Long term use of ibuprofen or naproxen?

[Elephant]

Is it safe to take either ibuprofen or naproxen every day? A friend has hip pain and these drugs help, but is worried about the warnings against long-term use.

Would it be better to switch between these two on periodic basis? Is one better than the other for long-term use?

BTW, neither an orthopedic surgeon nor a physical therapist had anything useful on the pain, beyond the PT's suggestion to use a lacrosse ball.

[Royce Nichols]

Has he tried squatting or training? You didn’t give us anything about his hip but if the surgeon says ‘use a lacrosse ball’ then it sounds like he can and SHOULD train. As an asideNSAIDS are a pretty safe drug class, but still I would not take for an extended time (which you did not define, either).

[Royce Nichols]

It should be understood that the above is NOT medical advice. Just an opinion

[Elephant]

He does train, which usually neither makes things better or worse. The lacrosse ball advice came from the PT.

Extended use would be at least a bunch of months

[Royce Nichols]

What on earth is wrong with his hip? I would send a PM to some of the PTs around here! I think Coach Will Morris and/or Dr. Petrizzo is one?? A bunch of months of NSAIDs seems........weird and probably not so beneficial.

[Dalton Clark]

I wouldn't suggest ibuprofen use long term especially at dosages that are going to bring any substantial relief (800 mg, multiple times per day). It is known to potentially cause stomach ulcers if taken in this manner for longer than a week or so.

[Ryan Arnold]

Use of NSAIDS is treating a symptom of an underlying issue. He needs to find out what the issue is. "Hip pain" is indeed very vague. If he's currently training it could be a technique issue such as too narrow a stance, but that is obviously just a guess given the lack of info provided. He should get his technique checked and if nothing improves he's going to need to be proactive about getting a medical diagnosis. NSAIDS should not be used long term

[Austin Baraki]

Long-term use of NSAIDs is not a good idea. They need to figure out a way to train that doesn't require the use of these medications.

[Elephant]

Long-term use of NSAIDs is not a good idea. They need to figure out a way to train that doesn't require the use of these medications.

The problem isn't training, which does not exacerbate the pain, which seems more or less continuous.

The medical diagnosis was hamstring tendinitis. Am I remembering correctly that you had problems with you quad tendon? If so, what did you do?

[Tiburon]

I wouldn't suggest ibuprofen use long term especially at dosages that are going to bring any substantial relief (800 mg, multiple times per day). It is known to potentially cause stomach ulcers if taken in this manner for longer than a week or so.

+1 on this advice. You don't want stomach ulcers