Can Ibuprofen cause damage to the liver when you are taking it for arthritis?

Answer 1

I am not a doctor and am not sure about the liver or kidney, but I personally know that if you habitually take ibuprofen for any reason, you must take it with meals. I suffered severe esophageal, stomach, and small intestine ulcers from taking "ib's" on an empty stomach. Please be careful. It would be a good idea to get regular blood work at your doctor for liver screening.

it can cause ulcers or GI bleeding, but liver function is not normally something that is impacted by ibuprofen.

The ACS cautions ibuprofen users that fever, nausea, tenderness under the right ribcage and yellowing of the skin and eyes can indicate liver damage. Stop taking ibuprofen and contact your doctor if you notice any of these problems.

Taking ibuprofen may increase your risk for a heart attack, stroke or stomach and intestinal bleeding. Your risk for these problems might increase if you take other NSAIDs, (Non steroidal anti inflamatorys) have Allergies, asthma, high blood pressure, Heart disease or nasal polyps. Speak with your health care provider if you have kidney disease or are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breast-feeding.

Stop using ibuprofen and seek medical attention if you have heart attack or stroke symptoms such as chest pains, slurred speech, trouble breathing or weakness on one side of your body.

If you have bloody stools or vomit mixed with material that looks like coffee grounds, severe heartburn or stomach pain and you are taking ibuprofen, you might be experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding.

Stop using ibuprofen shortly before and immediately following a heart bypass.

Interactions

Ibuprofen can change how your body metabolizes a number of other medications. Tell your physician or pharmacist if you take any of the following:

• Anticoagulants such as clopidogrel (e.g., Plavix from sanofi aventis) or warfarin

• High blood pressure drugs, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and diuretics

• Lithium

• Methotrexate

• NSAIDs

• Oral corticosteroids such as prednisone

• Probenecid

Brand Name Products

Single- and multi-ingredient brand name over-the-counter products that contain ibuprofen are sold under the names of Advil, Dristan, Midol and Motrin.

Brand-name prescription products containing ibuprofen include Combunox, which combines ibuprofen with oxycodone and Vicoprofen, which combines ibuprofen with hydrocodone.