Is Ibuprofen safe to take?

[janNaz]

I was wondering whether it is safe to take ibuprofen for headaches considering all the different types of meds we are on. I currently take 20 mg mtx, 17.5 mg pred, dapsone, folic acid, and other typical vitamin supplements. I thought I read somewhere that ibuprofen should be avoided, but my rheumy gave me approval to take because I'm on a low dosage of mtx. I've been having headaches these past few days and a bit of a scratchy, dry thoat. The ache is on the back of my head above the neck, on the right side, and also above my right eyebrow. I went in for labs the other day, and rheumy said they look good (haven't gotten the numbers from her yet) as far as inflammation, and ENT doc checked nose, ears and throat and determined no infection, all look normal. Well, I don't feel "normal"! ENT doc said it might be a migraine, which I used to have up until about 6 years ago. I'm a bit hesitant to believe them and concerned it might be a sign of a flare. I'm unsure because headaches like the ones I'm having now were not part of my initial symptoms, although I am aware that symptoms can change.

[elephant]

How long have you been on MTX? They can cause headaches. Had a neighbor run to the ER and had a huge massive headache and come to find out it was the MTX. Are you feeling tired? Joint pain? stuffy?

[talentx7]

my drs. said no Ibuprofen for Carter, but I think its because of his kidneys, but tylenol is ok to take.

[Sangye]

JanNAz, go to this page and click on "Head and Neck" then see if if any of the links at the bottom match the pain you're having. The home page tells you how to interpret the symbols.

[Jack]

If you have any kidney involvement you should not take Ibuprofen. The renal clinic I go to has notices pinned up telling you this so they obviously think it is important.

[Sangye]

You should not take ibuprofen while on pred. Both are extremely hard on the gut. Ibuprofen often causes silent damage.

[elephant]

It also cause abominal bleeding too, especially with prednisone. Like Jack stated, ibuprofen is hard on the kidney too.

[janNaz]

Thanks all...very much appreciate the advice. I talked to my primary care doc earlier today and, like all of your comments, mentioned how ibuprofen can affect the kidneys and gut. She highly recommended that I take tylenol instead. She prescribed Loratidine for 7 days for my current symptoms. If it doesn't help, she agrees with my ENT doc that it might be migraines.

Elephant, I've been on mtx for about 2 mos now: started at 15mg Sept 5th and increased to 20mg on Oct 6th. I've not had any problems with it thus far, other than the recent daily headaches which have been interfering with my daily routine. I haven't had any joint pain (knock on wood!) and no tiredness. Although this morning I woke up with a cough and could taste some icky stuff but can't bring myself to cough anything up. Maybe I'm coming down with a slight cold? So hard to tell; so afraid of a flare. This disease really stinks!!

Sangye, I'll definitely review the links you provided.

Thanks again all. Have a good night and take care!

[Jack]

Tylenol is just Paracetamol under a different name and should be taken continuously in order to allow levels to build up in the body. However, it never seems to have much effect on me so I switched to Tramadol which I find a bit better.

[elephant]

Jannaz, it could be the increased dose of methotrexate that could be causing your headaches. Just keep a close eye on it and let your doctor know if it continues. You may just have a cold. So glad to hear that you have no joint pain, that is a good sign.