Iv just done a flood 800mg ibuprofen hope it works am really struggling with pain I’ll let you know. Soo fed up now not coping well at all
Flooding : Iv just done a flood 800mg ibuprofen... - PMRGCAuk
Flooding
Written by
Uglow
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
25 Replies
•
PMRproAmbassador
Fingers crossed.
☹️💐
Hi. So sorry to hear you’re in a lot of pain. Hope it reduces soon. I hear the desperation in your message. If you or some other kind soul could say what ibuprofen flooding is and what it is used for that would be great tried google and got lots of hits for period pain and not much else. Thanks and take care.
When ibuprofen was developed it was found it worked best when you took enough in the first dose to occupy all the receptors on the cells that then exert the effect - this is the so-called flooding dose and for most people 800mg is adequate. Ibuprofen is an NSAID antiinflammatory painkiller so must be used with care alongside corticosteroids but when it is used it needs to be used in the best way. It was designed to be used like that as a prescription-only drug but when it was to be lauched as an OTC medication the regulators insisted it be used at much lower doses. Lower doses don;t work as effectively - and in the end patients are taking more and actually causing more adverse effects! I take 800mg in a single dose, with food, and often that not only is almost 100% effective, it also lasts for the best part of 24 hours before I need a small dose to top up the effect so I take a lot less.
Thank you as always a really useful and informative post. So much appreciated.
How often can you do this flooding dose? I am really struggling with my possible hip stress fracture and have taken a flooding dose when I am literally beside myself with the pain, but am unsure how often, say in a week, I could do,this?
The maximum daily dose is 3200mg. Usually you will find the instructions say 200-400mg every 4-6 hours. Personally, I find that might work for a headache - and often I only take 400mg once for that. But for back pain, it will barely touch it and I need 400mg every 4 hours to get any relief at all. OTOH, if I take 800mg not only does that deal with the pain quickly but the effect lasts more than 8 hours - so the total dose is the same as 2 x the lower dose - and then taking 400mg at intervals is enough to stop the pain returning. I need the 800mg just to start with and often just top up with 200-400mg every 6 hours at most but usually will go all day with no more. As long as you don't go above the max dose for 24 hours there is no reason why you can't use 800mg as often as you need.
Oh great thanks. I'd like to take it once a day but have assumed I couldn't for some reason with the pred. It's usually by mid afternoon when I'm really in a bad way and so stop for the day doing much else.
If that's what works for you there is no real reason why you shouldn't do that - one lot of potential gut irritation and an overall minimal dose (if 1x daily is all you need like that) has to be preferable.
thank you, that's great to hear and this whole pain thing on top of everything else is getting quite wearing now. I have cancelled all my work for the foreseeable future which has actually made me feel huge relief!
Pain is dreadfully wearing - especially if you have to work. Enjoy the rest while you have the chance - that at least is a positive.
Yes, and tough when you kind of look OK.. People don't quite get it.I also think I have quite a high pain threshold and so power through most of the time.
Not sure if the MRI ends up showing a stress fracture, what they could actually do, but would be good to know either way.
UK leaflets propose a maximum daily intake of 1200mg! Is that a typo "The maximum daily dose is 3200mg"?
Depends on whether it is prescription strength or OTC
drugs.com/dosage/ibuprofen....
Since the stuff is the same - you are left to ask why there is such a discrepancy. The only way I get a good level of pain relief with 1200mg per day is by taking the 800mg flooding dose to start with
I am utterly bemused... "."OTC (Over The Counter) drugs aren’t as strong as prescription drugs, but they have a wider margin of safety. This means a wider range of people can safely use OTC drugs than can use the more specifically tailored prescription drugs.
OTC drugs typically have lower dosages than prescription drugs. There are quite a few prescription drugs that are available as OTC drugs because, when sold over-the-counter, the dosage is much lower than it is in the medication’s prescription form."
aplususapharma.com/blog/pre...
So...... although OTC is weaker, one should take a smaller dose?
...and I can report that, for me, the 800mgOTC followed at least 4 hours later with 200mgOTC removes almost all pain. (Even tempted to go out and party tonight)
Ps. Always make sure I eat beforehand when I take them.
I was told not to take Ibuprofen but to use Tramadol & paracetamol together, That usually works for me.
I took 2400 mg (800 x 3) of Ibuprofen daily for at least 15 years prior to PMR. My doctors worried about it for some time and kept checking liver function for possible problems with no issues noted. I also have a “cast iron stomach” I guess because I never had pain.
When I started prednisone I was warned about stomach problems and not to take ibuprofen while on prednisone. For several months prednisone provided such pain relief that I didn’t need to add ibuprofen. Recently I’ve been able to golf again and the same old lower back pain began. My rheumatologist sent me to an orthopedic specialist and ordered an MRI. Inconclusive results, no surgery recommended (thankfully) I’m now taking 800 mg of ibuprofen an hour before golf and sometimes after and it works beautifully.
This is NOT a recommendation for anyone else. I’m fortunate to not have gut issues. I’m finally successfully tapering prednisone from 20 mg down to 12 with few problems following forum advice on slow tapering. Just my personal experience so far! I’m just so happy to be able to golf again.
If you were on this side of the pond, I would point you towards kratom. Far more effective and safe pain relief.
Morning, as said earlier continual high levels of pain can be extremely debilitating, both mentally and physically as I can attest from my own experience. Have you thought about or tried Co-Codamol, for me, it has always been far more effective than Ibuprofen. I know that it doesn't suit everyone though.
I tried this when recommended by PMRpro when I forgot to take my Pred one morning and was in agony by late afternoon. It worked brilliantly , I took my Pred late at night when I realised what I had done and and had a few really good days.
Not what you're looking for?
Moderation team
SophieMBPartner
Fran_BensonPartner
