Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by Dr John Motl MD
Table of Contents:
Looking for safer approaches to pain relief?
Whether the person feels them or not, the side effects of ibuprofen occur. Ibuprofen has become a household name, and almost every person has taken one of these medications for pain relief or fever at some point in their lifetime. The majority of people taking Ibuprofen for minor ailments, and for very short duration do not have negative effects, and consider them helpful and benign. However, some people take ibuprofen every day for mild pain relief and are aware of certain reactions, though they may not specifically recognize them as ibuprofen side effects. Others may have sensitivity to Ibuprofen, and can suffer quite harsh side effects, though this is relatively rare.
Recent research indicates that Ibuprofen activates a protein pathway in the body that in some cases can help reduce the speed of cancer growth, and is thought to help reduce inflammation, though the mechanics involved have yet to be completely determined.9,10
Inform Yourself of Ibuprofen’s Side Effects
Once a person becomes conscious and aware of all the possible reactions to Advil© or a similar drug, they will probably realize that they have experienced one or more of these at least once. They might finally find out what the reason is for the perpetual dizziness or the perpetual headache they have been suffering from … two examples. Ibuprofen side effects or reactions can be subtle but still concerning. They can be serious, life-threatening, or just downright uncomfortable. Most people take ibuprofen for the occasional backache, headache, flu or cold, fever, sore throat, or minor injury. While ibuprofen may relieve some painful symptoms of the headache, backache, or fever, ibuprofen side effects might present somewhere else besides the location of the pain. A person may take a headache pill, but in rare instances, the drug could cause a bleeding ulcer in the stomach, renal issues, skin issues, and many other types of reactions.11
The good news is that you can take natural herbal remedies that have similar pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties that ibuprofen has, minus the risk of unwanted side effects.1
Taking Ibuprofen for a Headache Might Give You … a Headache.
These are the most common ibuprofen side effects: abdominal pain, upset stomach, heartburn, indigestion, rash, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, headaches, ringing in the ears, constipation, heartburn, flushing, diarrhea, feeling faint, feeling lightheaded, and feeling hot or cold flashes. So let’s say you take ibuprofen for a headache, but your headache gets worse and you don’t know why since ibuprofen is supposed to relieve pain. The answer to this is that one of the most common ibuprofen side effects is … headaches. Now you know why your headache didn’t go away.2
Side Effects That Are Much More Serious
Ibuprofen thins the blood and reduces the ability of blood to clot when it is supposed to, so if you take ibuprofen for an injury; the ibuprofen may cause you to bleed more. If a person takes ibuprofen who has existing ulcers, ibuprofen may cause the ulcer or cause existing ulcers to bleed.3 It is recommended to drink milk or take food with Ibuprofen, because NSAIDs can cause ulcers in the stomach or intestine. Another factor to consider is that Ibuprofen may block the pain of the ulcers, and also block stomach pain. This may lead to overlooking a serious medical condition that needs to be treated.
Pain is the body’s way of bringing attention to an area that needs to be healed. Taking a pain reliever that can cause further damage can turn out to be risky, made doubly dangerous because the pain signal has been silenced without actually treating the underlying health condition.
Some other signs of ulcer bleeding to be aware of are black or grey stools, feeling weak, and feeling dizzy when standing up. Some people need to be incredibly cautious about consuming ibuprofen. If they have had existing impaired kidney function; ibuprofen reduces the flow of blood to the kidneys and can further impair kidney function. People who have asthma have a high risk of allergic reactions to ibuprofen. Other rare side effects can include severe rashes or DRESS syndrome, blood clots, heart attacks, heart failure, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and fluid retention. 4,5,7
The most risk-free way to completely avoid such problems is by taking a natural pain reliever.
Find Out About Natural Safe Pain Relief
Some natural substances exist that can provide significant relief. For example, ginger contains twelve anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties that work the same way ibuprofen does, but without the negative effects.6
More research is being done on effective and safe methods to relieve pain than ever before, and remedies that are available at the health store or local grocery abound.
Six Natural Pain Relievers
- Essential oils
- Cloves
- Acupuncture
- Therapeutic massage
- Turmeric
- Mindfulness meditation*
- Ginger
*A review of 38 studies7 in 2017 demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness meditation for pain relief.
Natural Alternatives Without Ibuprofen Side Effects
Alternative to Meds Center offers holistic alternative treatments for most drugs so that the underlying conditions can be exhaustively investigated and handled in less harmful ways.
Promoting healing is always better than the “quick fix” method, which is the signature of pharmaceutical “solutions.” While drugs do have their place in medicine and in resolving health concerns, any kind of medication may produce drug reactions that can actually do more harm than good. While dependence on pain medications is not at all unusual in these modern times, access to effective alternative treatments is if not suppressed, generally ignored by the medical industry. You are invited to call Alternative to Meds Center and get the guidance you have been waiting to hear concerning alternative treatments for lingering or chronic pain, inflammation, or other unwanted symptoms and at the same time, avoiding serious ibuprofen side effects.
for Ibuprofen Side Effects Help
Sources:
1. “Ibuprofen for adults (Including Neurofen).” published by NHS [Internet] medically reviewed 2018 February [cited 2020 Oct 26]
2. “Medication Overuse Headaches- Symptoms and Causes.” published by Mayo Clinic [Internet] N.D. [cited 2020 Oct 26]
3. “Ibuprofen Information Sheet” Medline.gov [reviewed 2020 Mar 15] [cited 2020 Oct 26]
4. Preidt R, “Common Painkillers Tied to Blood Clot Risk, Study Says.” WebMD Sept 24 2014 [Internet] [cited 2020 Oct 26]
5. Lyer P, “Increased Risk of Blood Clots with NSAIDS Use.” Physician-Patient Alliance for Health and Safety 2015 April 9 [Internet] [cited 2020 Oct 26]
6. Mcquillan S, “Ginger and Turmeric: A Dynamic Pain-fighting Duo.” published in Practical Pain Management [Internet] 2019 Nov 22 [cited 2020 Oct 26]
7. Hilton L et. al, “Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis” PubMed [Internet] 2017 Apr [cited 2020 Oct 26]
8. Ngo VTH, Bajaj T. Ibuprofen. [Updated 2023 May 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542299/ [cited 2024 May 9]
9. Ishihama, N., Choi, Sw., Noutoshi, Y. et al. Oxicam-type non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit NPR1-mediated salicylic acid pathway. Nat Commun 12, 7303 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27489-w [cited 2024 May 9]
10. Ha MW, Paek SM. Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Ibuprofen and Naproxen. Molecules. 2021 Aug 7;26(16):4792. doi: 10.3390/molecules26164792. PMID: 34443379; PMCID: PMC8399189. [cited 2024 May 9]
11. Bindu S, Mazumder S, Bandyopadhyay U. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and organ damage: A current perspective. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Oct;180:114147. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114147. Epub 2020 Jul 10. PMID: 32653589; PMCID: PMC7347500. [cited 2024 May 9]
Originally Published Sep 19, 2018 by Diane Ridaeus
Dr. John Motl, M.D.
Dr. Motl is currently certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry, and Board eligible in Neurology and licensed in the state of Arizona. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in biology and minors in chemistry and philosophy. He graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine. Dr. Motl has studied Medical Acupuncture at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and at U.C.L.A.
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Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.