Is ibuprofen good for nasal congestion?

Sniffle, sniffle. Cough, cough. You know the drill – it’s that time of year again when everyone seems to be getting sick. And one of the most annoying symptoms that comes with the common cold is nasal congestion.

You might be reaching for your trusty bottle of ibuprofen to ease your aches and pains, but can this popular pain reliever also help clear up your stuffy nose? Let’s take a closer look at whether ibuprofen is good for nasal congestion or not.

What Is Nasal Congestion?

Before we dive into whether you should be taking ibuprofen for nasal congestion or not, let’s first define what exactly this symptom entails.

Nasal congestion is when something causes the tissues lining your nasal passages to become inflamed and swollen. This swelling makes it harder for air to flow in and out of your nose, which leads to that lovely experience of feeling like you’re trying to breathe through wet cement (or a straw).

Symptoms can include stuffiness or blockage in one or both nostrils, runny nose (a.k.a snot), post-nasal drip (a.k.a mucus going down throat situation), and reduced sense of smell (you know what they say about people’s farts being nicer than yours.)

What Causes Nasal Congestion?

There are several causes:

  • Common cold
  • Flu
  • Allergies
  • Sinus infection
  • Dry indoor air
  • Overuse/abuse of decongestant sprays

Now let’s discover if humanity’s favorite pain reliever will do any good:

How Does Ibuprofen Work?

Ibuprofen belongs to a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – bet you didn’t see that coming – (Bet you did not see that coming) which work by blocking the production of prostaglandins in your body.

Prostaglandins are responsible for causing inflammation, swelling or pain. By blocking their production, ibuprofen helps to decrease these symptoms (take that inflammation!)

Ibuprofen is used to treat a variety of conditions such as headaches, menstrual cramps, toothaches, and arthritis (also known as living with adult pains).

How Does Ibuprofen Help Nasal Congestion?

So can this NSAID provide any relief when it comes to nasal congestion? While ibuprofen might help ease some discomfort caused by inflamed sinuses, such as a headache or facial pain due to an infection-based condition like sinusitis – it won’t do much for reducing nasal congestion.

The reason being is ibuprofen doesn’t have mucolytic properties – hence it’s doesn’t suppress mucus secretion from the mucous gland! So if there’s no “snot” suppressing going on… then what benefits does consuming an oral tablet actually serve? Well…

Are There Any Benefits To Taking Ibuprofen For Nasal Congestion?

While taking ibuprofen alone might not necessarily directly alleviate your stuffy nose, research shows there may be another benefit worth considering: fever reduction.

If your cold or flu comes with a fever (you’ll know because chills come first), popping some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication has been shown to effectively reduce high temperatures in general

Fever causes increased heart rate; jumping up into high-speed mode uses more oxygenated blood than we realize which puts stress on our valves and arteries especially important ones around our brain where we need proper blood flow. Early inhabitants believed sudden increase human temperature implied summoning evil spirits/ unleashing Satan^. Yikes!

Reducing fevers associated with respiratory infections reduces cough frequency thus better sleep!

Can Ibuprofen be Harmful for Nasal Congestion?

Consuming ibuprofen to treat fever cause by cold or flu? (check). Will it make my Nose better? (un-check). So, no harm reading the safety manual in terms of NSAID related concerns.

While relatively safe when taken properly – according to a recent British survey there’s an increase in bleeding complications at older age. It’s important for people with certain conditions such as anyone predisposed heartburn acid reflux stomach ulcers irritable bowel syndrome or edema liver kidney disease not to take NSAIDs without consultation from their Doctor,, a qualified pharmacist will do too

Moreover, The U.S Food & Drug Administration warns against using ibuprofen during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary^^. There are other studies that show definitive proof long-term use can lead to failure of major organs like your kidneys hence it is prudent for you and your doctor/pharmacist/concerned friend to come up with trustable prescription with respect to dosage adjustment duration.

2015 article published in Pharmacotherapy regarding ibuprofen usage highlighted several findings; some weird fun facts were:

  • Risk increases exponentially if used over 21-day period (make sure you check expiry dates on medicine boxes).
  • People who used any extended-release version had higher chances because they thought only taking one pill worked throughout the day. No! You’re liver metabolism might need assistance at intervals.

Summary

So, while popping some NSAIDS may provide relief from headaches and facial pain associated with inflamed sinuses – it won’t solve nasal congestion issues directly which would require medicines like mucolytics. However, consuming them does help reduce elevated body temperaturs accompanying these respiratory infections among others but NEEDS correct dosages especially those dealing/preventing blood clots!

There are many other non-pharmacological steps that may also ease symptoms :

  • Using warm compresses across your sinuses
  • Drinking lots of fluids to keep your throat hydrated
  • Elevating your head during sleep to promote drainage of mucus from nasal passages, and so on.

We’ve reached the end – onto making some chicken soup!

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