Don't Throw the Baby (Aspirin) Out with the Ibuprofen

If your doctor told you to take aspirin to help prevent a heart attack, you need to know that taking ibuprofen at the same time, for pain relief, may interfere with the benefits of aspirin for the heart. It is all right to use them together, but the FDA recommends that you contact your doctor for more information on the timing of when to take these two medicines, so that both medicines can be effective. >Full Story: FDA Safety Alerts

Commentary: Although there are no clinical endpoint studies conducted specifically to evaluate the interaction, it appears from published and unpublished studies that ibuprofen reduces the cardiovascular effects (antiplatelet effects) of aspirin. The impact of ibuprofen on the effects of aspirin is likely related to the timing of their dosing. The FDA has suggested then that healthcare professionals consider counseling patients about the appropriate timing of ibuprofen dosing if they are also taking aspirin for its cardioprotective effects. The FDA indicates that patients who use immediate release aspirin (not enteric coated) and take a single dose of ibuprofen 400 mg should dose the ibuprofen at least 30 minutes or longer after aspirin ingestion, or more than 8 hours before aspirin ingestion to avoid attenuation of aspirin’s effect. Recommendations about the timing of concomitant use of ibuprofen and enteric-coated low dose aspirin cannot be made based upon available data. Other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs should be viewed as having the potential to interfere with the cardiovascular effects of low-dose aspirin unless proven otherwise. Consult your pharmacist or physician if you are taking low dose aspirin for its cardiovascular effects and also taking ibuprofen.