Is feeling more relaxed and less stressful really a “buzz”? I think pain relievers do tend to make me feel more relaxed and calm but I certainly wouldn’t call it a buzz.
I get the exact same feeling after taking ibuprofen. It’s lovely. I always just assumed it was the relief of my head not hurting anymore, but this thread suggest that’s not the case. Huh.
I’ve never had any kind of buzz from it, but many times I take it just to quiet down my body - I am a pretty intense person so it shuts off some of the noise sometimes. I’m hyper-aware of every single ache and pain too, so perhaps that’s why.
I have gotten that on occasion though not regularly whenever I take that stuff. Though I have had other similar feeling from getting relief from discomfort such as after throwing up and the sick feeling goes away.
I have heard long distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail call it “Vitamin I”.
For clarification’s sake, ibuprofen makes me euphoric. Joyous. Maybe it’s an absence of physical and emotional pain, but it’s not the same calming effect I get, say, from my citalopram, or the contentment of a good drink and a hockey game.
Balance, I never take ibuprofen without prior symptoms, and I try not to take it more than three days in a row. No reason. Just arbitrary self-rules.
Not even a little bit. Much of the time it doesn’t even do a very good job reducing my pain.
I’ve never noticed anything except pain subsiding, and sometimes not even that.
No, not from ibuprofen.
I do, however, get a really weird post-migraine numbness in my brain after I take Excedrin XS aka Excedrin Migraine. I’ve always figured it was from the caffeine that’s in it because the only reason I get migraines is 24 hours after I quit drinking caffeinated beverages.
I wouldn’t quite say “high,” but it definitely helps my sense of well-being. Then again, I have several chronic minor aches and pains, so it’s pretty much always relieving something.
This article may be relevant. Surprised it’s so old–I could have sworn I just saw this in a major news outlet.
The only thing ibuprofen does for me is irritate my stomach. So it makes me feel “bad”, not “good”. 
I have noticed this, but for me the effect is subtle enough that I never thought of it as anything other than relief at the pain being gone.
I notice feeling good effect.
I don’t think it’s that big a deal, but taking Ibuprofen and Citalopram together is contra-indicated, I think it can stop the Citalopram working so well.
Doesn’t stop me doing it occasionally, but I usually try another painkiller first.
(I’m not a doctor or pharmacist).
Maybe this is relevant for the OP.
Advil PM isn’t just ibuprofen. It’s ibuprofen + diphenhydramine (commonly known as Benedryl).
Similarly, there’s Tylenol PM, a combination of acetaminophen (a.k.a. paracetamol) + diphenhydramine.
So maybe, if someone’s getting a little buzz, perhaps you’re taking one of the many versions of ibuprofen or acetaminophen with diphenhydramine mixed in.
Yeah, thanks for the heads up, that’s another reason to not take it too often.
Not in my case. It’s definitely just plain Advil, with ibuprofen as the only active ingredient.
I guess I’m trying to sort out whether my good feeling is:
A)a contrast effect from having my headache taken away;
B)a real effect due to ibuprofen eliminating every other little ache and pain throughout my body;
or
C)a real, psychoactive effect of ibuprofen.
Based on the anecdotes provided so far, it’s starting to look like B or C, with C being possibly more likely.
Ibuprofen thins the blood, maybe that is what everyone is feeling?
I agree that maybe because it thins the blood the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. I find it helps me exercise and sleep. It also hels with restlessnes during meditation. I frst really noticed it when I was at a meditation retreat and got my period. After taking Advil for my cramps I noticed my meditations were much easier. I could relax and sit still and just feel great vs feeling restless. And wasn’t just because sitting was more comfortable and painfree. It was also my breathing was calmer. It might have something to do with increased oxygen from easier blood flow. Maybe we all have low iron so we need more oxygen.
I know one person (though I don’t really know him well) who is a recovering substance abuser. He says he cannot even take aspirin or ibuprofen because he knows he will abuse it. That always struck me as unnecessarily cautious until I read this thread.