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Comment by hallway_monitor | Hacker News Reader

I avoid it at all costs because of the possibility of liver damage. Ibuprofen seems to have the same effect without potentially serious side effects.

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The drawback of Ibuprofen is that it tends to cause damage to stomach and intestinal linings. That's why you are advised to take with food and/or lots of water. You don't want it absorbing all in one place. Long term use exacerbates the effect, making it more likely to cause ulcers and eventually internal bleeding. My partner ended up in the hospital with a serious internal bleed caused by taking Ibuprofen daily for chronic pain. I'm not saying don't use it, just be aware of the risks.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9715832/

And also kidney failure in prolonged use, usually in patients with any sort of previous kidney damage.

Ibuprofen is possibly worse than that, it seems that it may interfere with sex hormones. [1]

This 2017 study I found in 30s of searching is seemingly underpowered at n=30 or so, but the (preliminary) implication is awful enough that I won't give my boys ibuprofen at all. Out of abundance of caution.

They can have naproxen or acetaminophen instead -- we keep those out of reach and teach our children not to touch them without adults.

Perhaps there is some more recent research?

[1] https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1715035115

Ibuprofen is anti inflammatory which paracetamol isn't. IIRC this means ibuprofen can hide infections. I had a doctor friend who avoided its use as generic pain relief for that reason.

But for muscular/joint pain the anti-inflammatory aspect is a feature, not a bug. And I'd guess that's what most long term user's target is?

https://x.com/theliverdr/status/1908363713771425946

Again and again, this hepatologist makes his message clear: "Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is the safest anti-fever and anti-pain medicine even among patients with liver disease. It is the first choice for fever and pain management even in advanced cirrhosis."

Look for some of his other posts on the topic for studies and citations.

People will still happily use paracetamol when drinking or "for hangover" (headache and all that), hitting their liver really hard. :(

I take the OG: Aspirin.

Ibuprofen and other NSAID result in a ton of hospitalizations each year due to gastric bleeding.

I know folks that got ulcers; from both ibuprofen, and Aleve.

I take acetaminophen, but only occasionally.

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