Is Fish Oil Safe with Ibuprofen?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid taking high-dose fish oil (>3g/day) with ibuprofen. If combined, monitor for unusual bruising, prolonged bleeding, or blood in stool. Consult your doctor before use.
Why this interaction occurs
Both ibuprofen (via COX-1 inhibition reducing thromboxane A2) and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids inhibiting platelet aggregation) impair platelet function through different mechanisms. Concurrent use additively increases bleeding risk, particularly in the GI tract.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 218,701 reports mentioning Ibuprofen. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Ibuprofen + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Fish Oil interactions → · All Ibuprofen interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.