Ibuprofen for AT

[trailfinder]

Is there such thing as liquid ibuprofen for adults?? If so, then where can I find it? Thanks!

[Nightwalker]

Is there such thing as liquid ibuprofen for adults?? If so, then where can I find it? Thanks!
First thing: Plan against taking a lot of ibuprofen on the trail. Habitually taking pain meds, even OTCs, is a bad thing. Tha's what caused my daily headaches last year (google "transformed migraine") which took many months to go away.

Just stretch more at the end and beginning of the day, and know that the sore muscles ease in the first hour of your daily hike. I'd also bet that OTC abuse has ruined more people's hikes than mine.

On top of that, you can ask these guys around here what an evil S.O.B. I was when I was hurting every day, and it REALLY sucked knowing that I had caused it!

Frank/Nightwalker

P.S. If you still insist on liquid ibuprofen, just get the kiddy stuff and take more. :eek:

[Jack Tarlin]

Liquid ibuprofen? I don't think so.

But click here for information on a fairly reliable alternative:

http://www.jimbeam.com/beam/default.aspx?

[Tractor]

Listen to franklooper. I can relate (talk to my son, he'll tell you). Might even ask your local pharmacist and they'll tell you the same. Liquid or solid, take some with you but do not rely on them always and for long periods of time. You will regret it later....

[Lone Wolf]

Feel the pain. It is good. It is weakness leaving your body. Leki poles and ibuprofen are crutches.

[The Weasel]

If you're a heart or stroke patient, or taking Plavix or other similar anti-clotting meds (also known as "blood thinners") for any other reason, do NOT take Ibuprofen ("Advil" or other brand names included) OR if you are taking a "daily low dose aspirin". Ask your physician: Ibuprofen is a blood thinner as well; I didn't ask and bled all over the floor of the Blueberry Patch in '00 from a samll scratch before someone asked me, "Hey dude, is it your meds?"

The Weasel

[wacocelt]

I've been hearing that alot of people are ruining thier hikes by over medicating with Vitamin I, to try and alleviate the natural aches and pains which come with walking long distances carrying a pack. If you are taking Ibuprofen multiple times a day for weeks at a time you are sadly and extremely wrong. Stop it!

[Nightwalker]

Feel the pain. It is good. It is weakness leaving your body. Leki poles and ibuprofen are crutches.
Yes, pain is good. You don't even have to be a gyrene to know that one! (We need a tongue-sticking-out smiley). I do like my Trekking poles, however. No lekis though. Just cheap Target Eyetalian jobs.

When I go on a good workout hike and I hurt later, I know I did a good job!

[The Cheat]

Yes, pain is good. You don't even have to be a gyrene to know that one! (We need a tongue-sticking-out smiley). I do like my Trekking poles, however. No lekis though. Just cheap Target Eyetalian jobs.

When I go on a good workout hike and I hurt later, I know I did a good job!

:eek: :p :bse :jump

[Nightwalker]

:eek: :p :bse :jump
Well, other than those.

[orangebug]

Why a liquid medication at all?

There are other choices for analgesics, including Aspirin (my favorite) and Naprosyn (Aleve and others). As with any medication, there are potential adverse effects and the need to be cautious with chronic use.

[hikerjohnd]

To answer the question - yes Ib is availible as a liquid - see you pharmacist as it may not be suitable for backpacking (may require refrigeration)

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsDrugs/Ibuprofencd.html#HowTaken

As to the advice on this thread about not taking it, you know your body and what it needs when it needs it. There is nothing wrong with a dose of Ib at the end of the day. After a while, I'm sure you will find that you don't need it, but that decision is yours to make.

[icemanat95]

Ibuprofen can do a number on your stomach if you take too much of it for too long. Avoid that.

[cutman11]

I agree with most of the posts above. I would suggest bringing along a few Aleve instead of ibuprofen(12 hr med vs ibuprofen, a 4-6hr med, so you can take less of them). Take them only early evening to reduce inflammation/swelling while you rest overnight. To paraphrase L Wolf, some soreness is to be expected particularly early in a long hike. I would not recommend treating that sort of symptom -- it is helpful to KNOW you need to rest a bit more, or slow down a bit more, or take a few more rest stops. Taking meds to mask your body telling you something is not good, and only leads to overdoing it to the point that your hike is stopped anyway, not to forget that the meds have side effects themselves that could end the hike. So carry a few pills, but use judiciously. The only other med I would bring is Tylenol, for a headache or fever, so you can make it to the next town, nothing more.

[steve hiker]

While you shouldn't overdo anti-infamatories, I'd take a few ibuprofen twice a day if you're just starting out. Your knees and joints go through a lot of adjustment early in a hike and it will help the transition. Don't see the point about liquid, the pills weigh almost nothing.

[flyfisher]

Feel the pain. It is good. It is weakness leaving your body.

I like this quote LW. Is it yours? Can I use it?

Sheer hiker poetry!

[Moose2001]

Feel the pain. It is good. It is weakness leaving your body. Leki poles and ibuprofen are crutches.

Nice sentiments but not true in all cases. It appears to me that many of the posters have no idea what it’s like to be active and have arthritis. I have no structural joint problems but I do have pain and swelling in my knees after several days of hiking. I combat this by strengthening my quads and trying to stay limber. I have two choices. I can use medications like ibuprofen and celebrex to control the inflammation and discomfort or I can sit on my butt and be an Internet hiker. I choose to stay active. Now before one of you holier than thou types start telling me the downside of celebrex or ibuprofen, I totally understand the issues of both. In fact, I just finished a meeting with my doctor in which we discussed the use and the issues. It’s a very simple tradeoff. I can allow the arthritis to control my life or I can control the arthritis. For me, it’s a very simple choice.

I believe the issue in this post should not be the use of medications like ibuprofen but rather the misuse. I too have seen hikers taking massive doses or taking the meds for much longer periods than they should. Let’s focus on that problem and leave the choice of using the meds where it belongs, to each hiker.

[grrickar]

Hmmm...I did have some issues on my first section hike last year, and the only thing I was taking was Vitamin I. I rarely ever take any meds (I usually toss presecription meds after I'm feeling better rather than continue taking them as I am told) but I took the max dosage recommended for Ibuprofin on my hike due to the aches I was having. We bagged 20 miles the first day and I was not in the greatest of shape.

Not to hijack the thread because I know it was about liquid I, but could Ibuprofin cause nausea and a faster heartrate? I had a heck of a night in one of the shelters and thought something was seriously wrong with me. The next day my energy was down, and the day after I was fine. Went to the Dr. afterward and he said everything was normal, and there seem to be no lingering effects. I did not think to tell him about all the Ibuprofin I was taking. Granted I never took over the recommended dosage, but now with all the talk of side effects I'm wondering if that was it. Scary. I thought I was going to have to have my wife pick me up at Clingmans Dome.

BTW, back on the topic - Advil makes liquid gels with Ibuprofin. Now with all the bad press for Ibuprofin there seems to be a lot of it on sale and lots of coupons to be had. I stocked up for my next hike, but now I'm sort of leery about taking it. :confused:

[Lone Wolf]

Don't listen to me Moose. I'm full of more s**t than a Thanksgiving turkey! :dance
And flyfisher, "pain is weakness leaving the body" is a Marine Corps thing.

[Footslogger]

[QUOTE=grrickar]Not to hijack the thread because I know it was about liquid I, but could Ibuprofin cause nausea and a faster heartrate?
========================================
The effects and tolerance, like with most medicines, vary from person to person. My experience is more akin to that of Moose. I carried ibuprofen (motrin) with me and took it both as a preventative drug (on occasion) to stay out in front of the pain and in direct response to pain/swelling at the end of a difficult day. I don't recall having had any ill effects.

Among the side affects listed for Ibuprofen/Mortin (with incidence of >1%) in the most recent edition of the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference), Nausea, dizziness, headache, rash and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). There is a very long list of reactions with incidence < 1%. By far the most common (4 - 16%) adverse reaction to ibuprofen is of the gastrointestinal nature. One interesting note in this same reference is that, when used for the relief of pain, the recommended dosage is 400 mg every 4 - 6 hours and the studies showed that doses in excess of that level were no more effective.

If you tolerate ibuprofen well and it brings you relief it seems to make sense that you would take it when indicated and in the appropriate dose levels ...unless you're just into the whole pain and suffering thing.

'Slogger

[Moose2001]

Grrickar - If I had to bet on something that caused you those problems, I'd bet on dehydration more the the Vitamin I.

If you have any questions about use of ibuprofen, or any other prescription drug, talk to your doctor about it. After all.....we all only play doctor here on the internet! Hmmm....not sure that came out the way I meant it to!!

[rocket04]

I'd recommend having some painkiller just in case. They really saved my ass when my achilles started bothering me. I hiked 3-4 days taking ibuprofen, if I hadn't I would have been hiking at 0.1 miles/h. With ibuprofen I was able to get to Franklin and get some shoes that helped my achilles heal. But like others said, I wouldn't plan on taking lots of it, mroe for an emergency than anything. Your body will hurt and it's normal.

[neo]

good ole vitamin I,nothin like it,anything else dont get it,i gotta have it on 25 mile days:) neo

[Sly]

After playing couch potato for the winter, for the first 2 or 3 weeks of a long distance hike, I like take two Vitamin I and/or Naproxen (1) nightly whether I think I need it or not, as a preventative to swelling in the knees and resultant injury.

After that I use it very sparingly, when I'm beat, like when I reach Moreland Gap Shelter.

YMMV

[cutman11]

..... I can allow the arthritis to control my life or I can control the arthritis...... I too have seen hikers taking massive doses or taking the meds for much longer periods than they should.....
Moose, I for one, intended that my comments about minimizing use of anti inflammatories referred to the latter group in your post. I would have no reservations about recommending use of them judiciously for the older hiker with arthritis. As you posted, in that case, the choice is use them and hike, or not hike. My post was more intended to suggest that overuse of meds by otherwise healthy younger hikers to mask overuse injury of their joints is not a good way to do a thru hike.

In a way, Lone Wolf's comments are on the right path, because if you dont take the meds, and have the pain, at least you KNOW how your body is doing. And when it tells you loud and clear, "slow down, do less, take a day off", that is what should be done, not just "put on the ear muffs" and ignore your body's plea for time to recover and strengthen from the rigorous day(s) just completed.

All medications are a trade off between risk and benefit. No doubt the medications provide beneficial effect. The problem with them arises when they are contributing to increasing the risk of more severe injuries by masking early symptoms in addition to the known side effects of the drugs. Having said all that, I do use celebrex myself once a day when doing high mileage days or lots of elevation gain/loss. But if I feel worse the next day when off the med, then its time to slow down etc,...not just take more meds.