Can you take Ibuprofen with Prednisone? 

Can you take Ibuprofen with Prednisone? 

It is not generally recommended to take Ibuprofen and Prednisone together unless prescribed by your healthcare provider. The combination of these two meds can increase the risk of gastrointestinal side effects. 

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and it is known to affect your GIT in a number of ways, usually because of its mechanism of action. Prednisone is a Corticosteroid, which can also upset your stomach. 

The combined use of Ibuprofen and Prednisone can significantly increase the risk of these side effects and can affect some people more than others. 

Risks of taking Ibuprofen and Prednisone together 

As I stated earlier, the most commonly expected risk is adverse gastrointestinal effects. Some common ones are (1,2)

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting 
  • Abdominal pain 
  • Ulceration 
  • Increased risk of GI bleeding 

These side effects can vary from person to person and depend on how frequent is the use of Ibuprofen and Prednisone. Being a Corticosteroid, Prednisone can affect your immunity and can make your body susceptible to certain types of microbial infections. 

This is more common in people who have been using Prednisone for quite a while. If such a person combines Prednisone and Ibuprofen, the NSAID will mask the symptoms of infection as it can actively control pain, fever, and inflammation. 

You won’t even know about your declining immunity and that you are under a microbial attack. This is why it’s generally recommended to not pair Prednisone with NSAIDs like Ibuprofen, Naproxen, etc – unless recommended by a healthcare professional.

Final words

In short, it’s best not to pair Ibuprofen and Prednisone together. If your doctor thinks this combination can benefit your health condition, he/she will guide you accordingly. Make sure you don’t take any medication without your doctor’s approval. 

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References

1.-

MedlinePlus. Prednisone: MedlinePlus drug information [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2022 Feb 15; cited 2022 Dec 23]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601102.html

2.-

MedlinePlus. Ibuprofen: MedlinePlus drug information [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2022 Feb 15; cited 2022 Dec 23]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682159.html