Ibuprofen and Alcohol: Is the Combination Safe?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, ibuprofen is typically recommended for short-term use only as long-term use carries health risks. However, doctors approve the long-term use of ibuprofen in some circumstances. If you take ibuprofen continuously, talk to your healthcare provider about whether it’s safe to consume alcohol at all–and if so, how often. People who have health conditions should talk with a doctor about their medications and alcohol consumption to determine what is safe for them. Keeping alcohol intake within the recommended limits will reduce the risk of unwanted side effects, such as stomach bleeding and ulcers. The risk of stomach ulcer bleeding increases the longer a person takes ibuprofen.
It works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, which are chemicals in the body that cause inflammation and pain. By blocking the production of these chemicals, ibuprofen can provide relief for a variety of conditions, including headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and more. SOD is one of the most effective antioxidant enzymes, which catalyzes the transformation of O2− (superoxide anion) to O (molecular oxygen) or H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) (Flora, 2009). CAT and GPx remove H2O2 produced by SOD using NADP+ and glutathione, respectively (Ha et al., 2010). Since hydroperoxides can generate highly toxic and reactive hydroxyl radicals, effective clearance of H2O2 is important to maintain cellular integrity (Mates et al., 1999).
- The most serious signs of this reaction are very fast or irregular breathing, gasping for breath, wheezing, or fainting.
- While liver damage is not likely if you take simple precautions, it’s still important to know the symptoms of liver damage.
- Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use ibuprofen only for the indication prescribed.
- Adding acetaminophen puts additional stress on the organ, increasing the risk of damage.
It probably doesn’t come as a shock that many medications don’t pair well with alcohol, a substance that impacts everything from your brain to your liver. Ibuprofen and alcohol, though, is an off-limits combination that might be a bit more surprising. Some people who have used this medicine had symptoms of meningitis.
How long after alcohol can you take ibuprofen?
Mixing alcohol with prescription pain medication is never recommended, as it can lead to serious health consequences like respiratory depression or overdose. If you’ve been prescribed pain medication by your doctor, it’s important to follow their instructions carefully and avoid drinking alcohol while taking these medications. If you’ve been drinking heavily, it’s best to wait at least 24 hours before taking ibuprofen. This will give your liver time to process the alcohol and reduce the strain on this vital organ. Additionally, taking ibuprofen too soon after drinking can increase your risk of developing stomach ulcers or other complications.
However, this also changes how well the kidneys can do their job as filters, at least temporarily. If you have asthma, ibuprofen can make your asthma symptoms worse. High doses or long-term use of ibuprofen may also lead to kidney failure, heart attack, or stroke. In most cases, consuming a small amount of alcohol while taking ibuprofen is not harmful. However, taking more than the recommended dosage of ibuprofen or drinking a lot of alcohol raises your risk of serious problems significantly. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.
How should I take ibuprofen?
Here’s what to know if you’re considering drinking alcohol and taking ibuprofen—and why you might want to wait. While people can typically have a small amount of alcohol with ibuprofen, the safest option is to avoid mixing the two. Drinking alcohol only in moderation can prevent unwanted side effects. According to the CDC, moderate drinking means a maximum of one drink for women and two drinks for men per day. The following sections discuss the health risks relating to taking ibuprofen and alcohol at the same time. This can lead to a gastric or intestinal perforation, which can be fatal (cause death).
Ibuprofen and Alcohol/Food Interactions
People can also use different types of pain reliever or alternative pain relief methods. HepG2 spheroids were cultivated on 96-well ultra-low-attachment plates (Corning Co., Corning, NY, USA). Briefly, 1×104 cells/well were seeded in 100 μL of media and cultured for 14 days with media changes every 2-3 days. After culturing, ibuprofen was added to a concentration indicated from a stock solution in dimethyl sulfoxide (final concentration 0.1%) with or without ethanol, and incubation was continued for 72 h.
Alcohol and medication can have a harmful interaction even if they’re taken at different times. It’s important to understand the very real possibility of a reaction. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. If you think you have become pregnant while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away . Say, for instance, you’ve just taken ibuprofen for a headache, arthritis pain, or muscle pain and are headed out to a happy hour.
How the Body Breaks Down Alcohol
Always seek advice from your healthcare provider before commencing any new medication regimen. When taken together, these substances may amplify each other’s negative effects on mood and mental health. This can lead to symptoms like irritability, mood swings, and even suicidal thoughts or behaviors in some cases. HepG2 cells (human hepatocellular carcinoma) were purchased from ATCC (Manassas, VA, USA). At 70 to 80% cell confluence, adherent cells were released with a solution of trypsin (Hyclone, South Logan, UT, USA).
This includes black, bloody, or tarry stools, or coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Anyone taking ibuprofen and alcohol at the same time is at risk, but it’s even riskier if you have a condition or take other meds that make you more prone to GI bleeds. According to the NIAAA, side effects of drinking alcohol with ibuprofen include headaches, drowsiness, fainting, loss of coordination, nausea, upset stomach, and vomiting.
As long as you are not taking medications that interact with alcohol, probably not. However, moderate to heavy drinkers should definitely consider breaking the habit. Here’s why what are sugar alcohols taking ibuprofen and alcohol at or around the same time is a bad idea and what experts recommend instead if you need pain relief before or after you have a drink (or two).
Instead, consider alternative pain relief options or talk to your doctor about other medications that may be safer for your liver. If you’re planning on drinking heavily, it’s best to avoid ibuprofen altogether. Instead, consider alternative pain relief options such as acetaminophen. Always be sure to read the labels is there a connection between narcissism and alcoholism of any medications you take and consult with your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns. To examine the mechanism underlying the synergistic hepatotoxicity of ibuprofen and EtOH, the generation of hydrogen peroxide, as an indicator of oxidative stress, was measured with a fluorescent dye, DCF-DA.
It takes about an hour for the average person to process 10 grams of alcohol, which is the amount of alcohol in a standard drink or a glass of wine. If someone drinks alcohol faster than their body can process it, their blood alcohol level will continue to rise. “If someone had a drink or two, it’s okay to take ibuprofen as a one-off thing,” Dr. Patel says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define moderate alcohol consumption for men as two drinks or fewer per day and one drink or fewer per day for women.
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that can cause stomach irritation and bleeding, especially when taken in high doses or for extended periods. Alcohol can also irritate the stomach lining and increase the risk of bleeding. When taken together, ibuprofen and alcohol can amplify each other’s negative effects, leading to serious health problems.
Collectively, this study has demonstrated that ibuprofen and EtOH can induce synergistic hepatotoxicity, providing a line of evidence for caution against the use of ibuprofen in combination with alcohol. CYP2E1 produces a large amount of ROS during the metabolism of ethanol, which plays a pivotal role in alcohol-induced oxidative stress in liver (Bang et al., 2016). Actually, CYP2E1 can also metabolize ibuprofen (Chang et al., 2008), which may explain the alcohol cravings oxidative stress and synergistic hepatotoxicity of ibuprofen and alcohol at least in part. Indeed, we demonstrated that the co-treatment of ibuprofen and alcohol led to increased expression of CYP2E1, which may support this hypothesis, although further studies are needed to confirm it. Aspirin is also an NSAID and additionally works as a blood thinner. “It is an antiplatelet medicine, which means it makes it harder for blood to clot,” Dr. Brooks says.
Increased ROS also promotes cell death through activating cell death signaling, contributing to pathophysiological development (Giordano, 2005). Indeed, the involvement of ROS in the hepatotoxicity of NSAIDs has been reported for diclofenac, ketoprofen, and piroxicam (Jurima-Romet et al., 1994; Ghosh et al., 2015). 2D cultured cells have limited value in predicting organ responses to chemicals since the cells are growing in stretched appearance over plastic culture ware. To overcome this, 3D spheroid-cultured HepG2 cells were employed.