Indomethacin and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Too...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2016

For Gout, Acute "May 2016, white male, 51 years old, first gout attack. I was lifting heavy about 2 weeks ago, and I overdid red meat, chicken, salmon, two protein shakes per day at 30 grams each, aspirin almost daily, and a 5-hour energy drink, junk food in there for good measure. Drank instant coffee excessively daily. Did not like to drink water, so likely became dehydrated as well. I feel I brought this on with my eating habits, but blood test came back 6.5 uric acid, which was within normal range. I am in total pain and missed 2 weeks of work. The doctor put me on indomethacin after weeks of Advil, water, cherries, cherry juice, no red meat or alcohol, etc., with no relief. Felt relief the first hour. Did get a little dizzy, but pain is almost gone after the 1st pill."

• gou...
• September 6, 2014

For Gout, Acute "The 1st time I tried indomethacin, it was magic for gout. I took it during a flare-up, and half an hour later, I felt the pain dissipate like the feeling of your foot getting 'unslept' from being asleep. The side effects were horrible. I was dizzy, nauseous, had a headache, and wanted to puke. So after the 1st time, I would only take it when I was about to go to sleep. The 1st time I tried indomethacin was 7 years ago. I have flare-ups once or twice a year since then. Now though, I don't feel the side effects, but the medicine has also stopped working. Maybe I built a tolerance to it. Before, I would take 2 tablets before I went to bed, and I would wake up pain-free."

• Gou...
• May 22, 2016

For Gout, Acute "I'm a 40-year-old healthy female that mysteriously had my first gout attack this week. I thought my toes were broken. I got into the doctor right away, and he prescribed indomethacin. Well, I'm 4 days after the attack and getting around pretty good and started managing it with just Aleve by the 3rd day, but I quit the indomethacin because the side effects were terrible. Bad headaches, really tired, dizzy. I thought it was the Vicodin given to me for the pain, but my side effects worsened even after I quit Vicodin. Everyone is different, and I would have taken anything on day 1 to try and help the pain, but I quit taking this drug as soon as my foot cleared up. The drug is unbearable. Hopefully, no new attacks for me, and this is a freak thing."

• Im...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2019

For Gout, Acute "After taking this drug indomethacin for 3 months, the gout kept returning. Each time I took the drug, I was dizzy, lethargic, and dopey on the drug! I have a physical every year, and this medicine took my SGOT (liver) enzyme levels from 23 to over 112"

• Get...
• February 12, 2019

For Osteoarthritis "I'm taking a total of 150 mg/day for moderate-severe OA. This medication has been a blessing. It takes about 2 hours to reach its peak pain relief and lasts about 7-9 hours. Prior to taking indomethacin, my quality of life was kind of in the gutter...the things I enjoy doing hurt too much to do. This is when I felt the potential risks of indomethacin (notably, rare but serious GI and cardiovascular risks) were justified by the potential benefits. With the amount of pain relief this provided me, I feel good about this decision as I can now live my life on my own terms, for the most part. I have experienced side effects - insomnia and occasional dizziness. The severity of both has decreased with time. Taking the medication with a moderately sized meal reduces this. I also take this with a few ounces of purified aloe vera juice (there is some, although not conclusive, evidence to suggest that this may provide a protective effect against the tendency of NSAIDs to cause GI inflammation.)"

• Vil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2022

For Cluster Headaches "Terrible daily headaches with nausea, brain fog, pressure, and extreme fatigue. All I can do is lie on the couch all day with no energy to do anything. Truly crippled. Even though I don't feel like it's cluster, diagnosed as cluster/TAC. The first time I took a 25 mg indomethacin, I was up and building a chest of drawers within 30 mins. Absolutely unreal! Could not believe it. Still had a headache, but a 'normal' headache. Fatigue gone. Absolutely impossible to do that without this miracle med - just 25 mg as well. Have to say, some scary side effects on occasion though - shuffling - cannot walk, spaced out when I take it sometimes, and eyesight focus problems, uncoordinated occurs the day after. HAVE to take it with lansoprazole or it destroys the GI tract. Also now diagnosed with prolonged QT syndrome - which is definitely due to the tablet's effects."

• Glo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

For Pain "I am a 58-year-old woman. My neurologist wanted to determine if the trigeminal pain I had been diagnosed with and suffered with for over six years was instead a type of trigeminal headache. He put me on indomethacin 50 mg 3x’s per day. By the first dose of indomethacin, I was very dizzy and nauseous. I had stomach pain and extreme fatigue. I took my afternoon second dose, I had all of the above symptoms but began vomiting. I could no longer sit in the recliner but listed to the side with a pillow to halfway and half sit. I had difficulty concentrating and faded in and out between dozing and wakefulness. By the third dose, I was having dry heaves and the above symptoms were worse. I felt like what it must be like to be slipped a Mickey in an alcoholic drink, even though I don’t drink, I could imagine that's what it would be like. I stumbled to my bed, where I passed out. I do not plan on ever taking another dose of this medication."

• Gou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2018

For Gout, Acute "I've had gout for the past 8 years. Usually in my heel and various places around my foot. I can't recall getting the big toe, which is odd. Over the years, it has gotten worse and started to happen more frequently. I got it in my knee for the first time, and that has been a wake-up call as the pain is tremendous and unbearable (I have a high tolerance for pain, and this made me scream on occasion). On to the indomethacin, I started taking this to reduce the pain and swelling. The first dose gave me a buzzed feeling and made me tired. After a few more doses (50 mg, 8 hours), I started to get headaches and an overall sick feeling. Spinning, hot/cold flashes, continuous headache, insomnia, just horrible. While it did help with the pain, after three days, I couldn't take this stuff anymore. It seems like it also has a hangover effect that lasted for another day. I don't know if I can ever take this again."

• Anonymous
• September 22, 2009

For Gout, Acute "Be careful with indomethacin. It makes me very sick, nauseous, with a feeling of dizziness. It made me pass out three times and really worried me. I did an MRI, EKG, and blood test to determine the cause of fainting, and it turned out to be the indomethacin. The lesser of two evils: gout pain or getting sick to your stomach and fainting."

• Rya...
• January 18, 2016

For Pain "I experience Exertion Headache Syndrome, also known as weight lifter's headache. During heavy lifts, I often get a massive, instant, and very painful headache. This med was prescribed to me to be taken in one of two ways: preventative or reactionary. When taken reactionary (after a headache), it works well. Indeed, better than anything I've used, other than narcotics, of course. When taken before lifting weights as a preventative measure, it works great, as I never get a headache. The problem is that sometimes I get so dizzy that I can hardly function. I hope this helps someone that wants to know about this drug, which I have a love/hate relationship with."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2019

For Cluster Headaches "I was given this indomethacin medication by my PCP for ice-pick headaches and was to take it three times daily for 10 days, and this is the only effective treatment. The good news is within 1 day of meds, my headaches were gone. The bad news is I cannot tolerate the side effects. Total dizziness, anxious feeling, and heart racing within an hour of taking it. We are going to try to take it less often to see if side effects decrease."

• dia...
• February 22, 2014

For Pain "I have severe tongue pain after a nerve was damaged after my wisdom teeth were removed. The medication worked well on the pain, but the dizziness is too much. I can't function normally like this. Have to stop taking it and go back to severe pain."