Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by pault on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @09:22AM (#12966978)

A friend's sister took a few ibuprofen a few days ago on an empty stomach, started throwing up blood for several hours, spent the night in the ER. Now she has an ulcer.

Edit: Ulcer, not hernia.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by lightbyte on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @09:25AM (#12967000)

The warning label on every bottle of ibuprofen specifically says to not take it on an empty stomach for exactly that reason. What was she expecting?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by pault on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @09:39AM (#12967164)

I know; she's an idiot. I'm not sure many people know how dangerous this can be, though. I'm not sure people take warnings on medication as seriously as they should.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by pkroll on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @12:22PM (#12969187)

Looking at a generic from Wal-mart: the closest warning is "Take with food or milk if stomach upset occurs."

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by mark_kalvelage on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @11:37AM (#12968627)

I'm looking at a bottle of Advil right now and nowhere does it mention not to take it on an empty stomach.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by quietkatalyst on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @05:48PM (#12972337)

I am looking at a bottle of right now and do not see it on there.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by Broken_Hippo on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @12:17PM (#12969115)

I wouldn't be surprised if she had an ulcer before taking the pills and it irritated them or she has an especially sensitive system as some do.

I say this mostly because it is common (though not recommended) to take them on an empty stomach and it seems her reaction to the single pill does was extreme.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by Confusion on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @09:26AM (#12967010)

Did you know that most people that win the lottery took ibuprofen in the month before winning?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by pault on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @09:40AM (#12967175)

This isn't random chance. Ibuprofen can cause ulcers and blood in the urine if taken on an empty stomach. Not many people know this.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ibuprofen May Not Be as Safe as was Thought by Confusion on Wednesday November 16, 2016 @04:33PM (#12971781)

I was mostly responding to the fact that you seemed to be blaming her hernia on ibuprofen.

However, even when changed to an ulcer, it is the kind of anecdotal evidence that keeps urban legends alive. Long term use of ibuprofen is known to cause ulcers. Rare use, on an empty stomach or not, does not instantly cause bleeding and ulcers. It is much more likely that Broken_Hippo is right or that she indeed has been chronically using ibuprofen.

[ Parent | on HN ]