Ibuprofen and alcohol – is it compatible?

General information

The package insert for the drug Ibuprofen already warns against combining ibuprofen and alcohol if possible. If alcohol is consumed while taking the painkiller ibuprofen, however, various interactions can occur which can be very harmful to the body.

Both ibuprofen and alcohol are broken down in the liver

Since both the drug ibuprofen and the alcohol are detoxicated/metabolized via the liver, they have a direct influence here. The greatly increased work for the liver in this combination can lead to a weakening of the effect of the painkiller and thus to a strong sensation of pain despite the medication. It is also possible that the alcohol is broken down less effectively and therefore has a much stronger effect than the person concerned is used to. The liver can be severely damaged by the double burden, which in the long term can lead to a “fatty liver” or inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) or even organ failure. Painkillers can influence blood clotting and cause the blood to “liquefy”, so that the alcohol is distributed more quickly in the body and an increased “alcohol intoxication” can occur.

Effects on the gastrointestinal tract

Since both ibuprofen and alcohol can attack the stomach and intestinal mucosa, the combination of ibuprofen and alcohol can lead to a greatly increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, up to the breakthrough of the sensitive mucosa with severe sepsis and organ failure.

Effects on the nervous system

The alcohol can be more effective when taking ibuprofen and the reactivity is reduced more than when taking alcohol alone. In addition, the combination of ibuprofen and alcohol can cause increasing drowsiness. Headaches and dizziness may also occur.

Side effects

The combined use of ibuprofen and alcohol can cause serious health problems and significant side effects. First and foremost, there is an increased risk of damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa. In the worst case, ulcers or even life-threatening bleeding may occur.

But why is this so? Every day, our stomach produces about two to three liters of so-called “gastric juice”, which is an important component for digesting food. To protect itself from the aggressive components of the digestive juice, the stomach normally forms a protective mucin layer on its inner surface.

However, both ibuprofen and alcohol reduce the production of this mucin. Alcohol also promotes the formation of new stomach acid! Taking ibuprofen or alcohol alone can cause considerable damage to the stomach lining.

In combination, the harmful effects add up and the risk of ulcers, for example, increases enormously. At the beginning, affected persons often feel a dull or burning pain behind the breastbone, often accompanied by nausea, belching and a feeling of fullness. In the worst case, stomach bleeding occurs unexpectedly and can sometimes be life-threatening.

They manifest themselves mainly in bloody vomiting (“coffee grounds vomiting”) or black “tarry stools”. The liver can also be affected by simultaneous administration of ibuprofen and alcohol. Since both agents are broken down by the organ, a long-term combined intake can increase the risk of liver cirrhosis.

However, the simultaneous administration of alcohol and the painkiller paracetamol is far more dangerous for the liver! Basically, the overall physical condition and the dose or quantity of alcohol and ibuprofen determine the extent of the side effects or interactions. However, since exact predictions are difficult to make, it is recommended to avoid alcohol altogether if possible when using ibuprofen as an analgesic.

In addition, it should not be forgotten that in typical complaints such as headaches or aching limbs, alcohol at best only causes an aggravation of the symptoms and should therefore not be consumed in such cases. Diarrhea, along with other complaints of the digestive tract, is a possible side effect that can occur when taking ibuprofen. The simultaneous consumption of alcohol may promote the occurrence of diarrhea when taking ibuprofen.

In general, concomitant consumption of alcohol may increase undesirable side effects of ibuprofen. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid alcohol consumption completely when taking ibuprofen.The most common side effects observed with ibuprofen are gastrointestinal. These include nausea and vomiting.

However, the occurrence of such side effects varies greatly from patient to patient and also depends on the dose, as well as other factors such as existing pre-existing conditions. Alcohol itself can also lead to nausea and vomiting. In combination with ibuprofen, the risk of nausea and vomiting is increased.

Alcohol consumption should therefore be avoided at least during drug therapy. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory painkiller, which also contributes to a small extent to lowering fever. It is not quite as effective at reducing fever as paracetamol, for example.

Nevertheless, a possible side effect of ibuprofen is fever. In very rare cases, it can lead to a disturbance in blood formation, which can manifest itself as fever, sore throat, flu-like symptoms or nosebleeds. The consumption of alcohol is not conducive to this either. The occurrence of side effects is actually favored by the simultaneous consumption of alcohol. Therefore, it is only recommended to refrain from drinking.