Ibuprofen and Diabetes?

[davef]

Hi,

I'm having a bit of neck and shoulder pain at the moment, it occurs maybe once or twice a year. I get it across my shoulders and sometimes up into the back of my head and down the top of my arms. I went through a barrage of tests with my Doctor a few years ago and we could not find any cause, Doc suspects it may be stress, he might be right ;)

Anyhow, Sunday night I had a bad nights sleep, woke at about 2.30am and slept badly for the rest of the night, I could feel the neck pain starting. Guess that's what I get for going to be too early (10.30pm) on Sunday. I was so tired yesterday morning I took a day off work.

One of my work colleagues is a Type 1 and said that his wife had been told by a pharmacist that diabetics should not take ibuprofen. I would normally take ibuprofen to get some relief when this pain hits, I'm not a big pill taker (other than the ones I have to take ;) ) but I did find that the ibuprofen worked for me for this pain.

Now I'm a little confused, because my colleague was fairly certain that I should avoid ibuprofen, yet I know I saw posts here where people had mentioned using it.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Thanks

[princesslinda]

I think it can be a problem if you have any kidney compromise, then you should avoid ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatories. When my mom was in renal failure, she wasn't supposed to take any of these type meds.

I still take ibuprofen whenever my neck/shoulder acts up with no problems. I think most of the problems come from chronic use of these meds.

[Scrabblechick]

I try not to take any more pills than necessary, myself. However, I have periodic flare-ups of pain in my shoulder, from constant computer use. The ONLY thing that gives me relief is naproxen (another NSAID like ibuprofen). It's a trade-off to me. I'd rather risk it now and be able to sleep than lose sleep because I'm hurting, which in turn runs up my blood pressure, and eventually, my BG, because of the stress of the pain.

I just try to take it at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible amount of time. Oh--and get a heating pad if you don't have one. They're great for this kind of pain. Also, see if your dear wife will be willing to rub your neck and shoulders for you. That's also a help.

[kgm0612]

I'm a type 1 pumper and my doctor prescribes me 800-mg of Ibuprofen for lower back pain that I get on occasion.

As Princesslinda mentioned, it may not be recommended if a person has kidney problems.

Karen

[davef]

Thanks guys, as I said I'm not a pill-popper, but could do with some relief, I've no kidney problems so I think I'll take some before bed, want/need a good nights sleep tonight.

[pdxdennisj]

The only thing that I can think of is that Ibuprofen blocks the helpful action of aspirin (as does naproxen). Since Diabetes increases the chances on heart attacks, many D docs suggest taking an 81mg tab of aspirin a day. Acetaminophen allows the aspirin to do its thing.

[volleyball]

I 've not heard anything either. Maybe you could find this person and ask why. Maybe they have insight or else you could debunk their myth

[JoanW]

At my last check up at the end of February, my doctor asked me if I had been taking any ibuprofen and I said I had been using a couple of tablets occasionally when neuropathy was bothering me, so that I could get to sleep. She told me that my creatinine level was elevated indicating possible kidney problems, and has suggested that I take another blood test in early May after abstaining from taking any ibuprofen. So far I have managed with taking only two Tylenol (which she said was OK). So I think the warning of using ibuprofen as a diabetic is that it can be damaging to the kidneys more than other things like acetaminophen. Probably occasional use doesn't harm one, as long as the kidney function is healthy.

[Kim_in_TN]

It sounds like you've gotten good advice here and again I learned something new! I just wanted to say that I hope your pain has now subsided and you are getting restful night's sleep!