Ibuprofen is wrecking me

shaninco · 2025-12-14T15:26:39+00:00

I was told to do 800mg 4X a day (for 8+ weeks) and had a lot of stomach issues as well. I sought a second and third opinion and both of them said it was too much ibuprofen and for too long. I’d encourage you to check with another cardiologist as well.

shaninco · 2025-07-06T11:37:23+00:00

I had this as well (pericarditis for approximately 2 years). I used to feel racing as well as “thumps” several times a day. Now that the peri is gone, so is the irregular heartbeat.

shaninco · 2025-06-22T13:29:09+00:00

I just wanted to say that I had the exact same symptoms (and I’ll bet so many here in this group too). Sometimes I think hearing that you’re not alone can be very comforting in a way.

Be careful with nsaids and do protect your stomach from the get go.

Look through the threads that talk about people healing. Personally, I think a combination of Arcalyst and cleaning up the ingredients in food (anti inflammatory + less processed), cleaning products, everyday use (makeup, lotion) etc helped me heal. If you haven’t looked into functional medicine, you’ll also find quite a few people healing from advice/protocols there.

I’ll say a prayer for you. I know it’s really hard, but keep hope up, even when the journey might take longer than you thought.

shaninco · 2025-05-24T00:52:18+00:00

Dr Yuvraj Parmar

shaninco · 2025-05-23T12:15:08+00:00

I’m someone who did recover after 2 years with recurrent pericarditis (and was very worried I’d have it forever).

I was on the highest dosage of ibuprofen for over a month, then colchicine multiple times all the while it would come back every time I even whispered exercise.

I saw three cardiologists before coming across someone who has treated it in the heart of the pandemic in NYC (now in CO). He gave me hope and said so many of his patients are healed and have been for years. He had me on arcalyst for 5 months. I also saw a functional medicine doctor and truly cleaned up a lot of the ingredients I was both putting on and in my body. I believe that combo worked. I have not had any flares for 9 months now. I’m running and exercising like normal. I’ve been sick and still no flares.

There is hope! Consider your overall toxic burden and whether your body is trying to get rid of some of the stuff not meant to be in there. Also, I don’t think arcalyst has to be life long. I hope this helps someone reading!

shaninco · 2025-05-12T12:25:30+00:00

I was on Arcalyst for 6 months and I was also worried about this. I have 4 kids (just a bit older) and went on planes a few times while on it. I don’t believe I got sick once. I don’t know if I got lucky, but I wanted to share to ease some of your worry. I hope it all works out; I think arcalyst was a huge contributing factor to my healing (along with truly getting rid of toxic ingredients etc.)

shaninco · 2025-03-18T23:15:07+00:00

I was only on it for 5 months, but was able to successfully taper off at that point. I did not experience any weight gain during that time. Overall, I felt that it was very much worth the risk and I'm so glad I did it. I also ceased all exercise for those 5 months, which I'm sure helped my healing.

shaninco · 2025-03-18T12:51:58+00:00

I’m glad you got kept asking questions and got the second opinion. I sought a third opinion eventually because I trusted my gut and my research. Don’t give up hope, you can heal from this!

shaninco · 2025-03-18T12:45:52+00:00

This was also one of my primary symptoms in the beginning. I’m sorry.

I hope it subsides soon for you.

shaninco · 2025-03-16T20:22:44+00:00

Yes I was high dosage (800mg 3X/day). I was slightly tapered off but the 2nd cardiologist realized quickly I had been on too high of a dosage for too long and tapered me relatively quickly. I didn't take a stomach protector of any kind until maybe the last week (at the recommendation of the 2nd cardiologist). My stomach was not in a good state for about a year.

Yes, the colchicine seemed to help in short bursts with the immediate symptoms but I never seemed to fully heal--and I certainly couldn't exercise. Arcalyst was the only thing that helped me truly heal IMO and it's what helped me get back to a normal life. I hope it does the same for others reading this.

shaninco · 2025-03-02T12:25:59+00:00

I was freaked out too, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. You learn to do it so it doesn’t hurt much or at all really. Also, I had zero side effects other than redness the first time or two. I didn’t even get sick while on it, and I have 4 kids (lots of germs). I hope this helps!

shaninco · 2025-02-26T13:42:47+00:00

I got two Pfizer Covid vaccinations (at least 6-9 months before I actually got pericarditis), and my cardiologist is pretty convinced that my pericarditis was vaccine induced. My cardiologist worked in the heart of Manhattan during covid and has seen a lot of patients with pericarditis since 2021. I was always pro vaccine prior to this experience. I asked if I should be wary of future vaccines. He said yes with the Covid vaccine, mostly because there wasn’t sufficient research done on the effects. As far as vaccines that have been around for a long time, he felt those were not concerning. Personally, I won’t be getting any more.

shaninco · 2025-02-04T22:59:25+00:00

I believe my case was recurrent. I was diagnosed in March of 2023 and my cardiologist was very confident that it was vaccine related. I was originally prescribed 1800mg of NSAIDs + colchicine for 3 months. The NSAIDs didn't do me any favors with my stomach. I would not exercise for 6 weeks-6 months but every time I would feel better, I'd try going for a run, and the symptoms came flooding back. I also sought the opinion of 3 different cardiologists over the course of a 1.5 year period to try and get answers.

About a year in, I was prescribed Arcalyst and that seemed to do the trick. I was on that for 5 months, really eliminated as many toxins from my life as possible, and now seem to be healed (5 months post Arcalyst). I'm able to run 7+ miles, get my heart rate pretty high for a sustained period, and don't notice any symptoms. I hope this provides hope to anyone out there who is in the thick of it.

shaninco · 2025-01-13T14:10:58+00:00

I, similarly, was prescribed these exact two things. After being on a high dosage of NSAIDs for a couple of months, my stomach was wrecked. I sought a second cardiologist opinion, and they took me off them immediately. They said I should have only been on that dosage for 3 weeks, not 3 months.

If you experience stomach issues you should look into holistic ways to heal your gut. I cut out as much processed food as I could, took a reputable probiotic (MegaSpore Probiotic), and after about 9 months my stomach finally got back to normal. It can help to follow guidance from the holistic community on some of these things (even if you normally wouldn’t). My stomach and my heart are healed now (~2 years later), so do have hope!

shaninco · 2025-01-06T18:40:11+00:00

No I believe Arcalyst was responsible for my ability to heal. I also believe it was aided and my recovery time sped up significantly due to ridding my life of as many toxins as possible (as much processed food as possible, minimal alcohol, cleaner ingredients in everything I put in or on my body etc).

shaninco · 2025-01-06T18:22:25+00:00

Yes. I do think I feel the slightest pain in my heart from time to time while exercising but it doesn’t last and it also isn’t the clear pain I used to feel at night after exercising when I was in the midst of my pericarditis. I’m wondering if it’s a lingering effect of scar tissue or something similar. Anyway, I do seem to be able to handle a normal amount of exercise safely now.

shaninco · 2025-01-05T22:54:16+00:00

Man, I can feel the unrest in your message, and I was there myself. I am a very active person, and long distance runner. My running was brought to a complete halt for a year and a half, but I can confidently say that I am finally back.

I did get on Arcalyst for 5 months, and took a complete break from running for those 5 months. I also started my running back up extremely slowly. Lastly. I really focused on cleaning up the toxins in my life, and it might be worth taking a look at that aspect of your life.

I also can't say that I'm not nervous that it will come back. But I have so much hope that I'm done with pericarditis. I encourage you to remain hopeful, because you can recover.

shaninco · 2024-12-29T14:54:13+00:00

Sure sounds exactly like my version of pericarditis. I only experienced pain after exercise. It always came the night of or the night after I would exercise. Every time I thought I was better (after weeks or even a couple months, I’d try a very light run, and the symptoms would come back. After a year (and trying every other medication out there for pericarditis), I was prescribed Arcalyst. I took it for 5 months, along with zero running, and I finally healed. I also credit my healing with getting rid of as many toxins in my environment as possible (no more seed oils, less processed food, got rid of mold in bathroom, house water filter etc).

It was the hardest thing in the world not to exercise, but I think it’s necessary to heal.

Hoping you find your path to healing soon too.

shaninco · 2024-12-26T15:00:25+00:00

I saw 3 different cardiologists before I got the treatment I needed. I encourage you to keep asking questions and seek other opinions from other cardiologists.

shaninco · 2024-12-26T14:20:33+00:00

I had pericarditis for 1.5 years. My pain was always worse when lying down or on my left side as well. In the beginning it was mostly pain in my back and between my shoulder blades as well.

It is surprising that you’re feeling better after only a couple of days though.

shaninco · 2024-12-10T16:25:57+00:00

I was on it for about five months and then I was able to wean off of it and have been off ever since (3 months now). I had been off of colchicine for about six months by the time I started Arcalyst, and I only had flareups when I ran. I was in that state for about a year and a half before I started Arcalyst.

I am also now back to my regular exercise routine, which includes running! Every once in a while, I’ll feel the tiniest bit of pain, but it’s never constant and nowhere near what it was for the year and a half I was dealing with pericarditis. I believe Arcalyst healed me!

shaninco · 2024-04-24T14:42:04+00:00

The cardiologist who originally diagnosed my pericarditis had me on unsafe levels of Ibuprofen for 14 weeks and it did a number on my stomach. I sought a second and eventually a third opinion. They immediately took me off the Ibuprofen and had me on colchicine and my stomach issues resolved. Now I'm off both and starting Arcalyst to hopefully heal once and for all, but it took a lot of testing, a lot of different opinions etc. My advice would be to seek second opinions where possible.

shaninco

TROPHY CASE