What It Means When Taking Ibuprofen Makes You Tired – Health Digest

WebMD does list drowsiness among the side effects of this medication. However, Advil states that regular ibuprofen isn’t known to cause tiredness because it doesn’t contain the typical components known for drowsiness. Certain products do carry a drowsiness warning, though. For example, Advil PM combines the sleep aid diphenhydramine with ibuprofen to make you tired and pain-free as you hit the hay. Look at your medication bottle to ensure your product has only ibuprofen as an ingredient. Tiredness can also be a sign that you took more than the recommended dose of the medication and requires a call to your doctor, per Medline Plus.

When you are feeling sleepy after taking ibuprofen, try to rest. Drowsiness can affect your cognitive function, especially for tasks like driving and operating machinery. Additionally, Harvard Health Publishing notes that sleepiness due to ibuprofen can warrant a call to your doctor. According to pharmacist Laura Carr, “Many people report tiredness or fatigue as a side effect from their medicines. However, there are things you can do to minimize the feelings of daytime sleepiness […It] may simply be a matter of adjusting the dose or changing the medication that’s causing the drowsiness.”

It also might not be the drug that’s making you sleepy, but the pain you feel creates sleep quality issues. Per Carr, easing your sleepiness from ibuprofen might require a good night’s sleep and avoiding substances that can cause tiredness, like alcohol.