Disclaimer: This is not medical advice and you should always consult your pharmacist/physician before using/starting any of these OTCs.
Did you know that the 2 most common OTC pain killers, Ibuprofen and tylenol, can be dangerous? As a 4th year pharmacy student at St.Johns, I learned about multiple common medication habits that can lead to very dangerous outcomes. The need to communicate these dangerous OTC pain medication habits seemed important because of their common everyday uses (fever, headaches, period pains, ect).Â
Let’s start with Ibuprofen, Ibuprofen is categorized as an NSAID among other popular pain killers(Aleve and asprin), that can all give you serious stomach ulcers if not taken correctly. NSAID’s mechanism blocks pain producing hormones but also blocks kidney and stomach protecting hormones which is why it’s recommended to moderate the intake of NSAIDs if not needed. The constant intake of NSAIDS will deteriorate the stomachlining protecting hormones leading to serious damage(GI bleed/ulcers). Did you know if you don’t drink a full glass of water with your NSAID medicine it can lead to a case of an acute kidney injury within just 1 day? So always drink your water!Â
Now for Tylenol, acetaminophen is largely considered the most safe pain/fever reliever. However, it holds a strong sideffect, hepatotoxicity(Liver toxicity). While this shouldn’t be a concern to most people with healthy livers, we college students like to party. Experiencing a hangover after heavily drinking? DON’T TAKE TYLENOL! The combination of the already toxic liver effects from alcohol added to tylenol’s hepatotoxic nature can result in serious damage to your liver! So remember, if you are going out to party, always take ibuprofen(or any NSAIDs)!