Thoughts On Ibuprofin

i remember there was a thread on this before, i dont know if it was here or the T-Cell, but i couldnt find it with a search anyway.

so, yesterday i took 5 Motrins because i wasnt feeling great, had a stiff neck and a light headache. i also took a cup of coffee and 2 glasses of milk pre-workout.

i had a good workout though, ended up doing better than the week before which was great because i was expecting to do worse.

the other thing i noticed is that the IBPF seemed to have calmed me down. like i just felt less tense and i basically just felt way more relaxed which was nice, but i was still able to laugh and stuff.

my only concern was the debate over its affect on not allowing the muscle to grow or synthesis protein…or something to that affect. i know that was one of the main points in the other thread and a guy i was talking to at the gym was saying the same thing that i shouldnt take too much because of those reasons.

so what do you guys think about it? i also want to know what are your thoughts on painkillers? also how do you use either one? like is it pre-WO to lift more or is it post workout to help deal with DOMS because i know i hate it when my muscles hurt so bad its a struggle to put on a shirt or i have to limp around everywhere.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
i remember there was a thread on this before, i dont know if it was here or the T-Cell, but i couldnt find it with a search anyway.

so, yesterday i took 5 Motrins because i wasnt feeling great, had a stiff neck and a light headache. i also took a cup of coffee and 2 glasses of milk pre-workout.

i had a good workout though, ended up doing better than the week before which was great because i was expecting to do worse.

the other thing i noticed is that the IBPF seemed to have calmed me down. like i just felt less tense and i basically just felt way more relaxed which was nice, but i was still able to laugh and stuff.

my only concern was the debate over its affect on not allowing the muscle to grow or synthesis protein…or something to that affect. i know that was one of the main points in the other thread and a guy i was talking to at the gym was saying the same thing that i shouldnt take too much because of those reasons.

so what do you guys think about it? i also want to know what are your thoughts on painkillers? also how do you use either one? like is it pre-WO to lift more or is it post workout to help deal with DOMS because i know i hate it when my muscles hurt so bad its a struggle to put on a shirt or i have to limp around everywhere.[/quote]

Taking the findings of a study and applying that info broadly is a mistake. Even if a study finds that NSAIDs can delay muscle recovery, that does NOT mean you hinder muscle growth because you took Ibuprofen one day.

These are medications. Moderation in all things is the rule.

I used Ibuprofen regularly for years through school and it didn’t hinder muscle growth.

i noticed most the information seems to be on taking the post workout to help with DOMS and thats where the affects on protein synthesis take place but what about pre-workout and taking them in order to lift heavier?

Well, you don’t know if it hindered muscle growth or not, but it didn’t prevent it. It’s possible you could have grown more if you hadn’t taken any X.

I agree though, they aren’t the end of the world, but I avoid taking them if I don’t have to and try not to make it a habit for daily life.

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
Well, you don’t know if it hindered muscle growth or not, but it didn’t prevent it. It’s possible you could have grown more if you hadn’t taken any X.

I agree though, they aren’t the end of the world, but I avoid taking them if I don’t have to and try not to make it a habit for daily life.[/quote]

This may not be common knowledge, but the use of pain medications in excess is possibly highest for bodybuilders, powerlifters and extreme sports players like football. It isn’t hindering them either.

Your last sentence is the point most should take home, however.

You forgot all the WWE wrestlers too from rumors I hear most of them abuse all kinds of pain meds.

I was really just saying that your statement wasn’t a specific study either, but yes, there is a lot of real world experience that supports it (which is what really matters anyway).

I can also say, that no matter what my doctor says, I will never again take something like prednisone(sp?) unless it’s life or death.

I think the effect on protein synthesis is overblown. Some people seem to think if they take some IB for an injury, that no healing will take place, and that is definitely not true.

If I took it for DOMS, I would be taking it all the time which would not be good.

But I am a big believer in taking it for acute injuries. I have done it both ways, avoiding all pain meds versus taking them, and I am absolutely certain that injuries heal better and faster when taking them.

For DOMS, glycine, magnesium, and an epsom salt bath at bedtime helps a lot.

Live, you sound like you are accumulating injuries (from other threads), and you’d better track down the root causes and fix them now. If you’ve got structural issues, the IB is just a bandaid that is not gonna prevent a severe injury.

well the lower back pain was most likely incurred from things like rack pulls to failure and rack pulling on the smith machine or heavy RDLs.

the broken blood vessels on my bicep werent directly caused from lifting. rather, my friend gave me some light breakage in the area from horseing around a week prior then i amplified it from all the extra blood flow and stress on the muscle.

also, i didnt use the IB as a bandaid. i just didnt feel well and thought it would help put me in a better state of being to lift i also recalled this thread and figured since people do it anyway itd be a win-win.

also what is considered a good dose of Ibuprofin? i took 1000mg’s of it yesterday and today pre-WO and i didnt really feel it today. could the caffiene i took with it yesterday have speeded up the process through which it was metabolized? or is 1000mgs just a low dose?

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
well the lower back pain was most likely incurred from things like rack pulls to failure and rack pulling on the smith machine or heavy RDLs.

the broken blood vessels on my bicep werent directly caused from lifting. rather, my friend gave me some light breakage in the area from horseing around a week prior then i amplified it from all the extra blood flow and stress on the muscle.

also, i didnt use the IB as a bandaid. i just didnt feel well and thought it would help put me in a better state of being to lift i also recalled this thread and figured since people do it anyway itd be a win-win.

also what is considered a good dose of Ibuprofin? i took 1000mg’s of it yesterday and today pre-WO and i didnt really feel it today. could the caffiene i took with it yesterday have speeded up the process through which it was metabolized? or is 1000mgs just a low dose?[/quote]

The ceiling dose is 800mg at a time. More than that will not equal greater anesthesia.

Do not exceed 3200mg in any one 24 hour period.

People eating these things like M&M’s is why there are so many problems seen from long term excessive use.

I only use it when I have joint pain due to an injury.

I try to avoid it at all other times.

If I overdo it on shoulder day or something and I have some sharp pain Ill pop about 600mg just to keep it from swelling, I dont care about the pain, I just use it as an antiinflamatory.

im not taking them like M&Ms or tic-tacs. the general dosing for most aspirins and NSAIDs are 2 so i doubled it and added one.

thanks for the info though since im already at 2,000 mgs. in less than 21hrs. i still have DOMS though its just not as bad as usual i guess. my arms still have the same feeling they usually do after an arm day though so id say that the changes IBF makes, at least the noticeable ones are not much at all.

and Prof, does the caffiene increase the speed at which its metabolized?

[quote]Professor X wrote:

The ceiling dose is 800mg at a time. More than that will not equal greater anesthesia.

Do not exceed 3200mg in any one 24 hour period.

People eating these things like M&M’s is why there are so many problems seen from long term excessive use.[/quote]

I have been prescribed 800 mg twice per day. Is there any advantage in getting the high dose of 800, versus 400 mg 4 times per day?

stop using ibuprofen as a bandaid and stop popping them like tictacs.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
im not taking them like M&Ms or tic-tacs. the general dosing for most aspirins and NSAIDs are 2 so i doubled it and added one.
[/quote]

Well that’s retarded. Don’t do that with acetaminophen(Tylenol.

note to you: buy a lightbulb.

"The research I’ve seen regarding this is interesting:

Over a short time frame (24 hours), these anti-inflammatories inhibit protein synthesis (this is not what we want).

Over a longer time frame, however, (3 months) the exact opposite seems to be the case.

At this point the exact mechanisms for either response are not completely known.

So, I would recommend you do whatever you think is best for you."

(http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=80971&tid=162)

I was getting exertional headaches for a bit, couldn’t get more than 5 minutes into a workout without my head pounding hard enough to make me quit. Ibuprofen allowed me to get through my workouts for about a month, until I weened off of them. Haven’t had a problem since. I still keep a little bottle in my gym bag just in case.

if they inhibit protein synthesis then logically in the 24 hour span which ive had 2,000 mgs shouldnt all, or at least most the protein ive consumed just been “exited”? yet my bowel functions have been failry normal so shouldnt that say perhaps it really isnt that big a deal?

[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:

I can also say, that no matter what my doctor says, I will never again take something like prednisone(sp?) unless it’s life or death.

[/quote]

I went a step further and decided not to take it again in a “life and death” situation. As you can read, i lived. Did have to reevaluate a lot of things though and learn to read, listen and watch my body a lot more. Good lessons there to be learnt.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
im not taking them like M&Ms or tic-tacs. the general dosing for most aspirins and NSAIDs are 2 so i doubled it and added one.

thanks for the info though since im already at 2,000 mgs. in less than 21hrs. i still have DOMS though its just not as bad as usual i guess. my arms still have the same feeling they usually do after an arm day though so id say that the changes IBF makes, at least the noticeable ones are not much at all.

and Prof, does the caffiene increase the speed at which its metabolized? [/quote]

Anything that could potentially increase your metabolism could potentially increase how fast drugs are metabolized. That includes exercise.

[quote]andersons wrote:
Professor X wrote:

The ceiling dose is 800mg at a time. More than that will not equal greater anesthesia.

Do not exceed 3200mg in any one 24 hour period.

People eating these things like M&M’s is why there are so many problems seen from long term excessive use.

I have been prescribed 800 mg twice per day. Is there any advantage in getting the high dose of 800, versus 400 mg 4 times per day?

[/quote]

Why would you take more of the drug than you need? If 400mg gets rid of the pain, why take more?