Is it inhibitive to muscle growth to take any NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Tylenol etc)?
This is not a medical area I know much about but I could really stand to get some IBP on board to help settle my shoulder…
Thanks
I read an article (just one mind you) that studied NSAIDs impact on muscle growth which found that in normal doses it didn’t have any affect at all over the short term. Granted I believe the “normal dose” was no more than 800mg per day. This next piece of information I didn’t read from a scientific article but I do remember hearing somewhere that ibuprofen is linked to an increased risk of tendonal and ligament rupture, but correlationary studies are dogshit anyway.
If I can find the article about NSAID’s however, I will link it for you. Unfortunately, I read this article about a year ago, so don’t get your hopes up. Anytime I’m dealing with an injury I’ll take ibuprofen sparing and interchange it with aspirin and ice the hell out of it.
I just did a search, not the same article I read but similar results.
Krentz, Joel et al. 2008. The effects of ibuprofen on muscle hypertrophy, strength, and soreness during resistance training. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism 33/3, 20080601 470-475.
Here’s a portion of the abstract:
Twelve males and 6 females (~24 years of age) trained their right and left biceps on alternate days (6 sets of 4-10 repetitions), 5 d·week-1, for 6 weeks. In a counter-balanced, double-blind design, they were randomized to receive 400 mg·d-1 ibuprofen immediately after training their left or right arm, and a placebo after training the opposite arm the following day. Before- and after-training muscle thickness of both biceps was measured using ultrasound and 1 repetition maximum (1 RM) arm curl strength was determined on both arms. Subjects rated their muscle soreness daily. There were time main effects for muscle thickness and strength (p < 0.01). Ibuprofen consumption had no effect on muscle hypertrophy (muscle thickness of biceps for arm receiving ibuprofen: pre 3.63 +/- 0.14, post 3.92 +/- 0.15 cm; and placebo: pre 3.62 +/- 0.15, post 3.90 +/- 0.15 cm) and strength (1 RM of arm receiving ibuprofen: pre 18.6 +/- 2.8, post 23.4 +/- 3.5 kg; and placebo: pre 18.8 +/- 2.8, post 22.8 +/- 3.4 kg). Muscle soreness was elevated during the first week of training only, but was not different between the ibuprofen and placebo arm. We conclude that a moderate dose of ibuprofen ingested after repeated resistance training sessions does not impair muscle hypertrophy or strength and does not affect ratings of muscle soreness.
Granted the number of participants was quite small but it’s still something.
I think this is one of those instaces where peole overreact to something. I highly doubt most would take a high enough amount to offset any growth occuring.
S
Here’s one way of looking at it:
This is a “problem” that despite quite common use of NSAIDs by lifters for very many years, no one ever noticed on account of anything they could observe.
The “problem” didn’t exist till someone came up with a pharmacology-based theory.
Now that does not prove that there is utterly zero effect but I think it does say something about the upper possible limits of how much of an effect it might be.
As personal opinion: don’t use them needlessly, but if on the other hand there is good reason, then go by that good reason and don’t be stopped by fear that they will compromise your gains.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I think this is one of those instaces where peole overreact to something. I highly doubt most would take a high enough amount to offset any growth occuring.
S
[/quote]
i agree here.