All it can do is put your health in serious jeopardy if misused or taken improperly. If your use of ibuprofen is affecting your health, family, relationships, work, school, financial or other life situations, or you’re concerned about a loved one, you can find help and support. They may be able to offer a different short-term medicine to help you with withdrawal effects. Take along a loved one for support if possible – you’ll need their support along the way. Dealing with pain isn’t easy, and neither is helping painkiller addiction, but it is possible. If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, speak with your doctor.
What are the Risks Associated with Long-Term Ibuprofen Abuse?
Symptoms of an ibuprofen overdose may include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, drowsiness, black or bloody stools, coughing up blood, shallow breathing, and even coma in severe cases. Immediate medical attention is crucial if an overdose is suspected to prevent potentially life-threatening consequences. Key points to consider in the medical history include the quantity of ibuprofen ingested, the time of ingestion, and any coingestions. In children, caregivers should be inquired explicitly about acetaminophen ingestion, which is commonly mistaken for ibuprofen. Most patients report no or mild symptoms following ibuprofen overdose.[22] The onset of symptoms typically occurs within 4 hours. Symptoms most commonly consist of gastrointestinal distress and hemorrhagic gastritis.
- Opioids and many other drugs may have a higher potential for addiction, but Ibuprofen is addictive too and is misused.
- Like all other chemical substances, ibuprofen does have some potential for abuse – though it is not habit-forming, and never considered dangerous when taken exactly as intended.
- Support groups offer a sense of community and understanding, fostering connections with others who have experienced similar challenges.
- Ibuprofen is available in tablets, capsules, chewable tablets, and liquid medication.
- Potential side effects include gastrointestinal bleeding, heart problems, liver damage, and kidney issues.
Signs of an Overdose
Someone who misuses this medication may not necessarily have a dependence on it, but that is sometimes the case. In short, ibuprofen inhibits the production of substances in your body that cause issues like pain, fever, and inflammation. In addition to branded versions, you can also find generic versions at the pharmacy and online. Since ibuprofen is so accessible, it is important to understand if it can be addictive. Your healthcare provider or pharmacist can provide guidance on safe and effective ways to manage your health conditions while minimising the risk of adverse interactions.
Are opioids the best solution for many types of pain?
Nonprescription Ibuprofen may be used to relieve pain from muscle aches, headaches, menstrual period, backaches, toothaches, and the common cold. If you have problems with pain, talk to your doctor about the most effective combination of pain relief strategies for your situation. For many people opioids are not necessary or helpful, though some people do benefit from these medicines despite their risks. The new CDC guidelines can help patients and prescribers find this delicate balance. Acute ibuprofen overdose leading to central nervous system toxicity is not uncommon, particularly when the ingestion is massive at more than 400 mg/kg. Polydrug use is a term for the use of more than one drug or type of drug at the same time or one after another.
Can Ibuprofen Get You High? The Dangers of Misusing Common Medications
Addiction is a disease of the mind and emotions that can occur with drugs, alcohol, behaviors (gambling, shopping, sex, money, etc.). The most important way to help anyone addicted to anything is to offer them professional treatment at a drug or behavior-specific treatment center. Drug-specific rehab programs include OTC addiction and medically supervised OTC detoxification. can you get addicted to ibuprofen Ibuprofen is not a narcotic, and it is not possible to get addicted to Ibuprofen the same way a person can get addicted to prescription medications. Still, a person may find enormous levels of relief when they take Ibuprofen to treat their pain, which may be addicting. Not unlike drug and alcohol addictions over the counter medication addiction can ruin a person’s life.
However, ibuprofen does not produce a “high” and abusing it risks severe side effects. This activity reviews the basic pharmacological characteristics of ibuprofen, clinical presentations during an overdose, and management of ibuprofen toxicity. System-specific symptoms and signs delineate clinical correlations, and the next steps are recommended to narrow the cause of toxicity in undifferentiated patients. However, some individuals may develop a psychological dependence on taking excessive amounts. Additionally, ibuprofen is sometimes combined with addictive opioids, which increases the risks of adverse effects and substance abuse issues.
Serum ibuprofen concentrations are typically not readily available in acute care and should not be used to guide management. If confirmation of ibuprofen exposure is necessary, these levels can be obtained from reference laboratories. Thromboxane A2, another substance produced by the COX enzyme, plays a crucial role in platelet aggregation and coagulation. Therefore, the depletion of thromboxane A2 increases the risk of bleeding, especially in patients on anticoagulants or antiplatelets. If you are trying to stop taking Ibuprofen after becoming addicted, it’s important to seek help from a healthcare professional.
- Take along a loved one for support if possible – you’ll need their support along the way.
- It is best to take it with food or a drink of milk to reduce the risk of an upset stomach.
- If you have any questions when picking up your medication, you can ask the pharmacist or call your doctor for clarification.
- In severe cases, anaphylactic shock may occur, and a person will have difficulty breathing.
- In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strengthened its warning about the increased risk of heart attack or stroke when using ibuprofen.
It is not a recreational drug and should never be misused or combined with other substances without medical supervision. While taking ibuprofen orally in a pill or tablet form is the most common way to consume the medication, it can also be taken in a powdered form, a liquid form, or as a suppository. If a person abuses ibuprofen by taking more than the recommended dose, he or she runs the risk of experiencing a serious health-related complication – the most severe being drug-related overdose. Left untreated, a severe ibuprofen addiction can lead to serious, long-term health conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke. It can also cause holes or ulcers to form in an individual’s stomach or intestine, as well as lead to liver or kidney damage.
Why People Get Hooked on Advil and Ibuprofen – Process Addiction and Anxiety Disorders
Because ibuprofen is considered fairly safe, it’s not uncommon for users to take more of the drug than they should. A 2018 study found that up to 15% of users took more than the recommended dose, and over one-third paired ibuprofen with other NSAIDs such as aspirin and naproxen. Regular users may gradually increase their dose to achieve the same pain-relieving effect, which can lead to an ibuprofen addiction that’s difficult to overcome on their own. As with the entire NSAID family, patients will most likely exhibit chronic headaches when they start to develop a dependence on Ibuprofen. These headaches do not have a malignant origin in nature but are termed as “drug-induced rebound headaches” because our body is not used to functioning without high levels of painkillers in our system. The longer the time between doses of medication, the stronger and more prolonged the headaches can last.
Meet your chronic illness provider online today and get your medication delivered as quickly as 24 hours later. It’s also important to consider any other types of NSAIDs you might be taking. Many medications contain NSAIDs, and taking multiple at the same time could increase your risk of an overdose.
