People's Pharmacy

Nuprin

Generic Name:ibuprofen

Other Brand Names: Advil, Ibu-Tab, Motrin, Motrin IB, Children's Advil, Rufen, Pedia-Profen

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Side Effects and Interactions

Unquestionably the most common side effects of ibuprofen involve the gastrointestinal tract. They include nausea, indigestion, heartburn, cramps, gas, constipation, and diarrhea.

Some people may develop ulcers and intestinal bleeding while taking ibuprofen.

Occasionally these problems can occur without obvious symptoms and lead to a life-threatening crisis due to perforation of the stomach lining.
Older people appear to be more susceptible to this problem and should be monitored carefully.

Warning signs include weight loss, persistent indigestion, a feeling of fullness after moderate meals, dark or tarry stools, anemia and unusual fatigue.

Home stool tests such as Hemoccult or Fleet Detecatest may provide an early indication of bleeding.

Other side effects to be alert for include headache, ringing in the ears, rash, itching, nervousness, fluid retention and loss of appetite.

Drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, and confusion are possible, so do not drive if you become impaired.

Less common adverse reactions include insomnia, heart palpitations, hair loss, depression, tiredness, anemia or other blood changes, fever, visual disturbances, meningitis and sores in the mouth.

Some people might become sensitive to sunlight while on ibuprofen, so use an effective sunscreen or stay well covered. Report any symptoms to your physician promptly.

Ibuprofen can affect both the kidney and liver, so periodic blood tests to monitor the function of these organs are important for anyone on this drug long-term.

This medication can adversely interact with many other drugs. A person taking a blood thinner like Coumadin may become far more vulnerable to a dangerous bleeding ulcer.

Aspirin may reduce the effectiveness of ibuprofen for reducing inflammation.

All the NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, can make methotrexate (Folex, Mexate, Rheumatrex) and lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid, etc.) far more toxic.

Other potentially serious interactions may occur with ibuprofen reducing the effectiveness of ACE inhibitor blood pressure medicines such as Altace, Lotensin or Vasotec, beta-blocker blood pressure drugs like Corgard, Inderal or Tenormin, and diuretics such as Bumex, Lasix or Maxzide.

Hemorrhage with the combination of ginkgo and aspirin has been reported. We advise against combining arthritis medicines such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, etc.) with ginkgo biloba extract.

Licorice binds to serum albumin and may interact with medications that bind to serum albumin, such as ibuprofen.

Check with your pharmacist and physician to make sure ibuprofen is safe in combination with any other drugs or herbs you take.