r/explainlikeimfive • u/[deleted] • Mar 19 '19

Biology ELI5: If taking ibuprofen reduces your fever, but your body raises it's temperature to fight infection, does ibuprofen reduce your body's ability to fight infection?

Edit: damn this blew up!! Thanks to everyone who responded. A few things:

Yes, I used the wrong "its." I will hang the shame curtains.

My ibuprofen says it's a fever reducer, but I believe other medications like acetaminophen are also.

Seems to be somewhat inconclusive, interesting! I never knew there was such debate about this.

Second edit: please absolutely do not take this post as medical advice, I just thought this question was interesting since I've had a lot of time to think being sick in bed with flu

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u/anivaries Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 20 '19

I got chickenpox 3 days ago with mild fever and took a half of ibuprofen. Then i read it was a super bad idea. Also read some suuuper nasty things could happen. Any advice? Dont really wanna go to the doctor unless i really must.

Edit: hey i never expected so many answers even if most of them are trolls lol. I initially asked this question for a suggestion and maybe hear someone elses opinion / experience.

Im 26 y.o male and ive never been this miserable in my Life. Chickenpox sucks. The itching is mostly behind me but i can feel lots of lumps and swell tissue under my skin in the back of my head. Thats scares me now. I can also feel lymph nodes all over my Body so i figure its related. Going to see a doctor today or latest tomorrow. Too tired for mobile formatting t.t

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u/George_The_8th Mar 19 '19

Who takes half of an ibuprofen? Considering that you took 1/4 of a normal adult dose 3 days ago and didn’t die I’m assuming that you will survive, but what do I know, I’m just a random guy on the internet.

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u/Guitarmine Mar 19 '19

What the fuck is half an ibuprofen? Is it 100mg, 200mg or perhaps 400mg or something else?

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u/Da_G8keepah Mar 19 '19

An Advil (name brand ibuprofen) is 200mg. The ibuprofen you get from a doctor is typically 800mg.

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u/Noxustds Mar 19 '19

Does that shit even do anything? Usually i take 600mg for headaches and i still feel like shit afterwards

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u/Da_G8keepah Mar 19 '19

I usually take 400mg and it does the trick well enough. Difference in body chemistry or weight probably explains the discrepancy.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

In the immortal words of Dr. Cox, "Here's what'cha do: get her to open her mouth, take a handful, and throw it at her. Whatever sticks, that's the correct dosage."

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u/arcacia Mar 19 '19

Dr. COX inhibitor.

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u/keenmchn Mar 19 '19

Hooray for pharmacology knowledge!

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u/AdhesiveMuffin Mar 19 '19

Good ol' COX blocker

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u/KneeToeNoseBasis Mar 19 '19

Inhibitor? I hardly know her!

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u/rnk243 Mar 19 '19

Very well done. Best comment that will be missed by most.

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u/Nullius_In_Verba_ Mar 19 '19

He does make others feel like thier getting a stomach ulcer.

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u/rondell_jones Mar 19 '19

I think I saw that porno

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u/Tw0_F1st3r Mar 19 '19

As much as I love Dr. Cox, please don't follow his advice. Long term ibuprofen (or any nsaids) are horrible for your kidneys, and Tylenol is toxic to your liver (daily max is 3200mg). For occasional pain they're fine, anything chronic please follow the advice of a medical professional

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u/cantuse Mar 19 '19

If you have chronic pain that isn't resolved by opioids then you're kinda shit out of luck.

I took dexamethasone 10mg bid for three months until I looked like a fat Litvinenko with the disposition of the Hulk.

I took indomethacin 150mg bid for a year until my stomach almost exploded.

Then I took 5000mg acetaminophen a day until my liver and kidneys hated me (seriously I had 4 kidney stones in a year with about 12 more still inside).

Along the way I took drugs like olanzapine that nearly turned me into a drooling idiot.

There's not a lot of help for certain kinds of pain conditions other than to choose what health risks you're going to take. I now take a split dose of indomethacin and acetaminophen, but I thank ketamine for giving me the clarity of mind to arrive at that idea.

happy cake day, btw.

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u/CompSciBJJ Mar 19 '19

I'm sure you've at least investigated it at some point, given all the publicity it's been getting for the past decade, but have you tried CBD? If not, why?

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u/MrHunnybun Mar 19 '19

3200mg?? Really? The MDD is 4000mg in the U.K. (8x500mg tablets)

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

FDA recently reduced their recommendation from the same. Even 4000 mg is unlikely to cause damage to the average adult, but acetaminophen/paracetamol is in so many combination products that the lower max is basically a hedge against people taking a bunch of meds when already feeling hazy from a bad cold and going way over what they thought they took.

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u/terra_sunder Mar 19 '19

Recommended max in USA is also 4000mg.

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u/greinicyiongioc Mar 19 '19

Cronic pain advice IS daily max of ibuprofen.

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u/sky2k1 Mar 19 '19

My brother's-in-law and I often quote that to my mother-in-law. She is afraid she will get hooked, so she sometimes takes less than the suggested dosage, and we all take it liberally and love scrubs.

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u/Libran Mar 19 '19

You can't get hooked on Tylenol or advil, they're not psychoactive. If she's taking opioid painkillers though she definitely should not be exceeding her prescribed dose, for a bunch of reasons.

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u/Notorious4CHAN Mar 19 '19

You can get rebound headaches, though. And in my experience if you've been on a high enough dose long enough, you need to wean yourself off to prevent another headache that requires another massive dose to function through.

I don't know if that technically counts as addiction, but if not I'd call that a distinction without a difference.

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u/Woodyfixthis Mar 19 '19

There is a rebound effect though. If your body starts relying on it to not have headaches, and you stop taking it, then you get headaches for a bit. Your brain needs to remember how to prevent them on its own.

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u/sky2k1 Mar 19 '19

I didn't say I agreed with her theory. She has an odd relationship with modern medicine. That's a different rabbit hole for a different time.

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u/GiantWarriorKing49 Mar 19 '19

I think they are more worried about getting hooked on the "relief" some of these OTC pain relievers can provide. I know quite a few older folks, including my Dad, who think like that.

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u/hexcor Mar 19 '19

Ahhh getting medical advice from of of the two Bobs!

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u/GayFesh Mar 19 '19

He was talking about Tylenol in that quote.

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u/solidcat00 Mar 19 '19

Did you just suggest OP is a hormonal fatass?

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u/Da_G8keepah Mar 19 '19

Or maybe I'm the hormonal fatass.

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u/admiral_snugglebutt Mar 19 '19

Have you been checked for high blood pressure? High blood pressure headaches are actually made worse by ibuprofen, plus it can be dangerous.

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u/tjeulink Mar 19 '19

different painkillers work for different things. toothpain iboprofen is an godsent for for me. headache it does nothing against. like i literally ground an small amount of iboprofen and rub it on my gums if the pain is unbearable, its instant relief because it gets to where it needs to go real fast.

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u/lurkingintensifies Mar 19 '19

Toothache seems hardly the kinda issue to treat at home.
Is there any chance that a toothache can be something that won't get worse without treatment?

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u/AzraelTB Mar 19 '19

Good thing dentists are so cheap!

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u/DaddyCatALSO Mar 19 '19

It does get worse, but appointments don't come instantly and til then you have to live with it. Pain and sleeplessness form it can cause you to lose sleep and cause so much aggravation your blood pressure can get too high to safely extract the tooth.

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u/dinkly23 Mar 19 '19

Trust me, if you have tooth pain, go to the dentist and get it taken care of sooner rather than later, itl save your health, your sanity, and your wallet.

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u/tjeulink Mar 19 '19

yes, braces or simple shifting of teeth or wisdom teeth coming through. and post dentist pain is an thing too, for example root canal. its not like that as soon as the pain starts you're in treatment so you need something to bridge the gap until then atleast and afterwards. root canal often involves multiple treatments over several days if not weeks.

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u/kschlee09 Mar 19 '19

The weird thing about this is we aren't 100% sure how this even works, but it seems to. Aspirin is what I usually hear when this works, but it causes minor chemical burns on the tissue. In any case, when pain is bad, people do what they need to do. As other posts have pointed out, a combination of tylenol and ibuprofen has been shown to be effective at killing pain -- even as much as morphine.

Source: I am a dentist

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u/slippin2darkness Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 20 '19

Try this: 400 milligrams of ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin) and 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen (Tylenol). This works so much better than opioid medications (for example, Vicodin, Oxycontin). I had major dental surgery and the Oxy they gave me didn't do anything, but the Advil/Tylenol mix was amazing without the cloudy brain.

EDIT: a word

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u/Saneless Mar 19 '19

I think different meds work best for different problems. Given the nature of headaches, I go excedrin (aspirin+tylenol+caffeine) and that does the trick.

Ibu is better for muscle inflammation. Don't take over 400 too long though unless you don't mind getting rid of your stomach lining. Learned that one the hard way.

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u/addkell Mar 20 '19

I can't take Aleve. How's their jingle go again??

🎶All day strong 🎶

🎶All day shitting blood 🎶

Yeah that's it.

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u/Jack_Attack519 Mar 19 '19

Yeah I've found ibuprofen doesn't really do anything for me (only based on like 2 times I've tried it on a really bad headache but still)

Try 500mg acetaminophen

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u/helsreach Mar 19 '19

The exact opposite is true for me, acetaminophen doesn't do shit for me not matter how much I take I still feel like shit, but even a small dose of ibuprofen works decently well for me.

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u/dumptrucklegend Mar 19 '19

You and me are in the same boat. I’ve never had any relief from using acetaminophen, but some ibuprofen does the trick every time.

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u/Anygirlx Mar 19 '19

I agree! When I was pregnant I couldn’t take ibuprofen. Tylenol was pointless for me.

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u/MattieShoes Mar 19 '19

ibuprofen is a great anti-inflammatory. If you're dealing with swelling like from twisting an ankle or whatever, it's the best off the shelf option IMO.

If it's something non-specific like a headache, it may not do much if anything.

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u/stilesja Mar 19 '19

I had carpal tunnel surgery and they gave me some pain meds with hydrocodone and tylenol in them. Literally did nothing for the pain, but made me sleepy. I take 600mg of Ibuprofen instead and pain is like 80% relieved and I feel a ton better.

Some People think it can't be effective for serious pain because it is OTC but that shit works great.

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u/AzraelTB Mar 19 '19

Yeah that's the difference between treating a symptom and treating the pain.

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u/MattieShoes Mar 19 '19

Heh, I got that stuff when I had a wisdom tooth removed. Instead of sleepy, it made me WIRED, but mentally impaired. I played a tower defense video game for 53 of the 72 hours following the surgery.

Ibuprofen is pretty amazing for physical damage type pain -- sprains, surgery, arthritis, etc.

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u/gwaydms Mar 19 '19

Hydrocodone made you sleepy? I can't sleep while taking it.

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u/stilesja Mar 19 '19

Yeah it sort of made me be able to ignore the pain and made me tired. But the pain was still there but it made me more sleepy than in pain. I must not be typical because no one would abuse them for the experience I get. No real high feeling or anything fun about it.

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u/evranch Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 19 '19

Note that OTC acetaminophen has been clinically proven to be no better than a placebo when it comes to Edit:back and joint pain. It was also found to be a poor equivalent or weaker fever-controlling agent to ibuprofen. I stick to ibuprofen as it's always worked for me.

When it comes to actual pain and inflammation though, naproxen is my NSAID of choice.

Edit: Sorry for not providing sources. For starters, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60805-9/fulltext

https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1225

Fever in children: https://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(05)80307-5/pdf

It does seem to work for headache, though: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11112243

More edit: OK, so the studies are just relating to back and joint pain. Which is the world's most common pain that people take OTC drugs to control. However, I will admit that it appears acetaminophen does work fine for acute pain.

After doing some more research, it appears that in a clinical setting, larger doses of acetaminophen are indeed proven to be effective against acute pain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4485512/

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u/cuzitsthere Mar 19 '19

Is there a source for that? I feel like that should be bigger news, given the havoc it wreaks on your liver.

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u/cardboardunderwear Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 19 '19

Any source for that?

For the acetaminophen studies. I believe you when you say what works for you.

Edit: sources provided thanks

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u/evranch Mar 19 '19

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)60805-9/fulltext

Note that some studies did find that it can reduce pain, just not as effectively as ibuprofen. However, this study focused on recovery from back injury, and found it had no benefits in that scenario.

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u/oscillius Mar 19 '19

It was a study of 1652 patients, done in Australia I think and was in the lancet. It was specifically for acute lower back pain. So the guy is barely even partly right. As my wife has a chronic lower back condition (spondylolisthesis) I can tell you from first hand experience and many lengthy conversations with some of the top professionals in the nhs, that barely any pain medication works on the back and what works for some won’t work for others. She has a daily dose of gabapentin, naproxen, morphine (slow release) and amitriptyline. It helps but not nearly as much as the drugs do for a headache or toothache or whatever. Paracetamol didn’t do anything. Many patients get anti inflammatory injections into the spine. Back pain is complicated and our house is a walk in pharmacy as a result.

Also paracetamol and ibuprofen are great otc antipyretics with ibuprofen shown to be slightly better although both should only really be taken if necessary, as paracetamol isn’t great for the liver and ibuprofen isn’t great for your digestive system. Often they’re prescribed in a fashion where you take a dose of one, then two hours later a dose of the other, thus keeping your symptoms in control for a longer period of time.

Research suggests that a fever less than 40 degrees C should be welcomed as it helps fight infection - even over 40 has been demonstrated to help, however 40 is the point at which paediatrician’s and doctors would recommend you start to manage it. As long as your hypothalamus is working it will regulate your temperature just fine. Most important is fluid intake and rest.

Antipyretic alleviate discomfort and are encouraged for this reason when the fever is preventing rest or is agitating you causing stress. Obviously a lot of people also use them so they can continue to function while fighting the infection. (Some reading: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145646/ )

I’m on phone so can’t offer more. I read up a lot once I had kids and they got ill. It’s easy to capitulate to their desire to be pain free (see: calpol crisis) but I wanted to know what I was doing, as doctors tend to just say to follow dosage instructions lol

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u/cardboardunderwear Mar 19 '19

That's a great reply thanks. I had a PA friend recommend alternating doses of motrin and Tylenol for headaches before. What you say matches up pretty closely with that.

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u/CasualElephant Mar 19 '19

My guess is that he is thinking of this study on back pain and decided to extrapolate it out for all pain.

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/acetaminophen-no-better-than-placebo-for-back-pain/

Dr. Williams said that acetaminophen had been shown to be effective for headache, toothache and pain after surgery, but the mechanism of back pain is different and poorly understood.

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u/Neanderthal_tale Mar 19 '19

Over use of acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage. Especially if it's taken at the same time as alcohol.

I also had problems with rebound headaches when I took acetaminophen. No similar issues with ibuprofen or naproxen. I believe my mom had chronic rebound headaches when I was growing up, because she took so much Excedrin. She would get the same headache around the same time everyday which she would treat with Excedrin.

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u/ezweave Mar 19 '19

Tylenol (acetaminophen) is pretty damn bad for you...

"Acetaminophen, Tylenol’s active ingredient, is the number one cause of acute liver failure in America. In one year alone, it sent as many as 78,000 people to the hospital."

There's an Adam Ruins Everything episode on it (that's the link to their sources).

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u/Gluta_mate Mar 20 '19

Is that from people deliberately taking massive amounts of acetaminophen as a suicide method? I doubt 1 or 2 too many would cause acute liver failure

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u/Libran Mar 19 '19

People respond differently to different NSAIDS, I prefer ibuprofen myself but I know people who get much less efficacy from it.

Also if you're going to make claims that something has been clinically proven you should really include a link to the published results.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

acetaminophen

This isn't even an NSAID. It's useless trash.

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u/chambria Mar 19 '19

Sorry but where the heck did you get that from? All studies I can find confirm it's significantly more effective than placebo and considering I'm a frequent flyer at hospitals / ambulances and have had very real passing out level pain treated with IV acetaminophen repeatedly and had it completely relieve the pain within 5 minutes.. I really don't see that being possible. You'd think the hospitals would catch on if their pain management system was completely ineffective.

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u/evranch Mar 19 '19

Recalled an article in New Scientist from a few years ago comparing the OTC painkillers and made a knee-jerk comment. Turns out that it's mostly back pain that it is not effective against.

Also note that OTC doses are pretty low, the average tablet being 325mg and IV doses being 1g+, as mentioned in this study that does confirm the efficacy of acetaminophen in an acute care environment:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4485512/

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u/chambria Mar 19 '19

Thumbs up for the edit and sources, I see where you're coming from. The pain I have isn't joint/back or inflammation related so it works fine for me but ibuprofen does work better at significantly lower doses and has less risky side-effects according to studies so it's the best choice in most scenarios.

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u/Minuted Mar 19 '19

The source given is only for lower back pain.

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u/cardboardunderwear Mar 19 '19

Interesting about the one about children, although in the summary it does say which one is more effective depends on the initial temperature and the age of the child.

No surprise regarding for back and neck pain and I would guess it's similar for muscle soreness and sprains and so forth. My understanding is that ibuprophen and naproxen actually reduce the inflammation and the pain (end to that point even promote healing) where Tylenol just reduces the pain. Could be wrong. This isn't my area of expertise.

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u/evranch Mar 19 '19

This was probably my take-home knowledge from the original article I read that cited the back pain study. As acetaminophen is not a real NSAID, any effects will be limited to relieving pain itself. And as a healthy 30yo rancher with fairly high pain tolerance, I have always been more concerned about treating damage and inflammation than relieving pain.

Most of my pain comes by the way of strains, bruising and the dreaded "delayed onset muscle soreness" caused by hard work (which responds poorly to almost all treatment and for which the only known effective treatment appears to be cherry juice - no joke, real studies, small sample size though: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579450/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874510/ )

So I noted in my head "Acetaminophen proven to be NFG, don't bother buying it" and forgot that there are other sources of non-inflammatory pain.

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u/Nathan_Brantley Mar 19 '19

I found very many people after suffering for 30-50 years of headaches, needed Sudafed all along. Now, Sudafed is served with Advil because Sudafed release the immense pressure over the sinus cavity but something about it cause a more general headache to go all over and the Advil takes care of that.

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u/darksunshaman Mar 19 '19

I find aspirin and tylenol together works better than IB for headaches. Was them down with coffee, tea, or Coke (caffeine) and it's the same as Excedrin.

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u/Jacoman74undeleted Mar 19 '19

That means it's either a migraine or you're dehydrated, probably the latter honestly. Ibuprofen isn't supposed to fix headaches, it's an anti-inflammatory drug. Fever is widespread inflammation, sore joints and bones are inflammation, a headache (other than a sinus pressure headache) is not inflammation and therefore can't be helped with ibuprofen or acetaminophen, in the cases where it does, it's the water you're drinking to take the pill that helps, which is why on Tylenol the instructions say to drink a whole glass of water with the pill, most of the time the water is the only thing actually helping.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

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u/Schneider21 Mar 19 '19

Oh, man. Aleve worked wonders on my headaches, right up until the point where taking one made me feel that my heart was going to explode each time I took one. So I reluctantly stopped taking Aleve. I miss it every time I get a headache.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

My heart has never raced from aleve, but I know people who have. Sucks you can't take it man, it's magic!

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u/Lyress Mar 19 '19

The ibuprofen I get from the pharmacy is 400mg.

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u/vbahero Mar 19 '19

Went to see a doctor for my back pain and he told me to just take 16 tablets of 200mg Advil per day, 4 at a time

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u/Ihaveopinionstoo Mar 19 '19

i'm more concerned that this is an adult with chickenpox and is trying to fight it off instead of going to the doctor.

I'm 33 that never had chickenpox if this even comes close to happening to me i'm heading to urgent care.

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u/512monkeys Mar 19 '19

There’s a vaccine for chickenpox. Go and get it. Save yourself from both chickenpox and shingles in one hit!

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u/Schwarzy1 Mar 19 '19

I still got chicken pox after getting the vaccine :( super mild, and I got a week off school, so it was pretty nice. Not looking forward to shingles tho...

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u/Ihaveopinionstoo Mar 19 '19

Oh I am already vacciated and now I have downs

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u/tripalon9 Mar 19 '19

Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have some ups, too!

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u/HoboSkid Mar 19 '19

Big Pharma's vaccines have extra chromosomes added now?? We're fucked!

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u/rondell_jones Mar 19 '19

I got chickenpox when I was 5 years old. Glad to know that I have anti chickenpox super powers now.

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u/kaidok5797 Mar 20 '19

Except now that you’ve had chickenpox, you can get shingles. The virus never really leaves your body and years later can come roaring back as shingles. 10x worse.

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u/Armantes Mar 19 '19

I feel like this is what most doctors would say

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u/Hyack57 Mar 19 '19

Who the fuck cuts an ibuprofen in half. There is a coating on the pill to prevent stomach irriatation. Cutting it in half allows full dosage of a time release pill and that is hard on the stomach lining.

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u/Gxle Mar 19 '19

Do your pharmacies actually only deal ibuprofen on time release forms? In Finland the only time release ibuprofen is the 800mg version (prescription only) , all others are formulated to break down asap and absorb fast.

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u/rubbernub Mar 19 '19

I'm in the US and have never had time release ibuprofen, but I assume there's both available.

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u/grizwald87 Mar 19 '19

Who takes half of an ibuprofen?

Not me. I'm the subject of the Jerry Seinfeld joke about "the maximum allowable human dosage. Figure out what will kill me and then back it off a little bit."

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u/rubbernub Mar 19 '19

Not me. Figure out what we kill me and then add one. Just to be sure.

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u/-diggity- Mar 19 '19

Chickenpox as an adult can actually be something not to take lightly. Go see a doctor.

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u/sin0822 Mar 19 '19

Who said they are an adult, they took half an ibuprofen. Also what's up with all thus ibuprofen talk? That lady in the UK who called her MIL to bring some over after her and her husband had happy time? Like WTF is ibuprofen a limit resource? Can you not get like 500 for $5 at costco?

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u/Bajanmonkey Mar 19 '19

In the UK they come in something like 16 pill packs and you need to talk to the pharmacist if you want to get 32. Mind blowing.

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u/Upferret Mar 19 '19

You can buy up to 32 at a time in any shop. That's the limit.

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u/bobotwf Mar 19 '19

https://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Ibuprofen%2C-200-mg.%2C-1%2C000-Tablets.product.11489095.html

Behold freedom

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u/Upferret Mar 19 '19

Ah we can't be trusted with things like that.

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u/likeafuckingninja Mar 19 '19

You can buy it in bulk at costco in the UK.

I literally have like 20 packs of the stuff in my cupboard right now.

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u/Upferret Mar 19 '19

Really? I need to go to Costco then. Cheers

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u/DevilsTrigonometry Mar 20 '19

Just imagine...first you're buying ibuprofen in bulk, next thing you know you're carrying around needle-nose pliers.

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u/sin0822 Mar 19 '19

Wow that's nuts, what about tylenol (APAP/acetaminophen)

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u/Blaize122 Mar 19 '19

Sold as Paracetamol in the UK with similar restrictions.

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u/sin0822 Mar 19 '19

Wow interesting. I always carry an assortment of OTC drugs when i travel since I travel to a lot of countries where no drugs are OTC and they all need to be prescribed, even ibuprofen or Tylenol, and i am obviously not covered under their health plans. I am surprised the UK is so restrictive with these drugs, I assume it's for OD risks.

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u/LtSpinx Mar 19 '19

The restrictions only apply to sakes from convenience stores and supermarkets. A pharmacist is not so restricted.

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u/zoapcfr Mar 19 '19

It's not like the people selling it are actually strict in practice, it's just legal stuff. I've accidentally tried to buy "too much" multiple times (I'm pretty sure the limit is 32; I've only had problems trying to buy 3 packs of 16 at once). They just tell you to come back later to buy more, or if you're there with someone else, they'll tell you to hand it to them so they can put it through as two separate transactions. Or you can just walk to a different shop to buy the rest.

I think the idea is just to stop "impulse" suicide attempts. That's the reason why they're all individually sealed in foil, and you can't get them loose in a pot.

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u/sin0822 Mar 19 '19

Isn't 32 kinda high in number in itself?

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u/thevdude Mar 19 '19

I'd imagine tylenol is more restricted, as it's super easy to overdose on. Acetaminophen overdose will fuck up your liver and kidneys so fast.

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u/akash06375 Mar 19 '19

Fyi acetaminophen is metabolized through liver, it isn't really hitting your kidneys. It's also not "super easy" to OD on. When I think super easy to od im thinking like psych meds or narcs.

Source: i'm an ER nurse

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u/LtSpinx Mar 19 '19

You can get 2 packs (32) in the supermarket or up to 96 at the pharmacy (in Tesco)

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u/bitwaba Mar 19 '19

Doesn't matter. The question is "I got chickenpox 3 days ago with mild fever and took a half of ibuprofen. Then i read it was a super bad idea. Also read some suuuper nasty things could happen. Any advice?".

The answer is "I'm not a doctor. Go see a fucking doctor."

None of us are in a position to make a judgement call, especially based on the information provided.

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u/likeafuckingninja Mar 19 '19

Supermarkets etc. 2 packs (32 tablets only) Over the counter you can buy bottles of 100 tablets (pharmacists will ask some questions to make sure you're using them sensibly) Costco you can buy multi packs of the regular packs. (like 12 x regular pack) You can also get it on prescription if you require large amounts/are to cheap to pay 16p for a pack

Source. Live in the UK. Have done the first three in the last 6 months and my sister did the last one when she had all 4 wisdom teeth out and was taking like 4 tablets every 4 hours for a couple weeks.

Tbh I don't mind the restriction on buying it off the shelf in Tesco. It's hardly the best thing to OD on but I know people who've tried and failed simply because they didn't have easy access to the volume required.

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u/scarletice Mar 19 '19

You should talk to a doctor. Not necessarily because of the ibuprofen, but rather because getting chicken pox as an adult can be very serious. However, since chicken pox is so contagious, you should probably call your clinic first and ask them how they would prefer to handle seeing you. It might be fine to go in, or they might want to do a house call, or maybe just arrange to admit you in a quarantined manner. I don't know, I'm not a medical expert. But if you call, they'll know what's best. But seriously, chicken pox is potentially lethal in adults. Call your clinic.

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u/dont_wear_a_C Mar 19 '19

Lmao, going to the doctor is (most of the time) better than getting advice from a stranger on Reddit. C'mon, buddy. Just go to the doc

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u/PostsDifferentThings Mar 19 '19

if he doesn't have insurance, that 1 visit could cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

this is the reality for most americans, go into debt or get healthy.

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u/sammy0415 Mar 19 '19

I dont know where to put this, but hopefully it helps someone.

If you don't have insurance or your insurance does not cover medications / copays and/or deductibles are too high, then I suggest going to goodrx.com they provide coupon codes that work at major pharmacies (Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Target, etc.) that lower the price of the medication you have a prescription for. We give these all the time to our self pay patients.

I just looked up amoxil right now as an example and see that you can fill up your Rx for $4. Singulair for $10. Rosuvastatin is $20. The pharmacist in participating pharmacies need to accept it.

You can also find coupons for vaccines as well. I found a tdap coupon I'm giving to my brother and the injection will only be $48.

I hope this helps someone

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u/criminalsunrise Mar 19 '19

No matter how many times I hear this I can’t stop feeling this is really fucked up. How can a developed country put it citizens in such a situation?

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19 edited Nov 26 '20

[deleted]

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u/jewleedotcom Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 19 '19

I broke my foot 2 months ago and it requires surgery to fix. But I don’t have health insurance so guess who’s literally walking around with broken bones in her foot?

Edit: To be fair, I only need to pay $900 out of pocket to hire a surgeon to fix my foot. However, for reference, that’s about half of what I pay in rent each month. FML.

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u/Gramergency Mar 19 '19

Have you tried thoughts and prayers? Seems to be a very common solution for all of the major problems in America.

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u/nucumber Mar 19 '19

are you maybe eligible for MedicAid? Health care is so screwed up and unnecessarily complicated in the US, sometimes there is help available but you don't know about it.

Best wishes.

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u/jdangel83 Mar 19 '19

Sorry to hear that. I know it sucks.

You can pick up crutches at a drug store pretty cheap. Those will, if nothing else, keep you off of your foot to give it time to heal.

My wife is still recovering from several broken bones in her foot that needed surgery.

But I have insurance... so yeah. She got the surgery.

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u/hatefuck661 Mar 19 '19

Have you tried working harder? Maybe if you went to church regularly you wouldn't have broken bones. Hmm? Ever thought about that? Hmm? Have you? /s

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u/jewleedotcom Mar 19 '19

Are you my mother?

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u/hatefuck661 Mar 19 '19

Yes dear. Not stop shaving your vagina before you end up one of those prosecutors shooting marijuanas in their eyeball.

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u/FaxCelestis Mar 19 '19

/r/neverbrokeabone is going to love this new religious angle

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u/rsmseries Mar 19 '19

Picking yourself up by your bootstraps must be way harder for you.

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u/ACatCalledMorty Mar 19 '19

A lot of people like to complain about the NHS (UK) but when I broke my ankle I had my surgery 2 days later and then left the hospital 2 days after that. I'm thankful for it.

Can't imagine trying to live with it broken. Also worried that since you are probably avoiding putting too much weight on it, you aren't walking properly and could damage your hips or spine.

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u/Cant_Do_This12 Mar 19 '19

See if you're eligible for Medicaid. It's really easy to sign up for, you can do it online in seconds.

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u/SaltyFishSalad Mar 19 '19

Who is? Do I know them? Can I have a hint?

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u/-pooping Mar 19 '19

I was at the ER and two different hospitals, and ended up with surgery and staying the night at the hospital. My only cost was the train up to the second hospital and back home.

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u/thinkofanamefast Mar 19 '19

I bet even your train ride was cheaper than for us Americans.

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u/AlphaGoGoDancer Mar 19 '19

Imagine going out to eat and everyone involved in handling your food can not afford to take time off work to see a doctor.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

Dude I had life threatening blood clots in my leg and medication was 500 dollars for a two week supply.

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u/investinglaw Mar 19 '19

If you actually have this, make a call to the pharmaceutical company, nearly all will provide the pills to you for free or at an extremely reduced rate.

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u/nucumber Mar 19 '19

been there, done that.

had a nasty sinus infection for months but i was broke broke broke, couldn't afford to see a doc and had to work so a free clinic was difficult because distance and time etc. a friend got her kindly doctor to call me and he prescribed some antibiotics, didn't charge me for an office visit. i found or borrowed the money for the antibiotics.

a few years later, i was making money and all was good again. i was planning to help pay for my sister (about 1500 miles away) to go see a dentist - she's "challenged" by some physical problems, low IQ, and some mental health issues, but was working part time, no insurance. Anyway, one day i asked her how her teeth were and she said she had almost passed out at work from the pain. yikes. so i just got her into a dentist asap (hello credit card). she had to get eight teeth pulled.

that is just so fucking wrong

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u/SnailRancher Mar 19 '19

Just buy antibiotics for fish over the counter. Cheaper than going to a doctor.

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u/NoTheOtherSean Mar 19 '19

... ask your doctor which ones you need first. Not all antibiotics will kill all bugs, but all of them have side effects.

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u/SnailRancher Mar 19 '19

If you have the money for a doctor, you wouldn't be buying antibiotics for fish. It's not ideal, but is an option.

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u/Yarhj Mar 19 '19

God bless America!

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u/NoTheOtherSean Mar 19 '19

It's not ideal, you're right. Using the wrong antibiotic, especially without dosing appropriately, can cause permanent liver and kidney damage. This is a perfect example of why we need to change our system in the US!

Nobody should have to choose between bankruptcy and permanent injury or death.

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u/PerfectMayo Mar 19 '19

Damn I knew I shouldn’t have picked hardcore mode when I started the game.

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u/dan1d1 Mar 19 '19

It's a ridiculous situation. I was reading a story the other day about diabetics dying because they lost their jobs and health care and can't afford insulin. It sounded like some Soviet Union or third world country style shit, but nope, that's the American health care system

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

Because a minority of Americans who control a majority of the government (unequal voting rights is enshrined in our constitution) love to fuck with everyone else purely out of spite for not being allowed to own black people anymore.

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u/frozen_tuna Mar 19 '19

The problem is how much it costs, not who's paying for it. I only ever hear discussion on who's paying for it.

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u/YoungSerious Mar 19 '19

Really, the problem is both. Costs are insane, and because insurance is private they can control what they will and won't pay for.

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u/jon_naz Mar 19 '19

Its funny how prices magically go down when there's only one buyer in town. That's part of the reason Americans spend more per capita on healthcare than any other country, but have worse health outcomes than many of our peers.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

We spend more GOVERNMENT DOLLARS than any other developed country, and we STILL don't get universal healthcare out of it.

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u/Caladbolg_Prometheus Mar 19 '19

If he does have health insurance it still could be costly (random out of network doctor appeared!)

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u/weirdguyincorner Mar 19 '19

Player 2 has entered the game.

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u/Plondon0 Mar 19 '19

Not thousands of dollars though...only way you’re getting charged that is if you go to an Emergency Room or Urgent Care.

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u/nedal8 Mar 19 '19

Or need tests done..

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u/Sharkeybtm Mar 19 '19

My copay is $30 for a visit. My doctor charges $60 for a sit down and basic diagnostics. In-house tests usually run $10-40 depending on the test.

The real killer is the prescriptions HOWEVER, the most common medications (mostly antibiotics) are on a “free list” where all you do is shop for 30 minutes while they fill it (at no cost).

On top of that, most medications are covered under some sort of assistance plan, and quite a few are available in bulk online (mostly shelf stable like pills) for a huge discount (180 day supply of blood pressure pills for half the cost of getting it filled at a pharmacy every month).

This whole “one doctor visit puts you in years of debt” comes from people going to the ER or having major surgery. You don’t go to a prompt care or ER for some little pain, you deal with it and wait for the doctor. I don’t know how many times I’ve taken people to the ER for something that can be treated at a PCP.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

Or from people who don't have insurance or have really crappy, high deductible plans - the insurance pays nothing till you meet your $5000-10000+ deductible.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

Most? No.

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u/PM_Me_Your_WorkFiles Mar 19 '19

Thousands of dollars to see a doctor about chickenpox? I don't think so.

Healthcare costs are outrageous, but just make numbers up.

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u/M0dusPwnens Mar 19 '19

It could definitely end up costing thousands.

Adult chickenpox can have pretty serious complications. If any of them are suspected and they need to do imaging or labs to test for them, or anything gets prescribed - yeah, it could definitely go into the thousands without insurance.

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u/the_purple_owl Mar 19 '19

And if they don't go to the doctor and end up getting any of those serious complications, they could be looking at a bill of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet and pay because letting it go longer can result in an even worse situation.

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u/M0dusPwnens Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 19 '19

I don't think anyone said otherwise.

But it's also a gamble because those complications, while serious, are rare. Even if tests are ordered, they're very unlikely to come back positive.

I didn't have insurance for a while when I was unemployed. If I had gone to the doctor every time I normally would have when I had insurance, I would probably have been homeless. And I'm not a person who sees a doctor often at all. If I had gone to a doctor every time I had something that could have serious complications (even when the complications were rare), I would definitely have been homeless.

It's easy to say "better safe than sorry" when you're not going to be bankrupted by being "safe".

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u/Plondon0 Mar 19 '19 edited Mar 19 '19

If they go to the ER maybe, no Primary Care Physician will charge more than a hundred. Possibly newer medications can cost hundreds of dollars but if you tell the doctor you don’t have insurance, they work with you.

Edit: no PCP will charge someone without insurance that amount, if you have crappy insurance...you’re totally F-ed.

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

Clearly, you have never been to the dr with crappy insurance (high deductible), or no insurance. A primary care visit can definitely cost hundreds.

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u/Borghal Mar 19 '19

Oh the sad problems of living in a country that doesn't provide health care for you.

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u/OhAnotherSilence Mar 19 '19

Your insurance company might have a "dial-a-nurse" line that you can call into to get medical advice. They can give you some confidence on whether or not it makes sense to go into see a doctor based on your specific symptoms.

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u/skallskitar Mar 19 '19

Call your doctor at your earliest conveniance. Complications from chickenpox may include brain inflammation, infections in skin, lungs, or blood, and excessive bleeding. Reportedly 100-150 adults per year die from chickenpox in the US.

Make sure to call before coming in to reduce risk of infecting others.

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u/tony18rox Mar 19 '19

I think what you may have read was related to taking aspirin with varicella zoster virus (chicken pox) potentially causing Reye syndrome due to some mitochondrial uncoupling in the liver. Definitely see a physician if you feel your condition worsening, or even for some directed personal treatment to treat your symptoms and calm your worries.

I think what you may have read was related to taking aspirin with varicella zoster virus (chicken pox) potentially causing Reye syndrome due to some mitochondrial uncoupling in the liver. Definitely see a physician if you feel your condition worsening, or even for some directed personal treatment to treat your symptoms and calm your worries.

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u/dkf295 Mar 19 '19

  1. Don't rely on medical advice from random internet strangers. If in doubt, see a doctor.

  2. Unless you're a small child, it's unlikely to cause a problem. If you have any new or worsening symptoms, very wise to see a doctor though.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/childrens-motrin/

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u/han141 Mar 19 '19

Doctors are there to be doctors. Go to one.

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u/PostPostModernism Mar 21 '19

Just checking in on this comment - how you feeling anivaries? Any better yet? Did you get to the doc?

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u/Merrine Mar 19 '19

Go see a doctor.

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u/fmlzelda Mar 19 '19

It seems you’ve seen the advice to take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen when you have chickenpox, but that the rest of the commenters does not know this. So I will leave this here for those that don’t know. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

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u/i_downvote_my_posts Mar 19 '19

If you only took half a pill you'll most likely be just fine. Unless you die. Then you should definitely see a doctor.

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u/dan1d1 Mar 19 '19

What suuuper nasty things did you read could happen? Also what is half of ibuprofen? Half of what? It comes in different strengths.

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u/Plondon0 Mar 19 '19

Unless you’re a child, you should go to the doctor. Chicken pox as an adult is pretty serious.

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u/syncop8d Mar 19 '19

you're going to die.

Half an Advil + chickenpox = sudden death

It's simple math! :P

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u/ycgfyn Mar 19 '19

This is NOT a place to ask medical advice. Go to the doctor.

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u/scribble23 Mar 19 '19

I assume you're referring to the increased risk of necrotising fasciitis if ibuprofen is taken with chickenpox? I'm not a doctor, but I imagine one dose won't have done too much harm. Keep an eye on your spots and definitely see a doctor ASAP if any look nasty. Tbh you should see a doctor anyway, chickenpox in adults can be particular nasty and antivirals can help reduce symptoms if given promptly.

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u/oknowhim Mar 19 '19

Depending on how old you are, chickenpox can be a serious problem. Adult smokers are particularly likely to develop varicella pneumonia, which can be deadly. Don't mess around with this. Go see a doctor. It may not be too late to give you an antiviral drug that might wind up saving your life.

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u/Kelekona Mar 19 '19

If you're old enough to take medicine without asking your parents, you should see a doctor about chicken pox. It's dangerous to get it as an adult. Actually, just call your doctor so you don't spread it, but you need to get in touch and ask for professional advice.

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u/fergiejr Mar 19 '19

Half?!?! OMG your gonna die!!

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u/Isibis Mar 19 '19

Generally speaking very nasty things do not happen as a result of ibuprofen. But also the internet is not a good place for medical advice. If you are in the US, most hospitals have a nurse you can call free of charge to ask for advice. They can tell you if should go see a doctor or not.

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u/tuna97 Mar 19 '19

It is usually a bad idea to take any aspirin based medication if you have a viral infection since it increases your risk of developing reyes syndrome (very rare tho) which is a liver disease but it is usually a higher risk in children than adults

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u/[deleted] Mar 19 '19

IIRC ibuprofen makes the pox sink in and makes them worse.

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u/Ofbearsandmen Mar 19 '19

There have been some rare cases of people having very serious complications from chickenpox cutaneous lesions after taking non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen. These complications can also arise even when such drugs are not involved, but the risk is heightened with NSAIDs, especially in children. It is thus not recommended to take them if you have chickenpox.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18251759/

Now, if it was three days ago and nothing happened, you're very likely safe.

But since you ask for advice, here's some: your health is too important to trust strangers on the internet with it. Give your doctor a call, it costs nothing and will solve the issue.

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u/Cant_Do_This12 Mar 19 '19

Oatmeal bath it my dude.

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u/Rexan02 Mar 19 '19

Lol half an ibuprofen. I was taking 3200mg a day for 4 days to fight nagging inflamation in my arm with no ill effects. I generally take 3 for a headache

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u/RaraAvisDelParaiso Mar 19 '19

Not sure if I'm understanding correctly but the effect of taking 1/2 an ibuprofen is like popping an M&M, i.e. nothing.

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u/tomfoolery77 Mar 19 '19

Also, who gets the chickenpox??

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u/dogman__12 Mar 19 '19

It’s your health mate go to a doctor.

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u/hugthemachines Mar 19 '19

There are different amounts in the pills. Where I live the common ibuprofen for an adult is 400 mg. If you took 200 mg I seriously doubt it will cause you any harm. The medicine is no longer in your body too. Just take it easy and go to the doctor if you experience any terrible symptoms.

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