Naproxen and breathlessness

As far as I know non steroidal anti inflammatory such as ibuprofen and naproxen can cause breathlessness occasionally as an unusual side effect. This happens to my husband. Asthmatics etc should take with care.

I didn't think GP's were prescribing Naproxen due to the the long term effects especially if you stay on them too long.
I actually met someone who had significant Kidney damage from this drug, he was only in his 40's.

Push for a Hip replacement,that's the only thing that will help you.
Or Please get your GP to find something else

My promised update! It seems I've either had/got Long Covid, or there's been an interaction with drugs either of which have triggered asthma. I'm now on asthma inhalers which have made a real difference - and am off beta blockers, aspirin etc. Interestingly, the asthma nurse suggested I should be ok on Naproxen since Ibuprofen doesn't affect me. I had really improved on the inhalers.
Having been off Omeprazole for weeks, I took an Omeprazole one day, intending to re-start Naproxen as a trial, the following day. I then suffered 3 days of really bad breathing and hadn't taken any Naproxen. It seemed that for me maybe it was the Omeprazole that started all of this although breathlessness isn't listed as a side effect. Either way, hopefully I'm on the mend and thanks to everyone here- but especially to Mirren. ( Seeing a different doctor was certainly a 'life saver' too! - a different perspective and different experiences with her patients.)

I haven't forgotten my update but am still struggling to get to the bottom of things. Mirren and last week's doctor were both on the same track. No improvement as yet but I'm hoping and will post again at the weekend. I'm just hoping this thread won't get closed down so thought I'd do a quick message now.

I've spent the best part of today getting my thoughts sorted. Seeing Doc tomorrow and I don't want to waste a second. There's been so much going on with all these different meds it's taken me a while to order everything in my head. Thanks again for all your Sunday thoughts. I'll feed back how I get on. Rocketstop, I had Covid over 12 months ago but we did have the combined Covid/Flu jab in October so that's another query, I guess. Moviefan-thanks-I mentioned the Omeprazole to the doc but she wasn't concerned about it.
Yep, Growstuff, Mirren really has helped. By the way, how do I do the 'tag' thing for people's names? I can do it on FB but can't find how on here.

PS. I can't take NSAIDs such as Naproxen anyway.

Thank goodness Mirren has given you sound advice. Maybe while they're doing blood tests, they could check your Vitamin D and folate levels. A few years ago, I had severe breathlessness. I was especially worried because I've had a heart attack. I had my heart and lungs checked and my blood tested for loads of things. It turned out that I had very low Vitamin D and folate levels, which supplements sorted out in a very short time.

Have you had covid? A while ago ? Could you have long covid do you think ? It can leave you very breathless .

Just read that omeprazole can cause breathlessness. Maybe check that for contraindications.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Thanks Bea65 too for the explanations for MST/MSR, see, I’m lucky not to need morphine, I know! It’s become worse still over the past couple of days. I’m measuring by comparing my regular activities and how far I can manage to complete them. Yesterday and today, I struggled even though engrossed in enjoyable activities and not even considering my breathing.
I’m coming off Naproxen from tomorrow having reduced it gradually over the past week and I’m hoping that my work on hip strengthening, BioFreeze gel and Paracetamol when necessary will make it manageable. If need be, my back up plan now is to try Ibuprofen Gel and to avoid pills.
No barbyvon67, I don’t rely on my FitBit at all, we got a decent BP monitor but I found that despite my scepticism, my FitBit BPM are pretty much the same as the monitor and I really use it to measure against my previous performance. Thanks agedknees, I will check out vit b12 levels too. Wow I’ll be busy but so worth it! Finally, Mirren, you’ve given me the confidence to get back in touch with the Practice. I’m going to see if I can see a different doctor-for a different view and I’ll follow your advice. I remember when we were living close to Birmingham City Centre, I used to catch my breath when exercising but, that went once we moved to the countryside. It figures that it’s quite possible that what you say could be the case-an asthmatic tendency has been triggered. I’ll let you know. I did develop a silly cough which lasted for weeks but I thought nothing of it. I’ve answered fully, partly to thank you all, but also because maybe my experiences will help someone else. Hope it’s not too wordy.

I'm a GP .
The group of drugs that include Naproxen are contraindicated for people with asthma as they can trigger breathlessness. It is possible you have an asthmatic tendency you didn't know about but the Naproxen has triggered.
They can also cause gastrointestinal bleeding even if you are taking stomach protector. A slow bleed may make you anaemic and this makes you short of breath.
Thirdly , if you are over 60 then this group of drugs is not recommended, even with gastric protector, as they can cause kidney damage. Again , kidney problems can cause anaemia or make you short of breath.
I recommend you cease taking the
Naproxen and seek a blod test for anaemia and renal function from your GP

I have serious lower back and right hip arthritis. I do a series of stretches which are extremely helpful, each morning and sometimes later in the day too.

Occasionally I take an extra strength Tylenol [paracetamol/acetaminophen] or Advil [ibuprofen].

I hope you find the answer to your shortness of breath.

Have you had your haemoglobin levels tested? My test results showed that my levels were below normal. I was sent for a blood transfusion immediately, and the effects were instantaneous - breathlessness gone and a lot more cheerful.

I have COPD and have been told not to use NSAIDs - Naproxen, Ibuprofen, etc. - because they are likely to make my breathing worse. Might be worth having that discussion with your doctor? Hope you get sorted soon.

Have you had your vit b12 levels checked?

The breathlessness sounds heart related rather than the side effect of a drug. I have rheumatoid arthritis for which I take Meloxicam. I did take Omeprazole, but it is not advisable to take for a long time. It caused me to end up in hospital, so it has now been replaced by Famotidine. Otherwise I've had no problems.

I'm rather concerned that you rely on your fitbit to measure your blood pressure. Have you used a proper bp monitor machine to compare as my smart watch bp reading was just not accurate enough for my high BP. I was told NOT to take Naproxen with my bp medication.

Hi naproxen as a non steroidal can exacerbate asthma.You may have mild asthma previously undiagnosed.Try stopping for a few days and seeing if your breathlessness improves.Painkillers such as paracetamol and anything codeine based could be used shorterm instead for pain relief.I assume you have already had your blood checked for anaemia which can also be a side effect.

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but I'm asthmatic and cannot take any of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (such as Naproxen and ibuprofen) because they make my asthma worse. Bear in mind that, contrary to what we often think, asthmatic attacks rarely show as wheezing and are far more likely to show as breathlessness or coughing, which is usually during exercise or at night. And a lot of people have a tendency to asthma that is un-diagnosed. Wonder if you could get an appointment with practice nurse/Doctor at your surgery and ask them to do a Peak Flow reading ( which is just a question of blowing hard into a little hand-held machine)?

I can’t take naproxen as I’m asthmatic. It was prescribed for me by another doctor and I was ok with it didn’t take it in large doses just to get me through the day. However a doctor told me any asthmatic shouldn’t take this as it can make asthma worse. Hope this helps.

Urgh not steroid Sulphate …
Had 2 teeth removed Monday and not coping well..

borderjoe apologies.. MST is morphine steroid tablet - mine is oramorph..
It’s 03:20 am and can’t sleep so ignore the previous post🙏

MST .. 🤷‍♀️ should have typed MSR morphine slow release tablets only have them prescribed in the worst flare ups as cannot move when pain is excruciating and affects my breathing

Bea65

Doodledog

Are you actually breathless, or is it that you are not getting enough oxygen? Also, is your breathing worse when you are outside as opposed to indoors?

If so, you might have whatever I have, which remains a mystery. I have had a battery of tests and my heart and lungs are both mechanically fine, but I desaturate as soon as I walk outside. It's very debilitating and has led to my putting on weight and restricting my activities.

I do take Lansoprasole, but this was prescribed a while after the breathing issues started, so I don't think there is a link in my case.

I’ve been taking Naproxen daily for 12 years + with Lansoprasole taken first thing in morning- as Doodledog mentions walking outside, i do have slight breathing problems… and also have piled on weight due to reduced mobility and other health issues which is very frustrating…
I wouldn’t cope without naproxen unless in a flare up when I need MST ..
Hope you 💐

Thanks @Bea65 - The Omeprazole is causing me problems so I'm going to have to go back to doc's. At least they're good about prescribing (@kircubbin2000), and the Naproxen does work for my arthritis-it's just all the side effects and on top of this breathing worry now too. What's MST? Just wondering....

Doodledog

Are you actually breathless, or is it that you are not getting enough oxygen? Also, is your breathing worse when you are outside as opposed to indoors?

If so, you might have whatever I have, which remains a mystery. I have had a battery of tests and my heart and lungs are both mechanically fine, but I desaturate as soon as I walk outside. It's very debilitating and has led to my putting on weight and restricting my activities.

I do take Lansoprasole, but this was prescribed a while after the breathing issues started, so I don't think there is a link in my case.

I’ve been taking Naproxen daily for 12 years + with Lansoprasole taken first thing in morning- as Doodledog mentions walking outside, i do have slight breathing problems… and also have piled on weight due to reduced mobility and other health issues which is very frustrating…
I wouldn’t cope without naproxen unless in a flare up when I need MST ..
Hope you 💐