Judy Finnigan 'almost died' after taking ibuprofen: what can too much do to your body?

Judy Finnigan has revealed she almost died after taking ibuprofen tablets for knee pain, which caused her to develop stomach ulcers and left her vomiting blood.

The 70-year-old former ‘This Morning’ presenter has opened up about the terrifying experience in a bid to warn others about the dangers.

After taking the over-the-counter painkillers “like sweeties” to ease the pain of a knee injury, Judy, who is married to TV presenter Richard, was left vomiting blood.

“Last autumn it happened to me and I nearly died… The culprit was good old over-the-counter ibuprofen, the seemingly harmless stuff you take for a bad back, or (in my case) a painful knee,” she wrote in her column for the Daily Express.

“I gulped the jolly little bright blue capsules, looking like sweeties, daily for a mere four weeks.”

Judy claims her life was saved by paramedics who rushed her to hospital where she was given two blood transfusions.

She was later told by her gastric consultant that she had “developed four large stomach ulcers in as many weeks. He’d found one directly above a main artery, which had ruptured”.

Judy went on to reveal that if she hadn’t gone to hospital when she did, she could have bled to death.

Thankfully the TV favourite spent four days in hospital recovering before being discharged.

Now she’s revealing all about her experience to throw a light on the risks associated with ibuprofen use.

“I’m absolutely fine now but I’ve become evangelical about stopping friends and family from taking ibuprofen,” Judy divulged.

“My consultant says he (and many of his colleagues) believe it should be banned from over-the-counter sale.”

According to the NHS adults can usually take one or two 200mg tablets every four to six hours, but shouldn’t take more than 1,200mg (six 200mg) tablets in the space of 24 hours.

Because ibuprofen can cause a number of side effects the site recommends taking the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time needed to control your symptoms.

Common side effects of ibuprofen include: nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhoea, indigestion (dyspepsia) or abdominal pain

Taking high doses of ibuprofen over long periods of time can also increase your risk of stroke and heart attacks.

If you are concerned you have taken more than the recommended dose of ibuprofen, the NHS advises you to go to A&E, even if you’re feeling well.

That’s because though some people feel sick, vomit, have abdominal pain or ringing in their ears after taking too much ibuprofen, often there are no symptoms at first.

Judy’s warning comes after new research revealed last year that pregnant women who take ibuprofen could be unwittingly harming the fertility of their unborn baby girls.

Taking the over-the-counter painkiller for just two days within first three months of pregnancy could cause the damage.

But even if pregnant women stop taking the painkiller, the damage could be irreversible, scientists also revealed.

And back in 2017 research revealed that taking painkillers, including ibuprofen, for just a week could increase the risk of heart attack.

By analysing data from nearly 450,000 patients, Canadian researchers linked five forms of painkillers (ibuprofen, rofecoxib, celecoxib, diclofenac, naproxen) to heart problems.

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