Uh-oh! Should I go to the doctor for this?

Ok, since the summer of 2002, I was having these painful headaches daily. I went to the doctor and they thought I had sinus, so they prescribed me a medicine for it. They headaches continued, but my neuro is not able to determine what’s going on now. So, she just prescribed me IBUprofen (400 mg), untill they find out. Just to cut out the pain. However, she only told me to take it twice a week, and no more than 600 mg (because of my height & weight). Well, the headaches were becomming a living hell. So, I started taking 800 mgs twice a day, and every day. She told me to stop (after I’d been taking it for like 6 months already). She said that it (IBUprofen) can eat away at the lining of your stomach. I recently read that it can cause liver bleeding. Now, I’ve been having abdominal pain for like…3 or 4 months now. And, it’s getting worse, specially when I walk (I walk usually everyday, 2 miles atleast.) I told my mom, she said to drink some milk. Milk is disgusting, and gives me gas. Now, my question is…should I go to a doctor for my abdominal pain? Or, should I just drink the milk and it would go away? I’m afraid of having stomach ulcers or something. Bye-the-way, I’ve stopped the IBUprofen and just put up with the headaches. Oh, and, does anyone know of any other pain-killers that don’t cause stomach problems or any other health problems?

I think everyone else will chime in and say GO AND SEE YOUR DOCTOR!

Yes, you should definitely go to the doctor. I had a similar situation last year. I had a medical problem that was causing me pain, and was told to take ibuprofen. Like you, I worked up to a fairly heavy dose (although I don’t think it was as heavy as yours). Eventually my initial problem was resolved, but I continued to have abdominal pain. I was sent to the gastroenterologist, who performed numerous tests, including an endoscopy which found an erosion (which is like the start of an ulcer) in my esophogus. He prescribed some acid reducing medication and some dietary changes. That was in January, and since then the pain has decreased to the point where I was just thinking during my lunch walk how nice it is not be in pain anymore (like you, I walk a lot and had pain when I walked).

Not only can a doctor find out if you have any damage from the ibuprofen, she can also prescribe any of a number of pain medications which are less irritating to the stomach. Call today and get treatment before you develop (more) serious stomach problems.

If I were in your shoes, I’d go see a doctor. In the meantime, you might try naproxen sodium. That’s the generic for Aleve™. In my body, it’s kinder to the belly. I am not a doctor of medicine.

From now on, drink only White Russians. This is the drink of choice for ulcerites…milk and vodka.

Warning: Drinking milk can make your ulcer worse (if that’s what you have). Milk provides brief relief of ulcer pain because it coats the stomach lining. But milk also stimulates your stomach to produce more acid and digestive juices, which can aggravate ulcers.

GO TO THE DOCTOR.