Many of my patients do not take any ibuprofen. If you need to take it, then you should do so while you are having discomfort. It is rare to require ibuprofen for more than 2 to 3 weeks.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Coming back for your follow-up appointment with the vein specialist is very important; it will help the vein specialist to reassess and decide the best course of treatment.

Also, communicating any question or concern to your provider is very important. Not all the cases are the same and not everyone responds to treatment in the same way. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong; you might just need a little more time to recover for your specific case.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Ibuprofen is basically used to help with minor inflammation and/or discomfort/pain. It really doesn't 'treat' anything, per se, so there isn't a requirement or absolute need to take it.

Ideally, it is best to minimize the use of medications (over-the-counter or not) unless that medication is actually helping to 'fix' or 'stabilize' something, like a blood pressure medication or medication for sugar control in diabetes. This is especially when there are options to treat the pain/inflammation that help manage the 'root cause' of the symptoms more naturally.

In my practice, I generally only recommend ibuprofen or Tylenol if needed for discomfort after EVLA and most of my patients either don't take it at all or only use it for a day or two.

The best way to treat discomfort after EVLA is to get up and move (walking and stretching are great!) and use ice, if needed, for the first couple of days. Many of my patients say that they 'generally know something was done' for about 2 weeks after the procedure, but it doesn't stop them from doing their normal activities and, in fact, continuing their normal activities actually helps it feel better. If you still feel the need to take ibuprofen a week after EVLA, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about that.

Published on Jul 11, 2012