Does Ibuprofen Break a Fast? Here Are the Facts

Shutterstock.com

Intermittent fasting is a part of a healthy lifestyle and an ideal diet for weight loss, blood sugar management, and gut rest.

During intermittent fasting, you need to restrict your calorie intake to zero. If you must take calories, you can only take zero-calorie beverages like water, black coffee, or tea. Zero calorie intake helps your body enter ketosis or fasted state, where it burns fat instead of carbs. 

But what about taking medication? Despite having a healthy lifestyle, you may need a pain reliever like ibuprofen. Thus, you may ask: is it ok to have ibuprofen on a fast day? If so, does ibuprofen break a fast?

In response to your questions, this article discusses how ibuprofen affects fasting, how many calories it contains, and whether you should avoid it or not.

Ibuprofen tablets contain zero calories and zero carbohydrates. Taking it will not prompt an insulin response, limiting your intermittent fasting benefits. Therefore, you can have it without breaking your fast if you’re fasting for autophagy, weight loss, or blood sugar control.

However, ibuprofen belongs to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) class. It can shut down some benefits of intermittent fasting, such as gut rest hence the end of your fast. For instance, if your goal for fasting is gut rest, the drug can increase intestinal permeability and alter the structure of the gut flora in long-term usage [1].

If you must take it, have it once in a while to avoid breaking your fast or limiting your fasting health benefits.

What Is Ibuprofen Used for?

Ibuprofen is taken orally to relieve fever, pain, and inflammation. It works by decreasing hormones that stimulate inflammation and pain. The conditions that may cause you pain and inflammation are toothaches, colds or flu, headaches, minor injuries, menstrual cramps, and back pain.

Ibuprofen suspensions and pills are its most common form, but the gel form of ibuprofen is also available for topical application.

Although ibuprofen is widely available across many countries, it is a prescription drug in others. It may be prescribed for inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

If you are self-treating with over-the-counter ibuprofen, you should not take it for more than 10 days unless you consult your doctor.

How Many Calories Does Ibuprofen Contain?

Ibuprofen tablets with a film coating often have zero calories. However, some ibuprofen has a low-calorie content that is so low – less than 4kcal per serving – that it is rounded to zero.

In intermittent fasting, consuming calories, no matter how small, ends the fast. Thus, taking ibuprofen with low calories will technically break your fast. The sugar-coated tablets of ibuprofen contain very few calories and are flavored. Taking it may trigger insulin release, especially in diabetes patients [2].

Furthermore, ibuprofen suspension is extensively flavored and sugar-laden to make it more palatable for the target user – children. Due to the suspension’s high-calorie content, 36kcal per 5ml, you are not advised to use it during fasting. It will trigger insulin release and break a fast.

Effects of Ibuprofen on Fasting

Ibuprofen tablets will not affect your fast as they are free of calories and carbs. However, some ibuprofen, such as ibuprofen sold under the Advil or Motrin brand names, can affect your fasting, breaking your fast [3].

The anti-inflammatory nature of the drug can also make it difficult to fast. It causes digestive issues such as bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and ulcers [4]. The larger doses of ibuprofen you take for a long time, the more you increase the risks. 

You also increase the risks when you take the medication while you are on an empty stomach. When you are on an empty stomach, the digestive system is susceptible. Therefore, ibuprofen irritates the stomach lining, making you feel hungrier. If you still have more hours before your eating period, it’s good to avoid it.

Conclusion

You may experience pain and headache on the first day of intermittent fasting, but this may just be your body adjusting, so don’t take ibuprofen immediately. Sometimes, this might not be the best course of action during fasting.

Before taking ibuprofen medication for any pain or headache during the fasting period, determine the source of the pain. Consider whether your blood sugar is under control and whether you’re eating food well and hydrating properly during your eating window.