Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, other?

what type of pain are you talking about? Muscle pain? Joint pain from inflamation? Headache? Stomach ache? It really depends. Take a look at all the different pain killers out there and what the recommended use is, then try them during training to see how they feel on the stomach and how effective they are for you. For instance 1 Ibuprofen usually dulls any pain I have for a good 4-6 hours without any noticable distress but for my wife she needs to take something else (advil or tylenol, cant remember which) for her pain as the Ibuprofen upsets her stomach.

I have tylenol in my bento box if I get a headache.

I would stay away from NSAIDS

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/nsaid.html

Advil and motrin are both Ibuprofen, so she probably takes tylenol.

If you have pain, you should not be continuing the race.

If you have discomfort, suck it up buttercup and press on!

NSAIDs are evil for racing.  Stay away from them.

Thanks everyone. I took advil (and maybe too much) to dull the muscle pain during IMLP last year and my stomach was off, so will try tylenol and keep the quantity low. Will certainly try during training, but sounds like others have had issues using Ibuprofen, so maybe that is the issue with me too, who knows. Thanks again.

You'll get a slew of "why NSAIDS are not good during training/racing"...but I take Ibuprofen. Motrin, advil, generic, whatever I happen to have, when I run. I've never had an issue with my stomach before, but i know for some folks IB can upset it though.

Tylenol (acetominaphen), Advil (Ibuprofen), and aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) all are different types of analgesics, and can affect each person differently. They all also have different side effects, etc.

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Edited by PennState 2009-07-08 10:42 AM

Tylenol is an analgesic, but not an anti-inflammatory...just keep that in mind.

This user's post has been ignored.

It's not your stomach that is the problem.  It's your kidneys, and you're not going to feel damage done to them.

You're an adult and can do whatever you want, but it's a bad idea to continue doing that.

Since most "drugs" have little effect on me I used to pop 5 - 6 Advil at a time when I had headaches and such.  After years of that who knows what it did to me.

BUT ..... when I started marathon training I ended up having to go to a urologist and was diagnosed with 5 kidney stones.  One passed with an ER visit and I'm pretty sure two others did on their own with a heck of a lot of discomfort (but no hospital visit).

There is little anyone can say to convince me that my excessive Advil intake was NOT the cause for me to get them ..... I have not taken a single ibupr. product since.

I'm only saying what I do. Like I said, some others will tell you about the dangers of it.

He asked which ones caused stomach upset. I told him. And I'm an adult, and am fully aware of the dangers of advil. But I don't race long course, and being able to walk requires advil, so I take a calculated gamble.

If it makes you feel any better, I never take tylenol when drinking ;-)

That's fair, and you're more than welcome to do whatever you feel works for you.

But when there are two docs offering their opinion on what may or may not be the best approach, I tend to at least listen to what they have to say.

ESPECIALLY when you consider that taking any sort of pain medication (I don't care what they are classified as) is countering the whole point of having pain in the first place.  If you have pain, there is something wrong.  Stop.  If you have soreness and discomfort and need something for it DURING a race?  Get out of the sport .......... because racing is all about mentally managing discomfort and soreness - not treating it with dubious medications.  It goes beyond "suck it up buttercup" and well into the realm of "HTFU."

Glad I found this thread, I wasn't aware of these problems with NSAIDs. Like Rick says, I'm with the doctors on this one.

Thanks for the heads up.  I never knew that about Ibuprofen and what it can cause.  When I would get a head ache, I would pop 800-1000 mg w/o even thinking.  Seeing that this is the only pain reliever in the house, I may have to switch to something else.

Other!

Just FYI, I'm not anti-NSAID in general.  I will still take ibuprofen for headaches at times.  I just don't take it routinely and certainly don't take it in conjunction with vigorous exercise.  I have seen far too many people that took it over time and "didn't notice anything bad happen" until they ended up with significant kidney issues.

Exactly, as with anything, you can overdo it or do it wrong.  NSAIDS, especially Ibuprofen (Advil,Motrin) are pretty safe for short term pain relief or anti-inflamatory effects if you don't have a history of ulcer disease or renal problems.  I use them for headaches, etc, on occasion.  I also prescribe them on occasion.  However, they are metabolized thru the kidneys and when taken in conjunction with other assaults on the kidneys (i.e. the dehydration and decreased renal blood flow associated with endurance sports) they can be a real problem, even resulting in ATN and renal failure.  Not good.  Certainly not a good idea before or during a HIM or IM race for sure. 

I think taking Immodium is alright as long as you take them with NSAIDS. Renal failure? OUCH!

Mike

After all this NSAID issue I just wanted to clear up a few things from my last post:

1. not advocating anything in particular but just answered the OP question to the best of my knowledge. They are an adult (i am assuming) and so can make their own choices of whether to self medicate and continue a race with the pain or stop.

2. For my own use I never take anything while exercising or for several hours after even. If after a stretch and if needed an ice bath I still need something I generally take a small dose of Ibuprofen. That even is rare though. Mostly I just suck it up when I have soreness/tight tendons and ligaments/swelling in my knee. My point was that you have to find what works for you and be smart about how, when and why you take it.

3. In general I do not take any medication with the exception of my doctor recommended zyrtec for allergies without which I could not readily do anything, let alone workout outside. 

to the OP: good luck finding what works for you, be smart and ask your doctor if you need a better recommendation. Just remember, nothing new on race day!