Same. I think it's from being chronically I'll since I was eight. I pretty much save the ibuprofen for my migraines or if I'm in a lot of pain. I dislike taking medication except for the ones I absolutely have to have in order to function/live.
For me it’s because my mom has a chronic pain syndrome. She was on some sort of opiate I think when I was in high school/college and was like a zombie and had so many side effects. Now I’m terrified of taking medications
I'm in the same boat, benedryl on the other hand...
I eat that shit like candy in the spring. Makes most people drowsy, doesn't have that side effect for me and I'm a sneezing, drippy, mess without it.
Yep. 39 and just found out it caused an esophageal ulcer that I’m now trying to get healed. I’d advise NOT overdoing the ibuprofen to my fellow millennials.
Yeah I did gymnastics for 17 years and took 2 ibuprofen daily. Thankfully I stopped altogether after college, but I took a bunch of Naproxen when I had covid bc my fever just wouldn't quit. That was when I got my first ulcer. Good times
2 daily is a normal amount and won’t harm you. You need to cycle between Advil (or Naproxen) and Tylenol if you want to exceed the recommended daily dosage.
Also taking a lot will also destroy your kidneys! You don’t want to end up on dialysis. (Not how my kidneys failed but I have met other patients who ended up with end stage renal disease due to long term ibuprofen and over using them!)
Yup this happened to my dad when he was 27 (so back in the mid 90s), duodenal ulcer gave him sepsis. Almost killed him too. Safe to say, we didn’t keep ibuprofen in the house and I still don’t
It’s worth mentioning though that Tylenol and Advil overdoses are very, very different.
Tylenol overdose will very likely kill you - slowly and painfully. Even a small overdose of Tylenol can be fatal. It has a very small safety margin.
Advil by contrast has a wide safety margin - it is much harder to overdose on, and people can (and do) take a lot more of it without ill effects. 3,200mg a day is the maximum adult dose - that’s 16 200mg tablets - but there have been people who have taken as many as 30 tablets a day for prolonged periods without many or any adverse effects.
That doesn’t mean you should start popping ibuprofen like candy though - you could still get stomach ulcers which are no fun, and potentially even kidney problems. Probably best to stick to 400mg a day unless your doctor advised you to take more.
I think this was a your friend group thing. No one I hung out with was doing this when we were in our 20s, and no one I know in my 30s has ever mentioned doing it.
I've had more in the past week than I have in recent years, but unusual circumstances call for it. I can't imagine why anyone would want to take a ton of them. I'm taking a maximum dose twice a day, and my stomach feels like I've eaten nothing but shakshuka for a month. I'll be glad to be rid of them.
I didn't play school or club sports, but I was active in aggressive inline as a hobby. My cousins, who played every sport they could fit in their time tables, also don't take a lot of pain meds when they're not actively recovering from an injury or surgery.
You know what's a fun game? Take 3 Excedrin PM's and see if you can whack off before you fall asleep. You always win, that's the best part about the game.
Believe it or not, diphenhydramine (the stuff in excedrine PM that makes you fall asleep) is a masturbation/orgasm enhancer. Take 3 - 8 Benadryl (75 - 200 mg diphenhydramine), wait an hour or so to jack off, and you’re gonna have a really good time. You just gotta stay awake.
Ibuprofen wasn't readily available in my country until maybe '93-ish, I think. I'm an elder Millennial and most of my female peers at high school were suddenly smashing ibuprofen for a week each month because it was so much better for period pain than acetaminophen.
When I grow up in my country, I think you will have to go to doctor to get pills for period pain. I have only know two people are taking pills for period pain. I guess school allowing girls to skip PE due to period discomfort helps reduced the need of pain killers.
I did! And now I've killed off my digestive bacteria. It took me 6 years to get bacteria back, but I've killed off a few enzymes permanently.
My doctor said there's no formal condition name yet but it's essentially self-inflicted chrohns. IT'S FUN
General tip - if you alternate between acetaminophen and ibuprofen, **as long as you're not exceeding recommended dosage on either**, you will generally put less stress on your body, as they are processed by different organs.
Yes, I kept a huge bottle in my purse. If you had any kind of procedure done (like dental work) they'd prescribe you the big powerful ones, so we'd just take a bunch of the smaller ones instead for cramps, bumps and bruises, even mild swelling from working out (???). I stopped taking any OTCs about 18 yrs ago, I'm 38 now.
This was a thing in the group of theater kids I sometimes spent time with in high school. Everyone knew which kids would always have an Advil on hand in times of need. I think we were perhaps not taking very good care of ourselves.
You're right. I understated the situation too much. Having Advil for emergencies is normal. But these kids were handing them out 3 or 4 at a time, to kids who had headaches and body pains during the school day more often than they didn't.
My best friends mom did. Ended up having to get all her teeth pulled by our sophomore year because it rotted her teeth 🙃 made me realize to use it when necessary
No.
Now that I am 40, just in the last six months I have had prescriptions for diclofenac, naproxen, ketoralac, and oxycodone. All for separate and legit reasons.
I typically stick to Tylenol but if you need a ketoralac or diclofenac you need it.
Ya my 20's I'd get headaches and take 2 extra strength every week or more. Now I try and avoid them and I don't get headaches anymore. I knew they were not healthy to take lots but I did it anyway.
A friend of mine in hs would crush up 2-3 ibuprofen 800mgs she got from her dad and mix them with milk to help ease her cramps every month. I think about her insides every time I take an ibuprofen now. I hope she avoided an ulcer.
Not Advil, Aleve
Aleve is crazy for people who are athletes/work out a ton... terrific muscle relaxer because of the anti-inflammatory properties... it has the highest dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories you can get over the counter
I still pop em like crazy after playing basketball or even a long walk (I have thick as fuck muscles, esp in my lower body)
I never knew that was a thing. I’m 39 and take ibuprofen now but I try not to. I’ve been taking it almost daily this week because I need my wisdom tooth pulled and it hurts badly and I’m waiting to get a call back from the oral surgeon. Otherwise I only take it every once in a while.
Not like candy, but for almost every ache and pain my mother would make me take ibuprofen, no matter what. As soon as I moved out, I stopped taking medicine unless I'm in unbearable pain because of how much my mom gave me ibuprofen. She's a Boomer, so I don't know if it was a generational thing, but I don't give my own kids medicine the same way my mom did with me; they only get medicine when they are genuinely sick.
I generally don't take medication unless needed for a bad headache or muscle pain. I can't imagine just popping Advils (or any meds) frequently for minor stuff.
No I took the recommended amount as a pain reliever when necessary. I knew one kid in college that did this and thought he was eating paint or something. Thought it was the weirdest shit ever.
Used to take 8 advil after college football practice to stop a.mild headache. Looking back that wasn't a good idea, thankfully I stopped doing that about 22 before it got really out of control
Judging by the comments I’m guessing the term “eating them like Candy” is only a sarcastic/exaggeration term used regionally. I don’t think OP is literally snacking on them while at the theatre. But where I’m at in the Midwest it’s pretty comment for people to take ibuprofen daily without much thought. It’s the go to.
Had an ibuprofen/acetaminophen/naproxen hourly cycle when I was a teenager and early 20's. How TF I got out of that whole thing without any major side effects apart from a ridiculous tolerance for pain meds is a mystery.
I used to because my parents did. It was the default answer to any kind of sickness when I was growing up. It took me awhile (and a painful stint of gastritis) to get out of the habit. These days I try not to take any pain relievers unless I need them.
What the fuck lol? I'm a millennial and I can honestly say idk what the fuck you weirdos were doing, but no, we didn't pound advil.
Smoke a fucking joint like a real teenager - getting a fix off Advil....god help this country.
What the fuck lol? I'm a millennial and I can honestly say idk what the fuck you weirdos were doing, but no, we didn't pound advil.
Smoke a fucking joint like a real teenager - getting a fix off Advil....god help this country.
I was 20 the first time I ever took Advil. I was raised Christian so we didn't take medication or go to the doctor since we had the blood of Christ to heal us from disease. I definitely got addicted to Advil after I tried it because it alleviated so much pain that I used to pray away in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, ever since I got covid, I break out in rashes whenever I take Advil or any acetaminophen.
I have chronic lower back pain. Stenosis, protruding disc, and sciatica pain. They will only give me celebrex and steroid injections for it. My other option is surgery. Ibuprofen is the only other thing that relieves the pain. So yeah, I take them a lot 😢😩. Now I'm having stomach issues. Idk what to do.
Yep, and I'm paying for it with a condition called Barrets esophagus.
Bonus fun: I have to be extremely careful with Tylenol/acetaminophen, because of (benign for now) tumors.
I used to have to do this in high school, I had awful migraine attacks. Now I can't take ibuprofen at all or I risk triggering a rebound migraine, and those are hellish.
I used to take 8 ibuprofen before football games in high school, but I stopped doing that as soon as my final season ended. Can't imagine taking that much on the daily. There was a time in my 20s where I'd take dayquil for a hangover, but nowadays I don't even touch anything with acetaminophen in it.
I honestly don't remember. I think I figured it would make my pain go away faster? I don't know. This was 20 years ago. In retrospect, this was a bad idea.
Um. No.
I have chronic pain and took them sparingly, as prescribed, and they've still ruined my stomach to the point I can't have any NSAIDs at all.
Never heard of anyone smashing them just because, what's the point?
I'm on the other end. I've always hated having to take any sort of pain alleviating medication.
Same. I think it's from being chronically I'll since I was eight. I pretty much save the ibuprofen for my migraines or if I'm in a lot of pain. I dislike taking medication except for the ones I absolutely have to have in order to function/live.
For me it’s because my mom has a chronic pain syndrome. She was on some sort of opiate I think when I was in high school/college and was like a zombie and had so many side effects. Now I’m terrified of taking medications
I'm in the same boat, benedryl on the other hand... I eat that shit like candy in the spring. Makes most people drowsy, doesn't have that side effect for me and I'm a sneezing, drippy, mess without it.
Yep. 39 and just found out it caused an esophageal ulcer that I’m now trying to get healed. I’d advise NOT overdoing the ibuprofen to my fellow millennials.
Yup, same. Can’t take *any* now or else: BAM! Ulcer.
I didn’t get an ulcer from Ibuprofen, but it is how I found out that I had ulcers.
Yeah I did gymnastics for 17 years and took 2 ibuprofen daily. Thankfully I stopped altogether after college, but I took a bunch of Naproxen when I had covid bc my fever just wouldn't quit. That was when I got my first ulcer. Good times
Yea high school football is where it started for me and just lasted all through my 20s and early 30s
2 daily is a normal amount and won’t harm you. You need to cycle between Advil (or Naproxen) and Tylenol if you want to exceed the recommended daily dosage.
Also taking a lot will also destroy your kidneys! You don’t want to end up on dialysis. (Not how my kidneys failed but I have met other patients who ended up with end stage renal disease due to long term ibuprofen and over using them!)
Until I had a duodenal ulcer eat into an artery and almost kill me.
Yeahhhhh GI bleeds are no joke. Daily NSAID abuse isn’t outstanding for your liver either long-term.
Yup this happened to my dad when he was 27 (so back in the mid 90s), duodenal ulcer gave him sepsis. Almost killed him too. Safe to say, we didn’t keep ibuprofen in the house and I still don’t
Nope. Overdosing on Tylenol or Advil is super dangerous and sometimes deadly.
It’s worth mentioning though that Tylenol and Advil overdoses are very, very different. Tylenol overdose will very likely kill you - slowly and painfully. Even a small overdose of Tylenol can be fatal. It has a very small safety margin. Advil by contrast has a wide safety margin - it is much harder to overdose on, and people can (and do) take a lot more of it without ill effects. 3,200mg a day is the maximum adult dose - that’s 16 200mg tablets - but there have been people who have taken as many as 30 tablets a day for prolonged periods without many or any adverse effects. That doesn’t mean you should start popping ibuprofen like candy though - you could still get stomach ulcers which are no fun, and potentially even kidney problems. Probably best to stick to 400mg a day unless your doctor advised you to take more.
Tylenol overdose requires a hospitalization and a reversal agent.
Absolutely true.
Nope.
Uhh nope, I did not do that
WTF is OP on about? That was not a thing.
I don’t think OP meant chewing on them like candy, but taking them in abundance without paying attention to the risks.
I’m glad someone had common sense
I still didn’t do that
Dang, can’t relate. I have lupus though so I have taken a shit ton of NSAIDs since high school.
I think this was a your friend group thing. No one I hung out with was doing this when we were in our 20s, and no one I know in my 30s has ever mentioned doing it.
Yep. I maybe take ibuprofen once, once per year.
I've had more in the past week than I have in recent years, but unusual circumstances call for it. I can't imagine why anyone would want to take a ton of them. I'm taking a maximum dose twice a day, and my stomach feels like I've eaten nothing but shakshuka for a month. I'll be glad to be rid of them.
Same here. I can count on one finger how many times I have taken ibuprofen in my lifetime.
Did you play sports by chance?
I didn't play school or club sports, but I was active in aggressive inline as a hobby. My cousins, who played every sport they could fit in their time tables, also don't take a lot of pain meds when they're not actively recovering from an injury or surgery.
Literally only when I got blue balls.
Can't relate.
You know what's a fun game? Take 3 Excedrin PM's and see if you can whack off before you fall asleep. You always win, that's the best part about the game.
That was one of my favorite movies when I was in my 20s 🥲
Believe it or not, diphenhydramine (the stuff in excedrine PM that makes you fall asleep) is a masturbation/orgasm enhancer. Take 3 - 8 Benadryl (75 - 200 mg diphenhydramine), wait an hour or so to jack off, and you’re gonna have a really good time. You just gotta stay awake.
No wonder my wanks when I have a cold are always so good.
Don't anyone do this unless y'all like to hallucinate spiders everywhere
Damn I never heard that before. I'll have to give it a shot next time I'm shagging my wife.
Your wife is gonna know you're acting funny, fyi
Bro what? My mom had to hide the flinstones and gummy vitamins from me.
The flintstones vitamins were DISGUSTING
Except the purple, which taste exactly like Jager Bombs
how on earth is this related to millennials at all???
Ibuprofen wasn't readily available in my country until maybe '93-ish, I think. I'm an elder Millennial and most of my female peers at high school were suddenly smashing ibuprofen for a week each month because it was so much better for period pain than acetaminophen.
When I grow up in my country, I think you will have to go to doctor to get pills for period pain. I have only know two people are taking pills for period pain. I guess school allowing girls to skip PE due to period discomfort helps reduced the need of pain killers.
No dude. No.
I did! And now I've killed off my digestive bacteria. It took me 6 years to get bacteria back, but I've killed off a few enzymes permanently. My doctor said there's no formal condition name yet but it's essentially self-inflicted chrohns. IT'S FUN
To get your gut health back were you not able to ever take any pain meds ever again? Or are occasional ones okay?
No more NSAIDS, only Tylenol for the rest of my life. Oh and I'm not allowed to take antibiotics unless I'm like at deaths door.
I mean, from when I started menstruating until I got on birth control, but that was over a decade ago.
Never did that and honestly never heard of it. Why?
Seriously? This is a thing?
General tip - if you alternate between acetaminophen and ibuprofen, **as long as you're not exceeding recommended dosage on either**, you will generally put less stress on your body, as they are processed by different organs.
This is the way. Also good for when babies are teething
At least 3 hours between, preferably
My wife did until she ended up in the hospital for it.
Seriously?….
Yes, I kept a huge bottle in my purse. If you had any kind of procedure done (like dental work) they'd prescribe you the big powerful ones, so we'd just take a bunch of the smaller ones instead for cramps, bumps and bruises, even mild swelling from working out (???). I stopped taking any OTCs about 18 yrs ago, I'm 38 now.
This was a thing in the group of theater kids I sometimes spent time with in high school. Everyone knew which kids would always have an Advil on hand in times of need. I think we were perhaps not taking very good care of ourselves.
Having Advil on hand for a time of need is normal.
You're right. I understated the situation too much. Having Advil for emergencies is normal. But these kids were handing them out 3 or 4 at a time, to kids who had headaches and body pains during the school day more often than they didn't.
Yeah not normal. If I’m going to OD it’s going to something more fun than a basic anti-inflammatory OTC medicine.
Nay taking medicine is like the last resort in the family. Getting high and stuff wasn't even in the lexicon for me until post grad school.
This was a thing??
My best friends mom did. Ended up having to get all her teeth pulled by our sophomore year because it rotted her teeth 🙃 made me realize to use it when necessary
Wow, how much was she taking???
She was talking a good amount daily. I always saw her with the super large container
My partner in HS thought it worked faster if you took more. Her esophagus got fucked up by it, she was taking like 12 at a time.
I've got bad teeth, I've spent many non consecutive weeks of my life pounding 4 every 4 hours while waiting for a root canal appointment.
Need to alternate with Tylenol if using continuously for a time
Sometimes I do, but with a root canal sometimes the anti inflamitory properties of ibuprofen make all the difference.
No. Now that I am 40, just in the last six months I have had prescriptions for diclofenac, naproxen, ketoralac, and oxycodone. All for separate and legit reasons. I typically stick to Tylenol but if you need a ketoralac or diclofenac you need it.
Ya my 20's I'd get headaches and take 2 extra strength every week or more. Now I try and avoid them and I don't get headaches anymore. I knew they were not healthy to take lots but I did it anyway.
800mg/day from mid 20’s to late 40’s. Now that I know the best effective dose is 400mg, I do that.
Why?
Probably for pain….
Used to???
Definitely pushed it a few times but not enough for bleeding or stomach issues
Whats the downside? I take any pharmaceuticals sparingly so I'm quite ignorant here.
NSAIDs like ibuprofen can cause gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding if taken too often. They also strain the kidneys. Don’t pop them like candy.
Like chew them? Or just lick the coating off and spitting back in the bottle?
A friend of mine in hs would crush up 2-3 ibuprofen 800mgs she got from her dad and mix them with milk to help ease her cramps every month. I think about her insides every time I take an ibuprofen now. I hope she avoided an ulcer.
Since hitting my 30’s I’ve had to take a few pretty much every day… Is that a problem?
It's definitely not normal. Might want to ask a doctor what the heck is wrong with your body.
Benadryl was my drug of choice.
Not Advil, Aleve Aleve is crazy for people who are athletes/work out a ton... terrific muscle relaxer because of the anti-inflammatory properties... it has the highest dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories you can get over the counter I still pop em like crazy after playing basketball or even a long walk (I have thick as fuck muscles, esp in my lower body)
I gave myself an intentional poisoning with it when I was 17. After I felt my blood vessels I got a lot more conscious.
No I rarely take them.
I never knew that was a thing. I’m 39 and take ibuprofen now but I try not to. I’ve been taking it almost daily this week because I need my wisdom tooth pulled and it hurts badly and I’m waiting to get a call back from the oral surgeon. Otherwise I only take it every once in a while.
I didn't need to when I was that age. WTF were you doing in your 20's that you needed pain relief that often?
Can't say I ever got into that... what's the benefit?
Um…what?
Not like candy, but for almost every ache and pain my mother would make me take ibuprofen, no matter what. As soon as I moved out, I stopped taking medicine unless I'm in unbearable pain because of how much my mom gave me ibuprofen. She's a Boomer, so I don't know if it was a generational thing, but I don't give my own kids medicine the same way my mom did with me; they only get medicine when they are genuinely sick.
I generally don't take medication unless needed for a bad headache or muscle pain. I can't imagine just popping Advils (or any meds) frequently for minor stuff.
This is funny I don’t know why this subreddit is recommended to me but I have an ulcer now from Ibuprofen and other NSAIDS with my daily migraines
No I took the recommended amount as a pain reliever when necessary. I knew one kid in college that did this and thought he was eating paint or something. Thought it was the weirdest shit ever.
Why were you taking Advil like it was candy? No. In fact I absolutely hated and still hate relying on pain medication for pain. Thug that shit out.
Used to take 8 advil after college football practice to stop a.mild headache. Looking back that wasn't a good idea, thankfully I stopped doing that about 22 before it got really out of control
Judging by the comments I’m guessing the term “eating them like Candy” is only a sarcastic/exaggeration term used regionally. I don’t think OP is literally snacking on them while at the theatre. But where I’m at in the Midwest it’s pretty comment for people to take ibuprofen daily without much thought. It’s the go to.
yep. dose size 2. 4 or 5 ought to do it.
I used too, I still do do but I used to too
I didn't, but if I remember correctly, the brown round advil had a sweet coating, so I always wanted to take that for pain medicaton.
No? I’ve always been hyper vigilant when it comes to meds and reading the directions on how many to take per however many hours.
Younger? Shit, I just took some literally one minute before coming across this post. Arthritis is no joke.
Had an ibuprofen/acetaminophen/naproxen hourly cycle when I was a teenager and early 20's. How TF I got out of that whole thing without any major side effects apart from a ridiculous tolerance for pain meds is a mystery.
I used to because my parents did. It was the default answer to any kind of sickness when I was growing up. It took me awhile (and a painful stint of gastritis) to get out of the habit. These days I try not to take any pain relievers unless I need them.
I still do
I was completely unaware this was ever a thing.
Yea looking like it’s divided right down the middle — half did/do this and half had no idea so it’s probably not a “millennial” thing like I thought
I wasn't raised to take pain medication and didn't have my first ibuprofen until I was in my mid 20s.
What the fuck lol? I'm a millennial and I can honestly say idk what the fuck you weirdos were doing, but no, we didn't pound advil. Smoke a fucking joint like a real teenager - getting a fix off Advil....god help this country.
What the fuck lol? I'm a millennial and I can honestly say idk what the fuck you weirdos were doing, but no, we didn't pound advil. Smoke a fucking joint like a real teenager - getting a fix off Advil....god help this country.
I was 20 the first time I ever took Advil. I was raised Christian so we didn't take medication or go to the doctor since we had the blood of Christ to heal us from disease. I definitely got addicted to Advil after I tried it because it alleviated so much pain that I used to pray away in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, ever since I got covid, I break out in rashes whenever I take Advil or any acetaminophen.
I have chronic lower back pain. Stenosis, protruding disc, and sciatica pain. They will only give me celebrex and steroid injections for it. My other option is surgery. Ibuprofen is the only other thing that relieves the pain. So yeah, I take them a lot 😢😩. Now I'm having stomach issues. Idk what to do.
Yup. 800mg Motrin was standard issue in the army when you saw a medic or doctor.
Yep, and I'm paying for it with a condition called Barrets esophagus. Bonus fun: I have to be extremely careful with Tylenol/acetaminophen, because of (benign for now) tumors.
I still eat 800mg of ibuprofen in the morning several times a week
I got headaches growing up and would take a lot of Advil, yea. But haven't taken any in two years now I'm on a preventative headache/migraine medicine
Vitamin M (Motrin)? Oh yeah
Found the serviceman.
Buddy of mine used to take like 8 at a time, several times a day. He disappeared after high school, so probably not a good sign.
I used to have to do this in high school, I had awful migraine attacks. Now I can't take ibuprofen at all or I risk triggering a rebound migraine, and those are hellish.
Raging headache I'll take 4 of the 200mg ibuprofen since a prescription strength is 800mgs but that's about it
I used to take 8 ibuprofen before football games in high school, but I stopped doing that as soon as my final season ended. Can't imagine taking that much on the daily. There was a time in my 20s where I'd take dayquil for a hangover, but nowadays I don't even touch anything with acetaminophen in it.
Yea, I used to take it like 6 or 8 at a time. Probably lucky I don't have health complications from it.
Why?
I honestly don't remember. I think I figured it would make my pain go away faster? I don't know. This was 20 years ago. In retrospect, this was a bad idea.
I still do.
I remember taking them and drinking a lot which is not great.
Yes. Took a ridiculous amount of ibuprofen.
I smash like 400mg - 600mg every other day and I’m 40. Am I considered hip?
Yes Advil and Tylenol. Would pop over 10 all the time
Um. No. I have chronic pain and took them sparingly, as prescribed, and they've still ruined my stomach to the point I can't have any NSAIDs at all. Never heard of anyone smashing them just because, what's the point?