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The analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen. I was once told that this drug was called the pilgrims friend and it was fine to take one every morning.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
I was amazed that Spain has a 600mg tablet and l have asked before if people knew how dangerous it is and that caution must be taken.The analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
I was amazed that Spain has a 600mg tablet and l have asked before if people knew how dangerous it is and that caution must be taken.
It is helpful to remember that inflammation is the body's healing response to injury - inflammation is not the injury itself. So, if you suppress inflammation with an anti-inflammatory drug, you will tend to slow down the healing process.
Lesbrass, sorry to read of your health issue. When you have had time to deal with that, what about your shoes? Were they ok? I am dying to know!The analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen. I was once told that this drug was called the pilgrims friend and it was fine to take one every morning.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
Just curious, did you take the doses with food? From what i understand that helps a lot to avoid some side effects.
I'm now on camino taking the spanish high dose ibuprofen twice a day for knee issues, so hopefully all will be ok!!
Get well soon!
In case you have to take Ibuprofen or aspirin you can protect your stomach by taking Pantoprazol or Omeprazol, both sold in Portugal and in Spain.
IAs I've mentioned elsewhere, they NSAIDs like ibuprofen can also lead to chronic idiopathic urticaria (persistent and extensive hives, sometimes accompanied by swellings, that don't go away for months or years without very expensive treatment). Which isn't to say that no one should ever take these medications. Just that it is good to be aware of the potential side effects so that if they start to appear you can put two and two together.
LesBrass, Sorry to hear about your fall and injury and subsequent bad experience (vomiting/abdominal pain...) attributed to ibuprofen.
I am not a doctor but I do have a lot of experience with ibuprofen. By that, I mean I have taken this drug many many times over many years to treat minor pain and inflammation. Along with acetaminophen (tylenol) and naproxen (aleev). These are all OTC in most countries and are widely used and very rarely produce bad outcomes - unless of course, they are abused (or tainted). They all have side effects which are widely known (ibuprofen/aspirin: hard on stomach and kidneys, tylenol: hard on the liver).
Now you say you took one every morning and sometimes in the evening for a week. This does not indicate abuse at all. Was this the first time you ever took ibuprofen?
You had a previous similar episode following cancer treatment. Could it be that the cancer or treatment has rendered you somehow extremely sensitive to it? I have never heard of anyone having such a strong and negative reaction to ibuprofen following such a short and small administration of it.
I am not saying the ibuprofen did not harm you. What I am saying is that ibuprofen is not harming others to that extent. These drugs are so ubiquitous and used globally. But we must all read and heed the warnings.
I hope the biopsy and tests come back OK. And if ibuprofen turns out to be the culprit then you should give your doctor royal crap for not having warned you to never take any.
I've walked three Caminos and after the first several days of walking I develop a stabbing pain in my mid-back area by the afternoon of walking. I have taken two 200 mg ibuprofen tablets each time and found relief. I then keep using it for a few more days to "make sure" it does not return and thankfully it never has each time.
Sooo, what is a person to take for relief if all these well known otc drugs are bad for us? What are our options for alternatives?
Has anyone else experienced the type of back pain I described? It is not lower back pain, but on one side of my mid-back and becomes sort of like a knife stabbing. I never have this pain at home. I have used two different Osprey packs, both with Airspeed trampoline style vented backs. I hope my problem is unrelated to my backpack.
That is actually quite incredible! As an anaesthetic nurse, I always check the dosages. I find it scary that people don’t protect their gut. Perhaps the medication in Spain has a built in mucosal protective agent. As a matter matter of interest, a lower dose combined with paracetamol is very effective. However, all drugs have its side effects and cautions. Please take care.The ibuprofen I get there is 800mg
When I walked the Camino in Spain in 2015, I had one prescription med-thyroid. Got a refill in Spain without problem. Now I have 4 more rx meds, one of which is a blood thinner. I have a Road ID bracelet that has contact info and the website, phone, and pin to access my medical info. Thinking of how to draw attention to that if I were unable to speak . Tattoo? Sign to hang around my neck? Of course I am hoping/expecting it will never be needed.
I didn't realize how strong they were in Spain. I came home with liver totally messed up and still is 2 years later. Glad you posted the cautionary tale and everyone only take pain meds if absolutely necessary.The analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen. I was once told that this drug was called the pilgrims friend and it was fine to take one every morning.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
When in pain your body is giving a message: REST. Taking pain killers is ignoring the message which can result in worse issues. Take time out. It’s not a race. EnjoyThe analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen. I was once told that this drug was called the pilgrims friend and it was fine to take one every morning.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
Large doses, not recommended in the US to treat everyday aches/inflammation AND it's not buffered or coated as in the US. Indeed it would wreck your stomach ! Hope you've recovered !The analgesic and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen is sold under a wide variety of brand names across the world; the most common being its first registered trademark name of Brufen, along with Advil, Motrin, and Nurofen. I was once told that this drug was called the pilgrims friend and it was fine to take one every morning.
About a week ago I fell and hurt my coccyx when visiting Samos... with still a week to go on my camino I took an ibuprofen each morning... sometimes before bed too if it was painful. I got home on Tuesday and after a long train journey took another.
Yesterday I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The diagnosis... inflammation and erosion of the duodenum and stomach lining. I have had this before, following my cancer treatment but that was a few years ago... the hospital concludes that it was probably due to the ibuprofen.
I never realised the dangers of taking these over the counter drugs... you can buy them in large doses in Spain which I think compounds the problem. I've got a month of medication to help heal my stomach and then follow-up tests and another stomach biopsy.
So... the moral of this story is... proceed with caution!
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