Taking a lot of ibuprofen while working out might slow down your muscle growth — people on high-dose ibuprofen gained less muscle over 8 weeks compared to those on a low-dose aspirin-like drug.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Community contributions welcome

High doses of anti‐inflammatory drugs compromise muscle strength and hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training in young adults

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2018 Feb

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

High doses of anti‐inflammatory drugs compromise muscle strength and hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training in young adults

Score: 54

DOI: 10.1111/apha.12948

Similar Assertions

Taking a high dose of ibuprofen every day might slow down your strength gains when doing certain types of intense exercise, especially flywheel training, more than regular weightlifting — and the type of workout could change how much the painkiller affects your progress.

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Older guys getting back into exercise after leg inactivity don’t seem to gain or lose muscle strength or size from taking ibuprofen every day, even if they’re also drinking protein shakes.

72%