Dailies Contact Lenses

How long can you take 1600 mg of Ibuprofen?

I started having stiff shoulder radiating to fingers making them numb. Chiropractor xrayed neck - adjusted & pain was horrible!! Recommended MRI - showed 4 bulging disc in my neck and compressed spinal cord. Being sent to neurosurgeon 31st - was given Soma 350 mg - doesn't help the sharp nerve pain in arm at all - Tramadol 50 mg 1-2 times day but makes me queasy - Ibuprofen just works better - 2 - 200 mg 4 - 5 times a day - 1600 mg - 2000 mg daily - keeps the pain from getting ahead of me - always take with food - but how long can you take it - MD said as long as I tell you too - grrrr - going on 3 weeks now and another 2 weeks before appt with neurosurgeon. MD has restricted any strenuous activities - but the pain and ache is always there especially when I sneeze or cough - WOW !!!

Public Comments

1. you need to move up to Lorcet
2. First of all DUMP your whackopractor!Go see a neuro-surgeon and see what they say!
3. I have been fighting this same thing for years. Soma is for muscle spasms and if you can stop taking it - please do. Ibuprofen can be taken for the amount of time you will be taking it but just be careful about water intake and food to keep your stomach safe - eat yogurt too - plain yogurt. you will go round and round with these docs so this is my best advice to you. get acupuncture and perhaps some steriods/injections to get the swelling down. this will help tremendously. I would see a chiropractor that specializes in non-manipulative therapies - the worse thing you can do in your situation is to have an adjustment. you will want to ask the neurologist about other non-surgical options and see a pain management specialist. good luck to you.
4. Until you're cured, the pain will always be there. Pain medication is simply that, it helps relieve the pain. As with any drug, after taking for long periods of time, the helpfullness will start to wear off. There is no set time simply because everybody's body is different. You could probably take Ibuprofen for 2 months and it still works, I could take it for 2 weeks and it may lose its effect for me. Most people don't become addicted to Ibuprofen so I think you're good as long as you take it easy. God bless.
5. Most people laugh when I tell them that their doctor has prescribed them Ibuprofen. But its usually a great medication. Its an pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory and an antipyretic (fever reducer). What happens is if you take away the inflammation/swelling to the target area of pain, you usually take away the pain. 400mg of Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours as needed for pain is not bad, just take all medications with food. The max dose for Ibuprofen is actually 3200mg/day (according to the lead pharmacist I talked to in nursing school). Which makes sense. 800mg every 6-8 hours as needed lets you take the max dose. Now, I'm not telling you to up your dosage in any way, I'm not a doctor.... I'm just saying you are well below the max dose and can take it safely for a while as long as you don't have anything like stomach ulcers and stuff. Its much safer than Acetaminophen (Tylenol) that has been shown to cause liver problems with long term use. Like the other person said: Dump the Chiropractor. Do the Neurosurgeon thing. Consider surgery if the doctor mentions it. Laminectomy or decompression depending on the injury (Again, doctor's call.) Hope you get relief.
6. i was on a higher dose for a longer time that you are. i was only 17 in high school and weighed 95#. i took 800mg 3 times a day. for something that sounds that complex i would ditch the chiropractor. stick to the neurosurgeons or an orthapedic.