Do ibuprofen creams and gels work?
Millions of Americans take oral ibuprofen (in products like Advil) for pain relief. What’s great about ibuprofen is that it is chemically similar to aspirin but easier on the stomach. So if you have body aches and pains that acetaminophen (Tylenol) can’t treat, ibuprofen is a great solution for ailments like arthritis, sunburns, sprains, etc.
Since people associate ibuprofen with the relief of body aches, it was probably inevitable that drugmakers would market it in topical ointments. And indeed, numerous ibuprofen creams and gels are now available.
Late last week, however, the FDA announced that it has issued warnings to eight makers of these over-the-counter products, telling them to take their products off the market.
The FDA said in its announcement:
Orally administered ibuprofen has been approved as a safe and effective treatment for pain and inflammation. There are no approved applications for topical ibuprofen products … Topical ibuprofen is often promoted as a “safer” alternative that can be used in place of oral ibuprofen because of certain side effects, such as stomach ulcers and cardiovascular effects that are associated with prolonged use of oral ibuprofen. However, these safety claims for topical ibuprofen have not been reviewed by the FDA, nor has the agency evaluated what side effects might be associated with such products.
The specific products whose manufacturers received warning letters are called Emuprofen, BioEntopic 15% Ibuprofen Crème, Ibunex Topical Ibuprofen, LoPain AF 15% Ibuprofen Crème, IB-RELIEF, Profen HP, IbuPRO-10 Plus, and IBU-RELIEF 12.
Interestingly, other topical ibuprofen products, such as those by Mentholatum, were not mentioned in the announcement.
The FDA did not comment on whether topical ibuprofen actually works. It only said that these products need to earn FDA approval before being sold.
So, does topical ibuprofen work?
Some people swear by it. For example, when a questioner on Yahoo! Answers asked, “How good is topical ibuprofen?”, one respondent answered:
I use ibuprofen gel on my neck when I get a tension headache – its about the only thing that works!
But another person responded:
Topical ibuprofen is of limited use as it only penetrates about 0.5cms, this means it can’t really reach the knee joint if you rub it in.
We did find some medical studies that argued the effectiveness of topical ibuprofen. The maker of the ibuprofen cream Ibunex states its case this way:
Topical supplementation is the best way for addressing soft tissue and joint pain because it is applied directly to the target area that is causing the pain or discomfort. Over 80% of oral medicines and supplements are filtered out by the digestive system, thus minimizing their effect in the easing of pain … Ibunex is a unique, topically applied formula. One pump (.2 grams) contains Ibuprofen (10 mg) plus Glucosamine (4 mg), Chondroitin (4 mg), MSM (5 mg) and Bromelain (5 mg). Recent clinical research has found that 5% topical Ibuprofen resulted in comparable effectiveness relative to 400 mg oral Ibuprofen.
In the wake of the FDA warning letters, the continued availability of these products at your local drugstore is obviously in question. In the meantime, if you currently use topical ibuprofen, ask your doctor to recommend alternatives.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 am
I cannot say for sure whether the cream is an effective pain reliever. It is certainly soothing when used in conjuntion with foot massage and my therapist says it is an excellent massage cream. However, it will prevent tape from sticking. I usually use the foot cream for foot massage followed by ice. If I want to tape my foot, I simply wash and dry my foot before applying the tape and it sticks well.
Pros: Excellent as foot massage cream
January 10th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I was always curious whether there was any hard proof that this stuff works. If anyone has any links of info, let me know.
January 16th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
we discovered topical ibuprofen at the Arizona (rock and roll) Marathon expo. This stuff not only relieved my husbands achilles tendon pain during the race, he qualified for Boston. We use it for any muscular pain and I can assure you it works. The FDA’s stance is BS. This is not metabolized through your liver, and personally i would rather just apply it where needed. Besides, my stomach is too sensitive for oral pain relievers