Over-the-counter painkillers, including ibuprofen, may have an unexpected and ‘alarming’ effect on our emotions, according to new research.
A team from the University of California has found that ibuprofen may influence how we respond to emotionally painful experiences, after analysing existing research.
Rather than see this as a magical cure for the broken hearted or spurned, the team are concerned about the results, saying that consumers do not understand the psychological effects of taking these pills.
In one of the studies, women who took a dose of ibuprofen reported feeling less hurt from emotionally painful experiences, including being rejected and recalling a time they were betrayed, than those who took placebos. Interestingly, the opposite effect was seen in men.
Lead author Dr Kyle Ratner and his team, writing in the journal Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, said: ‘In many ways, the reviewed findings are alarming. Consumers assume that when they take an over-the-counter pain medication, it will relieve their physical symptoms, but they do not anticipate broader psychological effects.’
They added that, while the medicine may have new potential for helping people deal with hurt, more research is needed to determine the efficacy and determine if it would have negative effects when taken in combination with other medications, such as anti-depressants.
And, speaking about the findings to Prima.co.uk, integrative psychotherapist, couples’ counsellor and life coach Hilda Burke expressed concern at the prospect of painkillers being taken for emotional pain.
In fact, she argues that experiencing pain is crucial in order to move forward from an emotionally painful episode, such as a break-up.
She said: ‘It’s natural to want to do something to ease the [emotional] pain and many of us will do our utmost to avoid experiencing our feelings.
‘The irony is that the only way to get over the pain is to go through the pain.’
Hilda continued: ‘While this study suggests that the painkiller does lessen emotional pain, what happens when the person stops taking it? It’s just delaying the inevitable. If we’re brave enough to face up to our pain and endure it, there’s a lot we can learn.’
Offering advice on what to do if you’re going through an emotionally difficult time, she added: ‘It may seem easier to distract ourselves away from the pain but by employing those coping techniques we aren’t being honest with ourselves. The first step in healing is to engage with the pain, to recognise it, to acknowledge what we have lost. Only by doing that can we hope to move on.’
