Can I Take Aspirin and Ibuprofen Together?

If your doctor has recommended a daily aspirin but you've seen warnings about mixing aspirin and ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil), you may wonder how big the risk is, and whether a daily aspirin means you can never take an ibuprofen.

If so, what should you do about a headache or pain from an injury? There's no across-the-board answer. It all depends on a lot of personal factors.

Why Daily Aspirin?​

Doctors sometimes recommended a daily low dose of aspirin (81 mg per day) to help reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Aspirin helps prevent them by interfering with your blood’s ability to form dangerous clots.

However, aspirin is not without risk. It can cause stomach upset and bleeding, including:

• Nose bleeds
• Stomach
• Intestinal bleeding
• Bleeding in the brain

Taking daily aspirin is recommended only when the likely benefits greatly outweigh the likely risks for you.

Low-dose aspirin is no longer recommended for healthy older people. Aspirin should also be avoided in anyone under 16 years of age.

The decision to take daily aspirin must be individualized and always must be discussed with your doctor. It's important to learn more about whether taking a daily aspirin is right for you.

Mixing Aspirin and Ibuprofen

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ibuprofen can interfere with the anti-clotting effect of low-dose aspirin, potentially making aspirin less effective at protecting you from a heart attack or stroke.

The FDA recommends you consider the following:

• If you use ibuprofen occasionally, there's a minimal risk that it'll interfere with the effect of low-dose aspirin.
• If you need a single dose of ibuprofen, take it 8 hours before or 30 minutes after taking a regular (not enteric-coated/extended-relief) low-dose aspirin.
• If you need to take ibuprofen more often, talk to your doctor about medication alternatives. Your doctor may recommend a painkiller that does not interfere with the effect of low-dose aspirin.

Ibuprofen belongs to a class of medications known as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). You shouldn't take another NSAID (such as naproxen) without talking to your doctor, since they may also potentially interfere with the effect of low-dose aspirin.

Higher Aspirin Doses

The FDA recommendations are only for regular (also called immediate-release) low-dose aspirin.

Ibuprofen's ability to interfere with the anti-clotting effects of enteric-coated aspirin or larger doses of aspirin (such as a 325 mg adult aspirin) is unknown.

To be on the safe side and prevent an unwanted drug interaction, always talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications if you're using aspirin in any form.

Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen

Unlike aspirin and ibuprofen, which should not be mixed, ibuprofen and acetaminophen (the drug in Tylenol) can be mixed.

In fact, results from one small study published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia suggest that taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen together (in a mixed formulation called Maxigesic) provided superior pain relief for people who'd just had oral surgery.