Is it safe will taking a course of metformin to take painkillers such as ibuprofen?
My wife is currently on a course of metformin and has bad pains in her teeth with her wisdom tooth. Is it safe to take ibuprofen while still taking metformin?
Is it safe to take Metformin with Ibuprofen?
Question posted by ltempest on 25 May 2005
Last updated on 4 October 2018 by Nicolekupke
6 Answers
Nicolekupke
4 Oct 2018
I am a surgical assistance and we do not prescribe Motrin/ibuprofen to our patients who are taking Metformin. Always, always ask your health care provider before taking any
medication especially If you’re currently taking other medications. Medication clash. There are a lot of medications you should not mix together. If your health care provider tells you it could potentially harm your body do not take it!
darswick62
4 May 2012
My kidney doctor told me not to take the ibuprofen with Metformin as it caused me to have stage 5 kidney disease. When I got off the ibuprofen, my kidney disease went back to almost normal at stage 2 and this is normal for someone that has diabetes. I would not recommend it for what I experienced. I was taking the ibuprofen for a pulled muscle and was taking the ibuprofen for four months at the time. Hope this helps someone.
renegadefarms1
17 May 2012
my husband is diabetic and has been taking these 2 drugs for about 4 years... he now is in full kidney shutdown and has to use a catheter to pee... as someone who has seen what these 2 drugs can do together I would not let anyone I know take these ever again... my husbands specialist that he now sees told him that these drugs should NEVER be used together
darswick62
17 May 2012
I am so sorry to hear this about your husband. When I first went to my kidney specialist, I told him that I was on the ibuprofen and knew then that this was the cause of my kidney disease. He told me that is was NOT the problem, but it was either the Metformin or the diabetes itself. When I went back for the next visit, he told me that the combination of the ibuprofen and Metformin was the problem. So confused! He told me that diabetics should NEVER take the two medicines together on the second visit. I think he did some research from the first visit. Anyway, I am allowed to take Tylenol but not the ibuprofen with the Metformin. Why can't doctors tell you when they know you are diabetic to NOT use these drugs together and avoid all these future health problems?? Prayers are with your husband and you!
renegadefarms1
19 May 2012
Thank you for your prayers. I was told by another health professional that we should go and contact a lawyer after I get copies of all of his health records... my husband was taking 1000 mil. tablets of ibuprofen 2 pills at least 4 times a day. I found out the max anyone should take this drug is 400 mil. 4 times a day... Please everyone who reads this, please check into any drugs that you are prescribed and make sure they are really helping you and not hurting you..
cpmty
9 Jan 2011
I wouldn't take it at the same time... wait 2 or 3 hours. you never know the reactions. Last year I took two pills (the dr. told me it was ok to take them together) well, my head spin around for two days, blood pressure went very low etc etc. I still don't know which pill did this.
ittiandro
17 Feb 2018
Right on! I had the same experience! May be a doctor will downplay it as too anecdotal to have any scientific foundation, but the medical establishment is conservative by nature and sometimes they miss out relevant facts.. Perhaps necessarily so, to counter the many unscientific quackeries advanced by people who are more interested in peddling their ware, (even doctors like Dr Oz.) than in scientific truth.
Here are the issues, maybe somebody can comment on them.
1. Metformin and Ibuprofen .
I am a 76. man . I have been put on Metformin two weeks ago for borderline hyperglycemia ( 7.5 fasting , 8.5-9.0 2 hrs after meal), even though I use little refined sugar, I eat moderately and I am an exercise buff ( 76 years old, gym, swimming, windsurfing, treadmill..).
No noticeable effects, or side effects yet, from Metformin, except than when I resumed the gym yesterday after 2 weeks of bad flue ( fever, Tamiflu, etc) to my surprise, I felt even more energetic on the treadmill than ever before starting Metformin and even before I got the flue.
When I got back, I tested my blood sugar before supper: 6.2 ! Wow!Pleasantly surprised!
Even better, although not perfect, when I woke up this morning my fasting b.s. was 6.8 !
Maybe somebody can comment if this can be attributed to a lowered blood glucose after 1 week of Metformin( 500 mg, 2 half doses daily).
2. Ibuprofen (Advil)
This morning I was feeling a slight back pain when I woke up, possibly because I resumed the treadmill after almost 3 weeks and the muscles in the back were a bit tight. I took two Advils and shortly after I started feeling a bit light-headed, almost dizzy. I took my blood pressure and I found it unusually low: 94/60. It was 115/64 2 hrs earlier, before I took Advil!!!
I do take Advil sometimes, very rarely and never had problems! I wonder if this can be due to interaction with Metformin.
I'll see my doctor and I will ask her. In the meantime, did anybody experience the same?
Thanks
Ittiandro
Laura3235
24 Nov 2009
I've been on Metformin for over 4 years and I've taken Ibuprofen many times and never had a problem. I've also taken Excedrin migraine with my Metformin and been fine and also taken Asprin with my Metformin and been fine.
I had trouble with Pepto-Bismol though. You're not supposed to take it when your on diabetic type medications.. I tried it anyway and regretted it!
zippysgoddess
25 May 2005
My husband has been taking Met for years and has never had a problem with pain killers with it.
Geriwong
25 May 2005
Currently there is not evidence of interaction between metformin and NSAIDs (e.g. ibuprofen) in the literature.
But it doesn't mean that it's absolutely safe to take these two drugs together, better consult your doctor.
Related topics
ibuprofen, metformin, interaction
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