Ibuprofen
The most recommended of 6 pain relievers
Recommended for inflammation pain, migraines and muscle pain, often better than acetaminophen. Main caveat: stomach upset and GI bleeding, plus kidney risk with regular use.
Recommended for inflammation pain, migraines and muscle pain, often better than acetaminophen. Main caveat: stomach upset and GI bleeding, plus kidney risk with regular use.
55 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 32
- criticize it
- 23
- approval share
- 58%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 32 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Strong, noticeable pain relief
“I've found great relief at times taking a moderately large dose of ibuprofen for several days”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “I am taking it so that the pain stops and I can function normally.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “When I took ibuprofen it did actually made an actual real change.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” - Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
- Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
- Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
Helps inflammation and muscle pain
“Spine issues are the single thing that pish me to ibuprofen or naproxen over acetaminophen.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “I've had good luck with ibuprofen for a herniated disc and sciatica pain.”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “You're probably taking the wrong painkiller: acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen” “Ibuprofen is a miracle worker for pain that is caused by inflammation”
Comment from 30 Apr 2026 in “You're probably taking the wrong painkiller: acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen” - Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?”
Effective for migraines and headaches
“The NNT (number of people you'd need to take it) to be headache free after 2 hours is about 20 for paracetamol. But only 14 for ibuprofen.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “Ibuprofen is very well supported as a treatment for migraines.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “it works far better at managing headaches/migraines”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” Alternating with acetaminophen gives coverage
“alternate between acetaminaphen/paracetamol and ibuprofen based otc painkillers”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen every 6 hours as needed works well”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “take both and alternate their dosing times for better pain coverage”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Stomach upset and GI bleeding
“The main issue with ibuprofen is that it can have fairly annoying (but non-life-threatening) side effects like stomach upset and GI bleeds even with normal dosing.”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “Ibuprofen destroys my stomach, often affecting me for days after a single dose.”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “I had intestinal bleeding after double ibuprofen dosage over several weeks”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” - Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
Little or no relief for some
“ibuprofen, methylprednisolone, epidural lumbar steroid injection all did little to nothing for my herniated disc nerve pain”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “ibuprofen and an oral steroid like methylprednisolone did nothing”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “for me ibuprofen doesn't seme to help at all with any of these”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” - Comment from 30 Apr 2026 in “You're probably taking the wrong painkiller: acetaminophen vs. ibuprofen”
Kidney damage with regular use
“has severely reduced kidney function from taking an ibuprofen+antihistamine most days of his early life”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “I do have some of it down to unwisely taking Ibuprofen semi-regularly, i.e. Kidneys, bladder.”
Comment from 16 Aug 2026 in “Semaglutide linked to 26% lower 5-year predicted dementia risk” “It can also cause kidney damage which can be life threatening”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” Problems worse with heavy or long use
“severe cramps once when I had to use a lot of ibuprofen”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know” “Those side effects are more problematic when used chronically.”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Should DayQuil Be Legal?” “very few people should be taking either of these drugs”
Comment from 22 Apr 2026 in “The Mystery in the Medicine Cabinet: Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and what to know”
Other pain relievers people recommend
The four most recommended other pain relievers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IbuprofenThis page | 32 | 23 | 58% | 5 | — | — |
| Acetaminophen | 14 | 18 | 44% | 3 | — | — |
| Naproxen | 8 | 7 | 53% | 2 | — | — |
| Paracetamol | 7 | 10 | 41% | 3 | — | — |
| Tylenol | 5 | 10 | 33% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
40 of the 61 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“statistically significant temperature reduction at 4h of ibuprofen”
“I do have some of it down to unwisely taking Ibuprofen semi-regularly, i.e. Kidneys, bladder.”
“apparently, Ibuprofen helps counter the dementia risk”
“alternate between acetaminaphen/paracetamol and ibuprofen based otc painkillers”
“only helps me with sever muscle pain associated with over exertion”
“Those side effects are more problematic when used chronically.”
“Ibuprofen works just as well or better than Acetaminophen”
“It can also cause kidney damage which can be life threatening”
“The main issue with ibuprofen is that it can have fairly annoying (but non-life-threatening) side effects like stomach upset and GI bleeds even with normal dosing.”
“The index for ibuprofen is waaaaay better than DayQuil”
“I've had good luck with ibuprofen for a herniated disc and sciatica pain.”
“I can't honestly say Ive experienced releif using either.”
“Ibuprofen is a miracle worker for pain that is caused by inflammation”
“ibuprofen, methylprednisolone, epidural lumbar steroid injection all did little to nothing for my herniated disc nerve pain”
“ibuprofen and an oral steroid like methylprednisolone did nothing”
“for me ibuprofen doesn't seme to help at all with any of these”
“ibuprofen by itself is the most impactful medicine I take”
“I am taking it so that the pain stops and I can function normally.”
“they do help. I had a bad case of bronchitis recently and the only way I was able to get to sleep was taking OTC ibuprofen”
“it works far better at managing headaches/migraines”
“Ibuprofen destroys my stomach, often affecting me for days after a single dose.”
“400-600mg kills it every time.”
“very few people should be taking either of these drugs”
“the difference it makes is like night and day”
“ibuprofen does. I wouldn't take ibuprofen for fever”
“Ibuprofen is the only thing that shifts them”
“The NNT (number of people you'd need to take it) to be headache free after 2 hours is about 20 for paracetamol. But only 14 for ibuprofen.”
“ibuprofen rarely has a gastric effect and when it does it's mild at best”
“alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen every 6 hours as needed works well”
“When I took ibuprofen it did actually made an actual real change.”
“Spine issues are the single thing that pish me to ibuprofen or naproxen over acetaminophen.”
“Ibuprofen is much safer, so long as you eat with it.”
“I've found great relief at times taking a moderately large dose of ibuprofen for several days”
“Ibuprofen is very well supported as a treatment for migraines.”
“Now, if I take even one pill, the heartburn comes back.”
“I had intestinal bleeding after double ibuprofen dosage over several weeks”
“take both and alternate their dosing times for better pain coverage”
“severe cramps once when I had to use a lot of ibuprofen”
“I tend to take a lot of ibuprofen and also for take another medication that constricts my arteries”
“has severely reduced kidney function from taking an ibuprofen+antihistamine most days of his early life”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.