Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that can be addictive. It can cause liver damage and many other intestinal issues. People might want to think about what they are putting into their body and the risks of this drug. I think that pain relievers are something that humans can get very addicted to even though it is a non- addictive drug. All we want to do is not feel pain, right? But if we keep taking Ibuprofen for every small pain that we have in our body, we will suffer bigger consequences in the future. I think that grocery stores should not sell this drug to everyone. Ibuprofen should be prescribed by a doctor for pains such as migraine headaches and orthopedic injuries. This would make people less prone to injury and intestinal damage.
Researchers have found that Ibuprofen has actually slowed down the healing process which is the opposite of what it is designed to do. After a workout your body recognizes broken down or damaged muscle and starts the healing process. If you take Ibuprofen before a workout it already has started the healing of those muscles and so your body can not adapt to it. This means that you will have weaker tissue which can lead to serious injuries. (Deluca) David Nieman did an experiment to see if Ibuprofen caused stress in your blood. People who took Ibuprofen during the race or before had higher inflammation and signs of higher immune system response than the people who did not take Ibuprofen. The Ibuprofen did not do anything for lowering the inflammatory process. Everyone who took Ibuprofen had a low level of endotoxemia. Endotoxemia is a condition in which bacteria leaks from your colon into your bloodstream. (Deluca) This is a very dangerous condition.
Many people get serious stomach problems from taking Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen stops your blood flow to parts of your body. For example the small intestine is one of the most affected areas from this lack of blood flow. Blood normally flows into your small intestine and feeds the cells that need blood to live. Ibuprofen stops the blood from going into your small intestine causing the cells to die off and leak. The cells in your small intestine leak an acidic fluid and causing it to burn a hole in your intestine. Later this might lead to having surgery on your small intestine or other organs. So what is the point of taking pain killers if you could possibly have to get surgery because of it? It is incredibly dangerous. Acetaminophen for example would be an alternative besides taking Ibuprofen. (Also known as Tylenol or Excedrin) This is because it doesn’t alleviate inflammation or it doesn’t reduce inflammation it just helps with pain while you start the healing process. (Reynolds)
In conclusion, people should not be able to buy Ibuprofen at a grocery store. It is very harmful to your body and only certain types of people should be able to take it. It causes liver and intestinal damage that might result in major surgery. What is the point? I see all these commercials on medication that will solve your problem but some of the side effects are worse than the actual illness, that is the same with Ibuprofen. It helps with pain for a couple hours but it doesn’t solve the problem, it also contains many life threatening side effects. I know that I will never take Ibuprofen again and I hope people realize the risks and not take it anymore.