Ibuprofens

[Lapsedrunner]

1st unbroken night in ages, I had taken a dose of ibuprofen.....no, I don’t know either!

[Hidden]

I'd say it's coincidental. I can't see how it could work at all.

Nonetheless, try it again.

[Parminter]

The role of inflammation has hovered around the edges of RLS discussion for a very long time. Try it again.

[DicCarlson]

Ibuprofen is a glutamate blocker. Glutamate is the excitable neurotransmitter associated with insomnia. I frequently take 1/2 an ibuprofen and can usually return to sleep within an hour. It shouldn't have much to do with the RLS, just the insomnia. But there is more at work with all this that we have no idea about!

[Hidden in reply to DicCarlson]

This is interesting if true.

I wonder where you read this?

I see there's evidence that ibuprofen is "neuroprotective" and helps prevent damage caused to dopaminergic neurons by glutamate toxicity. I suppose this could be interpreted as "blocking".

It probably does this because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

However the normal sense of the word "blocker" means something that prevents a neurotransmitter entering a post synaptic receptor. It doesn't appear that ibuprofen is a glutamate blocker in this sense.

Ibuprofen mainly blocks prostaglandins, which mediate inflammation.

If RLS is associated with inflammation, then it may be of some help.

Ibuprofen isn't a good long term solution for RLS, because of its other damaging properties.

NSAIDS like ibuprofen are useful for the short term treatment of excessive inflammation. However, it seems to have acquired a bad name for itself.

Inflammation is a normal part of the would healing process and a part of our immune response.

Anti-inflammatory agents NSAIDS and Steroids cause both healing problems and reduced immunity.

[DicCarlson in reply to Hidden]

This is where I saw it first... safefrommsg.blogspot.com/20...

Also this...

deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/ib...

[DicCarlson in reply to DicCarlson]

Also article here, doesn't mention ibuprofen, but lots of references... drvanta.com/natural-ways-su...

[Hidden in reply to DicCarlson]

Thanks for the links.

Sorry to disappoint you but the first and last of your links aren't credible sources of reliable information.

The first, someone saying "I think" having "just quickly googled" hardly makes it believable, just the opposite. It apoears to be misinformation.

The last one doesn't appear to mention ibuprofen at all.

The middle one seems to be a good piece of evidence. However it does NOT say ibuprofen is a glutamate blocker. As I previously wrote it says ibuprofen is neuroprotective. This is not the same thing.

It's not always easy to tell the difference between credible evidence and misinformation and it's not always easy to interpret some of these scientific papers.

That's partly why I always feel compelled to point it out when I think someone has made a mistake and seems to be supporting something to deal with RLS when actually, it may do more harm than good.

[Lapsedrunner in reply to Hidden]

I haven’t read any of these references yet...but plan to try it again tonight!!! Thanks everyone x

[Lapsedrunner in reply to Lapsedrunner]

Didn’t have the same effect this time ☹️

[WideBody]

I believe you. I don't normally take Ibuprofen, but when I do, bye bye RLS, sleep here I come.

I do think it would wear off if I took Ibuprofen every night, plus I don't think it would be healthy to take Ibuprofen chronically although a lot of people in my household do.

In a pinch when my RLS was really bad (before my iron infusion), heck yeah, Ibuprofen was on the list!

[johannasuar in reply to WideBody]

Hi, I had no idea ibuprofen caused sleep. This makes me laugh because I had foot surgery and was given oxycodone for 20 days only due to the excessive pain, after that the doctor said to take ibuprofen for inflammation and pain. To my surprise, when I started the ibuprofen I would fall asleep within 10 min. I mentioned it to my husband but he said it was strange, we never heard of such a thing , but now that I still take the ibuprofen when I feel some pain, I still fall asleep . Now you confirmed that it DOES cause sleepiness. However, it does NOT help the RLS, I wish it would, I’m on Tramadol and have been for over 9 years, and happily with no augmentation, same dose the whole time.

[grandpianoman in reply to WideBody]

Hope someone "out there" can answer this question. I am not anemic, according to blood work, but barely within the acceptable low range. I was anemic as a child, so suspect iron may have something to do with my RLS. Oral doses--significant oral doses under a doctor's supervision--accomplished nothing. Years later, I asked about iron infusions, and my doctor showed the dangers involved in them, so I backed off. If any of you have had the infusions, would you please let me know whether they worked for you or not, and what about related problems? Any?

[Lapsedrunner in reply to grandpianoman]

It might be better to post this as a separate question as it doesn’t really relate to the ibuprofen thread?

[Hidden]

Wish ibuprofen worked like that for me, it does nothing for my RLS. I hope its not just one of those one night things, and will continue for you.