Two of the common triggers of IBS are antibiotics and use/overuse of pain medication (over the counter and prescribed non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like opiates/pain meds and over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofen.
When the biome is already struggling to stay in balance, one course of antibiotics or consistent use of pain meds can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back or in this case the camel’s digestive lining.
Leaky gut or intestinal permeability occurs when the tight junction of the intestinal lining develop tiny holes and undigested food particles or bacteria leak into the bloodstream, causing an inflammatory response in the immune system.
This is how food sensitivities can develop. The immune system tags a food as the enemy when it leaks into the blood stream where it doesn’t belong.
When the biome is already out of balance and there’s already inflammation, then insults like antibiotics, NSAIDs, acute/chronic stress, or environmental toxins like mold, glyphosate or heavy metals can trigger leaky gut, spike inflammation and throw the biome even further out of whack.
The symptoms of leaky gut are typically constipation or diarrhea, joint pain/body aches, skin issues, brain fog, food sensitivities, skin reactions, bloating, fatigue and/or anxiety/depression. Leaky gut, if left unchecked, can lead to autoimmunity if the right factors are in place. Sealing the gut lining removes one of the necessary foundations for autoimmune disease to begin or antibody attack to persist.
That said, sometimes antibiotics and pain medications are unavoidable.
I’ve written about how to ease damage from antibiotics here.
This post is about how to reverse the intestinal damage caused by pain medication.
In this post, I will cover how to support your body while on NSAIDS to ease damage to the gut lining and avoid permeability. If your gut is already leaky this will prevent it from getting worse.
Note: how do you know your gut is leaky? There are tests for it. The GI Map has a marker for zonulin that test for leaky gut. If you are interested in ordering the GI Map, you can get more information here.
Protective supplements
L glutamine is one of the best things to take to mitigate damage to the lining.
Hydrolyzed collagen is also very supportive to the gut lining and should be taken 30 minutes after the meds. I like to dissolve a tablespoon of collagen in a glass of hot tea or room temp water. Collagen also helps mend the stomach lining.
NAC helps the liver bounce back after taking Tylenol. The liver works hard to detox pharmaceuticals. NAC helps liver enzymes function more optimally and helps process toxins from the body. One or two NAC with meals daily is very supportive.
DGL licorice also helps sooth and seal the stomach and gut lining. You can get a capsule with other soothing herbs or if you have SIBO I suggest a pure powdered form.
Lowering inflammation from leaky gut
If you are feeling inflamed, here’s natural support for managing inflammation naturally, which could lessen the need for pain meds in the long run.
My favorite anti inflammatory supplements are curcumini* (an anti-inflammatory extract from turmeric), fish oil and zinc carnosine. *It is important to get a curcumin extract without black pepper (bioperine) which can also damage the gut.
Megasporbiotic is a soil based probiotic that is particularly good for sealing the gut lining. You can buy it at this online dispensary.
Other probiotics can also support the biome, but Megasporbiotic is safe for SIBO and also has antibacterial properties which can weaken pathogenic bacteria to help the immune system destroy them.
Aloe, marshmallow and slippery elm are herbs that can also heal and seal the gut lining but may not be tolerated by people with bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO).
Incorporate these foods
Bone broth is an extremely healing food for the gut lining and should be included in the diet during NSAID use while inflammatory foods like gluten and dairy are taken out.
Fermented foods like yogurt and sauerkraut are also beneficial for the biome. But avoid these with SIBO, candida and histamine issues.
Foods that are high in lectins, like grains and nuts, can be harsh on the gut lining and can be removed to sooth the gut when taking pain meds.
Blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, plantains, cocoa, carob, clove and green tea all contain polyphenols, which feed beneficial bacteria and lower inflammation.
A strong biome full of diverse beneficial bacteria is your best protection against inflammation and leaky gut. These beneficial bacteria work closely with the immune system to protect the gut and keep it in balance.
My supplements suggestions are not novel, it’s just a reminder to do them during the course of NSAIDs or pain meds AND afterwards to mitigate damage.
Are all pain med damaging to the gut?
Doctors are taught that ibuprofen, which is an NSAID, can cause gastritis and stomach ulcers and in extreme cases, can result in upper-gastrointestinal bleeding and the need for surgery and blood transfusions. But they are taught that this only occurs with prolonged use in high doses.
But even short-term use in regular doses can lead to gut damage and have negative health consequences for some people.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all the conventional NSAIDs studied were equally associated with small intestinal inflammation apart from aspirin and nabumetone which seem to spare the small bowel.
Another study concluded, NSAIDs are thus shown to disrupt intestinal integrity and long-term treatment leads to inflammation of the small intestine.
IMPORTANT: Some people who take Ibuprofen and Tylenol together can experience stomach or abdominal pain. It is better to stagger them a couple of hours away from each other.
Here’s a list of common NSAIDs: the top three are the most commonly used.
- Advil / Motrin (ibuprofen)
- Aspirin
- Aleve (naproxen sodium)
- Celebrex
- Naprosyn (naproxen)
- Lodine (etodolac)
- Mobic
- Nalfon (fenoprofen)
- Daypro (oxaprozin)
- Ansaid (flurbiprofen)
- Cambia / Cataflam / Voltaren (diclofenac)
- COX-2 Inhibitors
Understanding the side effects of NSAIDs will inspire caution and help you be prepared. I avoid pain meds at all cost, choosing to use CBD instead. I have only taken one ibuprofen in the last 5 years to treat a painful tooth infection.
If you need to use NSAIDs in the short term to manage pain, cleaning up your diet, lowering stress and adding supportive foods and supplements can reduce potential gut damage and save pain, suffering and expenses later.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.