Hello, I am being treated for bone marrow cancer and I have osteoarthritis pain in my knees. Can I take Advil?

Question

A pharmacist told me to avoid turmeric and instead advised me to take Tylenol, which helps a little, but it is not enough to control my knee pain. I take: - Tylenol (pain) - Aspirin - Zolpidem (insomnia) - Calcium (bone) - Vitamin D (bone) - Dexamethasone (cancer) - Revlimid (cancer) - Pantoprazole (heartburn) Okay, I take note of your advice. Everything is clear, thank you very much!

Mannar Dayoub · Accepted Answer

Hello, I'm glad you wrote to us before making the decision. Advil is an anti-inflammatory drug and is therefore not in the same class as Tylenol, a painkiller without anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory medications that you can buy without a prescription (Motrin, Advil, Aleve, etc.) should be avoided because they increase the risk of bleeding when you are already taking Aspirin and Revlimid. Aspirin and Dexamethasone can also cause heartburn. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil, may make the situation worse. What you can do is optimize the dose of Tylenol depending on what you are currently taking. In fact, the maximum recommended dose is either 650 mg every 4 hours or 1000 mg every 6 hours. Let me know if you need clarification! Jean-Paul Duong, pharmacy student Supervised by Mannar Dayoub, pharmacist