Ok, How Did I Miss This???

bernadette · 10-02-2005, 09:42 AM

Some how I managed to miss something. Why is ibuprofen bad for the band? I have been using it up until today to kill the pain of a root canal. Now I am scared to use it. Whats the deal on ibuprofen and if this is not a good choice...what is?

flower · 10-02-2005, 10:29 AM

No they said dont use it but its okay I quess short term just because it can irritate the stomach someone at work forgot about it to she had the band she used motrin for a toothache and ended up with stomach pains in the er she use it very long term though if you havennt had symptoms yet your okay

ladysplenda · 10-02-2005, 10:39 AM

Can you take saftey coated asprin? For the heart.

**Alexandra** · 10-02-2005, 10:44 AM

Ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, can do more than just "irritate" the stomach. They suppress certain protective substances in our stomachs so that other irritants can do more damage. I don't remember all the specific details, but suffice to say that they should be avoided as much as possible.

Aspirin, while I don't believe it has the same suppressive action, can itself be an irrirant. Coated aspirin is less so, I believe. But everything I've heard is that the only truly safe pain reliever is acetominophen (Tylenol).

happypsychrn · 10-03-2005, 06:54 PM

When you have a pouch, you have much smaller stomach surface to irritate and that's what ibuprofen can do. You don't want to take that chance and risk loosing your band.
I do question, however, if liquid motrin with lots of water to wash it through would be ok. Anyone out there know?

CCBSTX · 10-03-2005, 09:19 PM

My doctor only recommends or allows tylenol. Good luck with your pain, I hope it's gone ASAP!

Shawn

PamRN · 10-03-2005, 10:48 PM

Enteric aspirin, or aspirin ec is coated with a slow dissolving coating that keeps the aspirin whole until it passes the sensitive stomach area, then slowly releases the medicine into the intestine where it won't cause much irritation.

Ibuprofen is very irritating to the sensitive tissue of our stomachs, and could cause swelling to the point of blockage, the potential for irritation is there even in liquid form. Everyone is different, I've read others who have used it without problems... so far... You have to decide for yourself what risks you are willing to take vs. how far you will go to protect your band.

You can take acetaminophen within reason, without problems.

I personally take children's chewable tylenol multiplied up to equal my weight range. If I have a bad headache, I take a combination of tylenol and st josephs childrens chewable aspirin. I have taken aspirin ec in desperation for a bad headache at work with nothing else available, and though it worked without serious problem, I urped up the taste of aspirin for a while, the coating didn't hold out as long, partially because I cut it into quarters to make sure it would pass through, and it sat a while in my pouch so was dissolving before it even got to my stomach, forget the intestine part...

**Jack** · 10-03-2005, 10:57 PM

Take a long look at the prostaglandin tree, both the good and bad branches of it....see what ibuprofen does to this little biochemical symphony....:bandit

Up side for ibuprofen is most folks benefit from short courses. Down side is 37% of older patients using it for more than 3 weeks develope bleeding in the digestive tract. There's other problems I encounter in my clinical treatment, mostly musculoskeletal patients.

I use it myself periodically to good effect. The big question for taking any med long term is: what is the condition that requires ongoing dosage? What is the cause of my complaint....am I just dealing with the symptom or the cause of my problem.

Jachut · 10-03-2005, 11:02 PM

What about paracetamol?

And what happens if you're on anti-inflammatories other than over the counter ones?

katerzz · 10-04-2005, 02:45 AM

great example of diff surgeons say diff things.

i was told no tyelnol at any point.. to take advil or ibuprofen

granted.. only liquid form he told me i could try coated advil.. but it just got stuck and i wont do that again

**Alexandra** · 10-04-2005, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katerzz

great example of diff surgeons say diff things.

i was told no tyelnol at any point.. to take advil or ibuprofen

granted.. only liquid form he told me i could try coated advil.. but it just got stuck and i wont do that again

Why did your doctor say no Tylenol? I've never heard any doctor say that. Are you sure you heard it right?

Liquid Motrin still has the suppressive action that can lead to gastric trouble; it's not just the physical presence of the pill in the stomach that is problematic. There's something about the way the drug works in our bodies that cause increased susceptibility to ulcers and bleeding. That's reason enough for me to stay away completely. Of course, I'm not dealing with any chronic pain issues, and anyone who is will have to do the risk/benefit analysis with their medical professional.

Marimaru · 10-04-2005, 11:36 AM

I have no idea when this list was updated last or anything, I just did a google search for "NSAID List" and this was one of the first lists there. We are supposed to avoid all NSAIDS for the most part. I took Aleve once a day for a couple of weeks for Tendonitis, but then stopped as soon as I felt I could (as told by the doctor):

http://lyberty.com/encyc/articles/nsaid.html

katerzz · 10-04-2005, 01:52 PM

i called to verify.. definately says no tylenol. i didnt get to ask the surgeon so next time i go in ill ask why

PamRN · 10-04-2005, 03:35 PM

That's a perfect example of how differing all the docs can be. Motrin and advil are just brand names for ibuprofen.

I wonder why they say no Tylenol too, Do you have liver issues by chance? Tylenol is stored in the liver and if too much is taken over too short a time or your liver function is less than optimal you can end up with liver damage from tylenol. This is why many healthcare providers will advise to alternate tylenol doses with ibuprofen doses when pain or fever would require staying medicated for more than a couple of doses.

When my children have had fevers/ear infection/chicken pox we give a dose of tylenol then 4-6 hours later they get ibuprofen then tylenol again at the next dose.

Perhaps your doc has a concern along the lines of reduced liver function maybe related to reduced intake; less than normal requirements? Was there mention of elevated AST's or ALT's after any of your blood draws? (liver function tests)

aneffie53 · 10-04-2005, 06:35 PM

Haven't found a problem with childrens chewable asprin. I take it for the health benefits, so there isn't a subsitute. Does it hurt if there aren't any side effects?