pain reliever + beer

No one will say anything is completely safe. I take aspirin when necessary and even when not necessary. My drug of choice for pain is Ibuprofen. This can take on high dosages in the form of Motron. Some people have problems with Ibuprofen, but I would recommecd always getting enough fluid and even take some Tums along with it. It can play havoc with your stomach just as aspirin can. I absolutely need it some times after heavy work. Old age!

greg

Hi, I'm new here and trying to learn about good beer. I've never posted here before but this is something I know about. Ibuprofen, my friends and I call it Vitamin "I". Great for the aches and pains of "older" age. Take it before strenuous exercise or work to get it into your system.

I work in a Brewery and I'm sitting back and enjoying one of our products, Sam Adams Winter Lager.

It used to be quanity, now it's quality.

Unfortunately I like both "Q's" which is hard on the wallet.

I've never thought of pain killers of any type as preventative, or take pre-pain. (is that a word?) I've got arthritis in one knee I do a fair amount of running. (gotta work of those beer calories ya know) I've got a standing prescription for Indocin, which is really powerful, but I hate taking it because it makes me loopy. Not the nice loopy like vicodin, but just dizzy. Maybe I'll try your suggestion on that one.

Thanks

Larry T

Indometacin (Indocin) is a prescription only anti inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis. Ibuprofen has a similar action but is less powerful with fewer side effects. You could try taking over the counter ibuprofen and see how much it helps, but you should really discuss this with your doctor. Don't take the two drugs at the same time unless your doctor tells you to.

Some people advocate taking an ibuprofen dose before going to bed after a heavy session. The anti inflammatory action reduces brain inflammation which is the cause of some hangover headaches.

Paul

It helps keep the body's joints from swelling, just as Aspirin can do. Tylenol does nothing for inflamation except reduce pain.

greg

I was trimming a tree one day standing on a ladder near the house. I fell sideways with my arm grabbing the windowsill, except my arm was not in the right position. I tore my shoulder joint pretty bad. I also screwed up my ankle. I thought oh shit. I stood up and tried raising my arm and it came out of socket, put arm back in quickly. Well, the first thing I did ws go in the house and consume two tabs of Ibuprophen to keep swelling down, and pain, allthough i was not in very much pain at the time. I went out and finished gathering up twigs and bundling them. But there was never much pain, and I'm sure taking the drug soon helped. A month later I got rotator cuff surgery, and talk about pain!!

greg

I was taking modestly high doses of Ibuprofin awhile back due to some inflammation in my knee. The doctor was quite adamant about not mixing it with alcohol.

i'll have to try that brew. i am more into European stuff, but willing to try "new" beers of all types.

Grav

it looks like 5 things (including occasional overconsumption) are triggering headaches. i'm going to talk to a doctor. :-)

thanks for advice, guys.

Grav

Thanks Paul, Thankfully, I've not had a big arthritis flair up in a while. But when I do, Indocin really knocks it out quickly. Little aces and pains, the OTC stuff is a much better choice though. I really hate taking meds, of any type, because they all have some sort of side effect, even if you don't notice them right off.

Larry T

You might like to ask him for an explanation sometime. Many doctors advise alcohol abstinence when taking *any* medication, because it's easier than explaining the limits and possible risks, but there is no interaction between alcohol and ibuprofen that I'm aware of. It's possible that he was concerned about stomach irritation if you were taking very high doses (higher than OTC doses) round the clock for an extended period.

Alcohol related stomach irritation is less likely in beer drinkers than wine or spirit drinkers.

Paul

The 3 to 4 times the usuall dose is more likely to cause problems, I would think. Motron can have up to 800 mg. This might very well be hazardous for things other than the stomach, but ??

greg

I will ask *her* if the same situation occurs. ;-)

True, and this was for something like 3 times the OTC dose. But as she didn't seem to be concerned about my honest report of my beer intake in general, and has been fairly open and informative about health issues, I figured there was a good reason to abstain for a few days while letting my knee recover. (I followed it up by attending the National Homebrew Conference, so caught up on consumption very quickly.)

For those still following this thread (and aren't afraid of a bit of technical reading), this seems fairly good:

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional; consult your physician for any medical advice.

I agree, that paper covers the subject very well.

Neither am I, just interested in beer and pharmacology :-)

I would never encourage anyone to ignore a doctor's advice regarding alcohol and prescription medication. However, it's quite legitimate to ask the doctor to clarify things, and most doctors will appreciate the patient taking an active interest in their treatment.

Many doctors are reluctant to tell patients it's OK to drink with their medication because they're afraid the patient will go out and get blind drunk, which isn't a good idea for a sick person quite apart from any drugs they're taking.

Paul