Contents:
- Medical Video: NSAIDs and Heart Disease - Mayo Clinic
- Can you take aspirin and ibuprofen at once?
- What if you need to consume both?
Medical Video: NSAIDs and Heart Disease - Mayo Clinic
Aspirin and ibuprofen are mild painkillers. Both can be used to reduce fever, headaches, and relieve inflammation. On the other hand, aspirin can be used to treat acne and prevent heart attacks and strokes. Meanwhile, ibuprofen is usually taken to relieve menstrual pain, toothache, back pain, and sports injuries.
One time you might need to take two drugs simultaneously to overcome two different conditions. So, can you take aspirin and ibuprofen together?
Can you take aspirin and ibuprofen at once?
Both ibuprofen and aspirin are both NSAID painkillers. NSAIDs work to inhibit the action of COX I and COX II, two enzymes that trigger inflammation. That's why NSAIDs can help relieve pain and fever.
Because aspirin and ibuprofen are NSAIDs, the possibility of side effects is similar. The most common risk effects of NSAIDs are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. NSAIDs can also cause allergic reactions (hives, rashes, blisters, swollen faces, and wheezing), high blood pressure, heart failure due to swelling of the body (fluid retention), decreased hearing function, kidney problems including kidney failure. So, taking two types of drugs with the same class can increase the risk of side effects that you might experience.
In addition, according to VeryWell, FDA, BPOM's drug and food regulatory body, ibuprofen can interfere with the effects of aspirin drugs if taken together. Taking low-dose ibuprofen and aspirin (81 mg per day) has the potential to make aspirin work less effectively. In fact, aspirin can be used to help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. That's whytaking these two drugs at the same time is not recommended especially in people who have heart problems or disorders.
Both of these drugs can also cause gastric bleeding if taken together, especially if consumed for a long period of time. The risk of gastric bleeding will even increase if:
- Aged more than 60 years.
- Have a history of stomach ulcers or bleeding.
- Take blood thinners or steroids.
- Drink three glasses or more alcohol every day.
- Take more drugs than recommended.
- Take medication longer than recommended.
For that, you should not consume both of these drugs simultaneously to avoid various risks and side effects caused.
What if you need to consume both?
If under certain conditions you need to consume both, following recommendations from the FDA that need to be considered:
- If you need one dose of ibuprofen, take 8 hours before or 30 minutes after taking low-dose aspirin.
- If you need to take ibuprofen more frequently while you still need to take aspirin, then talk to your doctor about other treatment alternatives. Usually, doctors will recommend other painkillers that do not interfere with the work of aspirin.
