Season 8 of “Love Is Blind” is out now and several couples are already engaged. While there have been plenty of predictable emotional stories in the pods, one unforeseeable confession is raising a lot of questions.
On the show, Devin Buckley shares with two other contestants that he’s struggled with an addiction to ibuprofen. According to Buckley, his journey began while he was a basketball player in high school. Buckley said he had a “hard fall” and hurt his back at one point. “Everything just started to kind of spiral,” he said on the show.
Buckley said he discovered ibuprofen after searching online how to get rid of his pain. “I got up to taking around 20, maybe even more, every day,” he admitted, before detailing the hip surgery he had to eventually address the chronic pain.
Buckley’s confession is now a hot-button issue online, with some viewers saying they’re “baffled” by what he shared. Is it really possible to become addicted to ibuprofen? Here’s what the doctors have to say.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Jamie Alan, PhD, is an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.
Adam Scioli, MD, is the chief medical officer and program director at Caron Treatment Centers.
How Does Ibuprofen Work, Exactly?
Before diving into whether ibuprofen is addictive, it’s important to go over the basics of how this medication works. Ibuprofen, which is sold under the brand names Advil, Motrin, and more, is in a class of medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Ibuprofen works by stopping the production of a substance that causes pain, fever, and inflammation, explains Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “It blocks the cyclooxygenase enzymes in the body, leading to decreased generation of molecules that cause pain and inflammation,” she says.
The medication is available in prescription and nonprescription form. Nonprescription ibuprofen is usually used to lower fevers and to try to ease minor aches and pains from things like headaches, muscle aches, arthritis, periods, colds, toothaches, and backaches, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Is Ibuprofen Addiction a Real Thing?
Not exactly. By definition, addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder that’s characterized by compulsive drug seeking and continuing to use a drug despite bad consequences, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Addiction involves functional changes to brain circuits that are involved in reward, stress, and self control, which is why it’s considered a brain disorder, per the NIDA. However, there is something called dependency, which is when the body comes to rely on a particular drug.
“I have not seen or heard of a patient complain about addiction or dependency on ibuprofen,” says Adam Scioli, MD, chief medical officer and program director at Caron Treatment Centers. “But any mammal can get physiological dependence on a substance.”
Substance abuse disorders are classified as mild, moderate, or severe, Dr. Scioli explains. When someone has a moderate or severe substance use disorder, they will have withdrawal issues and develop a tolerance to a drug, per Dr. Scioli.
When it comes to ibuprofen, Dr. Scioli says it’s possible to become dependent on the medication. “But personally and professionally, I view ibuprofen more as a misuse that has significant health consequences [than an addiction].”
That said, there has been one rare case study documenting moderate substance abuse disorder after continuously taking more ibuprofen than prescribed. But researchers note in the report that this is a “rare” situation. Beyond this, Dr. Alan says that there’s “no data to say that ibuprofen causes physical or mental addiction.” Dr. Scioli agrees.
“I hesitate to conflate misuse of ibuprofen with alcohol or opioids, which ravage the life of the individual and everyone they interact with,” he says. “At the same time, I don’t want to minimize the inherent risks in misusing any substance.” Ultimately, it’s possible to think that you have an addiction to ibuprofen, “but this would not meet the criteria for an addiction,” Dr. Alan says.
So, What Are the Risks of Taking High Doses of Ibuprofen?
Like all medications, there are risks with using ibuprofen improperly. Buckley pointed out on the show that he took about 20 ibuprofen a day. One dose is usually two pills at a time, but the maximum daily dose is six in 24 hours. That means Buckley was having at least eight more pills than he should have on a daily basis.
The US National Library of Medicine also points out that it’s possible to overdose on ibuprofen, resulting in extreme fatigue, drowsiness, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and more. Misusing ibuprofen also puts you at risk of developing a range of serious conditions, including liver failure, kidney failure, and gastrointestinal bleeding, Dr. Scioli says.
You may also generally feel off when you stop taking ibuprofen at high doses. Most likely, the pain will return once you stop, Dr. Alan says. “This is not an addiction or withdrawal.” Instead, she calls it an expected result. “If you don’t address the source of pain, the pain will continue,” she explains. “Treatment with ibuprofen will not stop the source of pain. Rather it interrupts some of the pain sensing pathways to decrease pain.”
Some people may also experience what’s known as “rebound headaches” when they stop taking a medication like ibuprofen. “Headaches depend on vascular constriction or dilation and ibuprofen can alter that as well,” Dr. Alan says.
In general, most people can take ibuprofen with no issue or risk of dependency, Dr. Alan says. But Devin’s conversation does bring up an important point: if you find that you regularly rely on ibuprofen to deal with symptoms, it’s best to see a medical professional for an evaluation, per Dr. Alan. They should be able to pinpoint what’s behind your symptoms and to recommend an appropriate treatment plan from there.
Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more.
