Ibuprofen has been keeping my BP elevated (cancer, tumor, removed)

[jaminhealth]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Why take half an Arthritis Tylenol? That's equal to a regular Tylenol. There is no other difference.

If you buy the generic you'll save a ton. There is no difference in the Arthritis Tylenol other than strength.

Why??? Because I dread taking drugs Period, and the less I take the better. Tylenol is known to affect the liver. As it is I take 2 Arthritis Tylenol before bed as I've used up the Pain-RX quota during the day. Dose for Pain-RX is no more than 6 per day.

And I buy generic tylenol meds.

[Mikala43]

A half an arthritis Tylenol is equal in strength to a regular.

Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels (500 mg)
Regular Strength Tylenol (325 mg)
Tylenol 8 Hour (650 mg)
Tylenol Arthritis Pain (650 mg)

Then you don't have to both to split it in half.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

A half an arthritis Tylenol is equal in strength to a regular.

Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels (500 mg)
Regular Strength Tylenol (325 mg)
Tylenol 8 Hour (650 mg)
Tylenol Arthritis Pain (650 mg)

Then you don't have to both to split it in half.

The arthritis Tylenol has an extended release layer that regular Tylenol doesn't have.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

The arthritis Tylenol has an extended release layer that regular Tylenol doesn't have.

Then it really, really shouldn't be cut in half.

[tangelag]

Yep. NSAIDS raise blood pressure.

[jaminhealth]

Yes I'm finally realizing this. I've been taking ibuprofen daily for too many years since hip surgery. Being off this NSAID my BP is coming down. Thank goodness the other two pain meds I take are helping with my issues.

[Calvert Hall '62]

Originally Posted by tangelag

Yep. NSAIDS raise blood pressure.

Rarely taken NSAIDS, even aspirin. Now comes bilateral knee issues.


Ortho doc recommended four naproxen (Aleve) per day. He must think that they're candy because the manufacturer warns not to take more than three and to stop after 10 consecutive days. I chose to take two.


Long history with BP meds which keep BP under reasonable control: 120-35/65-75. Knee pain lessened after five days of naproxen. On the ninth day, systolic BP spiked up 40 points! This had never happened before and the only lifestyle change was the naproxen.


Did some research on NSAIDS and BP spikes, and got a zillion hits. Focused especially on the abstracts from Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health, and the Cleveland Clinic. They were unanimous in finding that NSAIDs frequently cause BP spikes. One report identified naproxen, indomethacin, and ibuprofen as the worst offenders and suldinac (Clinoril) as least.


Good bye NSAIDs. I'll have to rely on knee braces and lots of exercise on steppers, ellipticals, and rebounders until the medicos believe that knee replacements are warranted. Incidentally, there's no pain while working out on the aforementioned low impact devices, while plain walking, especially down my hill, can be really nasty, even impossible during a flare-up.

[myrc60]

My late husband ate ibuprofen like candy. He wouldn't listen to our warnings even though we had his best interests in mind. A few years ago he started complaining about a different pain in his abdomen that turned out to be a tumor on his kidney. If he had listened to us this might not have happened to him.

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

My doctor told me to quit taking ibuprofen but my insurance wouldn't cover Celebrex, which is what she wanted me to switch to, and it was going to be $200/month. I kept taking ibuprofen because I can't manage without it, especially in the colder months when it can take me half an hour or more to put pants on when I wake up, because I'm just too stiff to bend over. Without the ibuprofen, the stiffness can last all day.

It doesn't seem to raise my blood pressure, and it actually seems to decrease my bleeding issues.

I've tried other NSAIDS and naproxen doesn't help me, but diclofenac does.

Have you tried to dispute this with your insurance company?I had a similar issue, where doc prescribed drug A, but insurance said they would only pay for drug B. I had the doctor write a letter to the insurance company stating why I couldn't take Drug B---actually I think the insurance company had a dispute form for him to fill out---and got Drug B approved.


Hint---don't just say the alternative drug isn't effective in your case. They will argue that 'til the cows come home They will refer to all sorts of articles that state Drug A is the same as Drug
B, yadda. Instead, say you can't take the alternative drug due to stomach upsets. They always go with that. They don't want a lawsuit when you develop an ulcer


I feel for you! Before I got my rheumatoid under control, it could literally take my 1.5--2 hours to get up and dressed. Sometimes I would bathe at night and put on clean socks and underwear before going to bed because my hands and other joints were too painful and swollen to do so in the morning.


Or, how about continuing to take the arthritis medicine that works for you and also take a blood pressure med? That's what I do....

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by myrc60

My late husband ate ibuprofen like candy. He wouldn't listen to our warnings even though we had his best interests in mind. A few years ago he started complaining about a different pain in his abdomen that turned out to be a tumor on his kidney. If he had listened to us this might not have happened to him.

Were they able to remove the tumor? My dh had a cancerous tumor on his right kidney, it was just stage 1-A. They discovered it while doing tests for something else. They removed the tumor completely and he's classified as cancer-free. I'm so sorry for your loss. Probably your dh was eating Ibuprofen "like candy" because they weren't giving him adequate pain control.Again, I'm so sorry...