Analgesic Medication and Exercise

Athletes often take analgesic drugs to relieve soreness after exercise. A couple common analgesic drugs that can be found over-the-counter and are taken post-exercise are ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Although these drugs have been suggested to relieve muscle soreness after exercise, they may have negative physiological effects as well. Typically, after exercise, muscle protein synthesis increases, leading to hypertrophy of the involved muscles. In a study done by Trappe, White, Lambert, Cesar, Hellerstein, and Evans (2002), subjects who had consumed ibuprofen and acetaminophen post-exercise actually experienced weakened protein synthesis. These results suggest that long-term use of analgesic medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen may actually decrease the typical hypertrophy that follows eccentric training. Therefore, if an athlete is trying to build muscle, they may not benefit from taking analgesic drugs often.

Another important and less well-known physiological effect of analgesic medication on the body is that on the kidneys. Farquhar, Morgan, Zambraski, and Kenney (1999) suggested that it is safer to consume acetaminophen than ibuprofen because it has less severe renal effects. In individuals who had recently exercised, ibuprofen was more likely to decline renal function. These findings suggest that it may not be safe to consume certain analgesic drugs during exercise in order to maintain the function of the kidneys so that an individual may avoid dehydration during exercise.

Analgesic medications can have effects that are not immediately noticed. One analgesic drug in particular, morphine, has latent effects on ventilation. Researchers found that even though morphine may seem to have waned its effect on the bloodstream, it can still linger and compromise the ventilatory processes. Specifically, even after the arterial blood-gas chemistry eventually reaches stability, morphine can inhibit minute ventilation and negatively alter ventilatory responses, especially in cases where oxygen or carbon dioxide levels change drastically. These effects can be devastating for a patient undergoing a rigorous exercise regiment and at potential risk for either hypoxia or hypercapnia.