I guess this is probably a question I should ask my doctor, but I wanted to see what you guys think. My rheumatologist had prescribed 800mg Ibuprofen for me earlier, when he first diagnosed me. So far, I've been taking it only when I really needed it, for joint pain. (It can get pretty bad sometimes). But since Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and auto immune diseases cause inflammation, I wonder if I should take it regularly to keep systemic problems under control? The rheumatologist didn't say anything about that, so I assumed I was only supposed to take it when I needed it for pain.
I know that doctors sometimes tell people with heart problems to take aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks. So could Ibuprofen be used in a preventative way, to reduce inflammation in your body?
I realize thatI have not been a regular member here in a long time but this discussion caught my eye. High doses of Ibuprophen are good for pain but I don’t remember the limit on mgs per day. Keep in mind that high doses of ibuprophen can affect your kidneys so as you mentioned discuss this with your md. Perhaps they can prescribe something different if you are worried about chronic pain.
I take OTC Ibuprofen every day, I don't think I could manage the pain without it. I don't know what the max daily dose is but I take 400 in the morning, 400 at bed time and 400-800 mid-day IF it's a really bad day.
Keep in mind too, that it can be tough on your stomach lining as well. I wouldn't take it preventatively unless the doc ok's it. Definitely make a phone call.
When my symptoms started appearing and I was suffering from pain my physicians assistant put me on ibuprofen. The pain got worse as did my swelling. When I went back and saw my Doctor he told me that the Ibuprofen can cause swelling, therefore pain in people with High blood pressure. I stopped taking it, he prescribed me Tramadol instead and the swelling went away and the pain decreased. I over heard someone describing the same issues I had just been dealing with and asked her if she had high bp and was taking ibuprofen. She was. I never thought an anti inflammatory could cause inflammation but it just depends on the circumstances. You need to discuss with your doctor to determine the risks of taking it on a regular basis and if there might be another alternative. Obviously all meds have possible side affects. It’s all about weighing the pros and cons of taking it.