Prednisone and Naproxen – is it safe?

A prednisone warrior asked me if it is safe to take prednisone and naproxen together? Check out my answer in this video!

What to discover:

• How these drugs are being used
• Is there a drug interaction between the two?
• How will it affect your gut? Is it life-threatening?
• My recommendations!

Watch now!

I received a phone call from a man with rheumatoid arthritis, wondering if it was okay to take his prednisone along with naproxen, a pain-relieving over-the-counter drug like ibuprofen.

I helped him decide specific to his situation, from dose, to reason for taking it.

Then I concluded by giving him a surprising suggestion.

He wrote back:

Thanks for your Time this morning Dr Megan, really appreciate you taking my call and discussing prednisone and Naproxen. I will be picking up omeprazole from Walgreens this AM and then take Naproxen later in the afternoon.

You are doing a tremendous public health job and may God bless you and your family.

Conclusion:

This content warns that while taking prednisone and ibuprofen or naproxen at the same time, there is the potential for adverse drug interactions and bleeding ulcers to occur. It is therefore advised that only the lowest dose of both medications is taken, and further that a proton pump inhibitor such as Omeprazole, Prilosec, Prevacid, or Nexium, is added to help lessen the likelihood of any side effects arising from taking prednisone. This is due to the potential for negative outcomes from having these two medications together in the same body.

Key Takeaways

• Adding a proton pump inhibitor if taking prednisone and ibuprofen or naproxen together can help to reduce side effects.
• Proper care and monitoring should be taken when taking these drugs.
• Taking steroid and ibuprofen or naproxen together requires extra caution.
• Omeprazole, Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium are examples of proton pump inhibitors.
• Proton pump inhibitor medications may help to reduce the side effects of prednisone.