Turmeric vs Ibuprofen

Question

Is there any truth in what is said here, that Ibuprofen is toxic to heart muscle and turmeric is an effective alternative? I have tried to find the study mentioned but cannot find it.

Answer 1

Let's look up Ibuprofen up in a reliable source. We can read there that:

Cardiovascular Risk

Increased risk of serious (sometimes fatal) cardiovascular thrombotic events (e.g., MI, stroke). Risk may occur early in treatment and may increase with duration of use. (See Cardiovascular Thrombotic Effects under Cautions.) Contraindicated in the setting of CABG surgery.

GI Risk

Increased risk of serious (sometimes fatal) GI events (e.g., bleeding, ulceration, perforation of the stomach or intestine). Serious GI events can occur at any time and may not be preceded by warning signs and symptoms. Geriatric individuals are at greater risk for serious GI events. (See GI Effects under Cautions.)

This tells me enough, this is a drug that should not be used unless there is no other viable alternative with less side effects. Depending on the dose and duration of the treatment, you have to consider using a drug to protect your stomach. I would leave making that decision to my doctor.

Turmeric, in contrast, does not have side effects. We can read here that the claims of it helping to reduce inflammation are not supported by strong studies. It may work, but it's not going to have a very strong effect on the short term similar to powerful painkillers, otherwise the evidence of its efficacy would have been clear. However, if someone stops using Ibuprofen and starts to use turmeric and is able to tolerate not using Ibuprofen, then the simple act of stopping to use Ibuprofen is a good thing. Whether turmeric itself works or not doesn't matter all that much.

Answer 2

Ibuprofen is a very-standard NSAID, and generally speaking it is a pretty safe drug when taken in an appropriate dose.

All medications have side-effects, Ibuprofen is not the exception. Now, usually these things are not an issue for healthy individuals. Mostly they can be a problem for people with pre-existing conditions.

Ibuprofen is not recommended for people with increased stroke or thrombotic risk (No NSAIDs are recommended for them, actually) but I don't think it is actually cardiotoxic.

The potential of GI bleeding can actually be more of an issue as it is an effect directly related to the mechanism of action. Ibuprofen prevents the formation of Prostaglandins that a) Are responsible for inflammation but b) Are also responsible for secreting the protective layer of the gastric mucosa. Nonetheless, it's still generally safe if used in the proper doses and for few days at a time. (Usually, I don't recommend it over 5 days; when I do, I generally prescribe a proton-pump inhibitor also). Note that this risk is further increased if the patient is on corticosteroids.

Ibuprofen can also be harmful for the kidneys (it reduces blood flow to kidneys), so it is not recommended in people with kidney disease. And, this is rare but I've seen it happen, in some cases it can cause an interstitial nephritis that can be very bad, most commonly when abused for a very long time.

As for turmeric... I've never read any actual evidence that it acts as an anti-inflammatory.