Top Ten Reasons Not to Buy Motrin

Reason Number Ten: Motrin is expensive. It all depends on where you live and where you shop, but I have found that Motrin costs between $8.00 and $9.00 for 100 of the 200 mg tablets. And to be quite honest, I don’t see why it needs to cost so much. It only has one active ingredient, not a magic blend.

Reason Number Nine: Motrin is an NSAID (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drug) which can cause stomach bleeding. The carton and the insert are both covered with warnings about how it can cause severe stomach bleeding, especially in older people (who often have need of pain relievers). Your risk is higher if you take blood thinners. It is also higher if you have three or more alcoholic drinks a day. And it is higher if you take any other NSAID product, such as aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen, according to the label.

Reason Number Eight: Motrin can cause severe allergic reactions such as asthma hives, and shock. You are also supposed to be carefully monitored if you have any of a whole host of medical conditions including poorly controlled diabetes, dehydration, serious heart problems, swelling of the hands, feet, or ankles, high blood pressure, history of stroke, blood clotting problems, stomach or bowel problems (such as bleeding or ulcers), history of tobacco use or alcohol use, kidney problems, liver problems, blood or bleeding problems, asthma, nasal polyps, any allergies (especially history of angioedema with symptoms of lip, tongue, throat swelling), pregnancy, or breast-feeding. That’s a bunch!

Reason Number Seven: It can cause serious stomach upset, which seems reasonable if you consider that persons taking Motrin are at increased risk for bleeding stomach ulcers, also other kinds of bleeding in the stomach and bowel. The pharmacist I spoke to suggested taking Motrin with food or milk if it has caused any digestive upset, a common side effect. But he also said that even if the food prevents stomach upset, it may not prevent stomach bleeding. Sounds pretty upsetting to me . . .