A man suffered serious consequences after taking over 1,000 ibuprofen tablets in one month.
It can be easy to reach for painkillers when you're suffering with an ongoing, painful condition.
But it's important to be aware of when to stop taking them and seek medical advice instead.
Advert
Taking too many can cause damage to your health, which is unfortunately what one man discovered after taking 1,176 ibuprofen tablets in the space of a month.
The case was discussed on YouTube channel @chubbyemu, where viewers heard about 34-year-old 'SB', who was a keen runner.
As a result of his hobby, SB was often left suffering from a fair amount of aches and pains.
Advert
Looking to remedy this, he took a few tablets to get rid of his soreness, but drastically misunderstood the guidance and dosage.
SB began popping seven ibuprofens over a 24-hour period and felt like a new man - but he began relying on the medication far too much and ended up swallowing numerous tablets at once.
For a couple of weeks, he was consuming as many as 28 tablets a day, which is massively in excess of the recommended adult dosage of one or two 200mg tablets, three times a day.
SB continued doing this until one day when he swallowed a handful of ibuprofen and realised they didn't seem to go all the way down, as he complained that they felt 'stuck in his chest'.
Advert
His condition took a turn when he started experiencing sharp chest pains - but instead of seeking help, he consumed even more to help with the pain.
He also began tasting blood, vomiting blood and his stools were worryingly dark.
Eventually, he went to the hospital after struggling to urinate and experiencing dizziness, aches and fatigue.
Doctors noticed he was incredibly pale, his blood pressure would drop when he stood up and that his heart rate was through the roof.
Advert
They also discovered that he was experiencing haematemesis, which suggests a patient is bleeding internally and vomiting blood as a result.
Further tests revealed his excessive ibuprofen use had caused ulcers in his oesophagus and his stomach which had began to bleed, on top of the fact that his kidneys were failing.
Doctors had to perform urgent dialysis treatment to fix SB's kidneys as well as cauterisation to stop the bleeding.
Advert
Thankfully, he made a full recovery.
According to the NHS, you should always follow your doctor or pharmacist's advice and the instructions that come with your medicine.
Topics: Health
Lucy Devine