Can some one with medical knowledge coment on using over the counter or prescription pain relievers
during a 5 hour plus training session or race? I have a sick knee but still run and have used tylenol
with some success in marathon.
What works?
What are dangers ?
NSAIDS (Ibuprofen, Naproxen, etc.) are processed in the kidneys–if you take 'em during races or training make SURE you don’t dehydrate or you’ll damage your kidneys. Naproxen (aka Aleve) works best for me and lasts 10+ hours.
If you need to use pain killers to get through a run you are doing it wrong. You should work on getting healthy first.
The danger is that you’ll mask the problem and make things worse.
Pain killers to get through a training run is just plain stupid.
That said if you are in M40-44 then I say go for it.
A lot of those pain relievers, nsaids, ibuprofen, etc. are blood thinners and should probably not be taken during training, only after. The very small blood lost from all the muscle fibers destroyed might cause issue if exacerbated by a blood thinner. Also, as the other poster said, they’re processed in the kidneys so you walk a very fine line if you get dehydrated. I’m obviously not a doctor or even in the medical field but it doesn’t seem worth it to potentially do real damage during a long training session. Hopefully someone with better info will post more precise information but from what I’ve read it = bad idea.
Edit: something I recently read that WAS written by an MD: " NSAIDS can interfere with the kidney’s ability to constrict and/or dilate ateries and veins. This may result in inappropriate pressure at the filter site and improper kidney function, particularly electrolyte and fluid imbalance. NSAID use during the stress of endurance athletics can increase the risk of hyponatremia, as well as blood pressure disregulation, both of which will result in poor athletic performance and potentially serious health complications.
NSAIDS also inhibit the ability to form a blood clot, the first step to stop bleeding and repair injury. Excercise creates microtears in working muscles, which often results in small amounts of bleeding into and around the muscle tissue, this is often not a concern. However, NSAID use during heavy excercise may result in decreased ability to stop this microbleeding. This excessive blood in the muscle tissue can act as an irritant resulting in muscle injury and limiting muscle recovery"
Endurance Magazine, April 2009. Alex McDonald, MD (page 24)
It makes sense to me. Asking the body to do something out of the ordinary and then piling on something artificial that interferes may not be a good idea.
Get Healthy would be the best choice but technology still lacks for fixing my knee
and keeping me running. The next step is joint replacement and biking only.
BAD + BAD = 2BAD
40 - 44 is for kids that haven’t expierenced much knee wear.
Thanks for the advice on kidney risk.
What the hell is a sick knee? You need to go to the gym and do some weight work or have surgery.
Ive been known to take a couple of tylenol occasionally on some 100+ mile rides. Even with lots of saddle time, 100+ miles in the aerobars gives me a stiff neck.
Pain releivers during training / racing
There is one safe one suggested on the article about ‘anti-inflammatory use’ on my site: www.TriathlonShots.com
There is already more specialist ifo now on the site but it is passwrod protected. One of my old lecturers said, ‘people don’t respect free advice’ which I now agree has a certain amount of truth to it.
But if it is masking a problem, you could make it worse. So use painkillers sparingly i would say. I guess that is why the people who know aren’t saying on here.
G.
Pain releivers during training / racing
Sorry, couldn’t help noticing the irony of going to all the effort of changing the spelling of the thread and then getting it wrong yourself!
If you need to use pain killers to get through a run you are doing it wrong. You should work on getting healthy first.
The danger is that you’ll mask the problem and make things worse.
But for some people, it’s not a matter of a passing injury…it’s a chronic thing that cannot be removed or “fixed”, but rather only managed.
If that’s the case then he should see a doctor and get a prescription for something that would be more effective and more suited to athletics.
I know, when I went to bed it went through my head.
I before e except after c is the rule I know.
I didn’t think but it is good the title is now fixed.
There is plenty of irony in the world.
G.
I am also picking many professional peopledon’t want to give treatment advice for free over the internet. There are quite a few variables surounding the underlying root cause of the pain source.