One glass of wine, beer, or spirits, while you are taking ibuprofen, is usually okay for most people, but moderate to excessive quantities of alcohol can increase the side effects of ibuprofen, such as stomach and digestive tract irritation and kidney disease. People with underlying medical conditions, such as liver or kidney disease, high blood pressure or heart failure, are most at risk.
This is because both alcohol and ibuprofen irritate the stomach and digestive tract, so combining them further increases the risk of ulcers and bleeding from the digestive tract. In addition, ibuprofen can affect the kidneys in some people with additional health issues, and alcohol, which can cause dehydration and make it hard for the kidneys to filter toxins, can potentiate this risk.
What are the risks?
The risks of combining alcohol with ibuprofen include an increased risk of:
- Drowsiness
- Gastric bleeding
- Gastric ulcers
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Indigestion
- Kidney damage
- Nausea
- Stroke
- Vomiting.
How long after taking ibuprofen can you drink alcohol?
Ibuprofen has a half-life of about 1.9 to 2.2 hours and experts generally agree it takes 4 to 5 half-lives for the body to eliminate a medication. This means it would take at least 10 hours for your body to clear ibuprofen. This means you should wait at least 10 hours before drinking alcohol if you have been taking regular or high doses of ibuprofen.
How long after alcohol can you take ibuprofen?
You should wait at least 24 hours after drinking alcohol before you take ibuprofen. This is because alcohol can stay in your system for about 25 hours. Women, people over the age of 65, those with liver disease, or certain ethnicities, such people of Asian descent, tend to process alcohol slower, and they should wait longer.