menopausal and lift weights, so found this study interesting.

(Stephanie Hanson) #19

I had read that several years ago too. I’m not menopausal yet but it’s interesting.

(Zach Long) #20

I just got done taking it because I had a sore throat and it was a night and day difference taking it but it’s not something I take on a regular basis. I would say it’s a tool to use wisely but if your over using it or are dependent on it then seeing a Doctor/Specialist would be necessary to treat a chronic problem.