Does a Toradol Injection or Pill Affect IBS?

I was recently injured and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), or ibuprofen, was the best way to treat my injuries and provide a bit of pain relief. Unfortunately, ibuprofen is a huge trigger for my IBS.

In fact, it previously caused my flares to return after a very long period without a single flare. I explained to the doctor that I was very concerned about how an NSAID would affect my IBS.

Avoiding ibuprofen with IBS

I was grateful the doctor understood my concerns about triggering a severe IBS flare. She thought for a second, then asked if I had tried Toradol. I had never heard of it.

She explained that a Toradol injection might not have the same effect since it bypasses the digestive system. She took the time to discuss the pros and cons. Quite honestly, the pros were outweighing the cons. I decided to give it a try.

A Toradol injection really stings

First off, let me say this. These injections sting. I was warned that the injection would feel much like a bee sting and would continue to sting for about five minutes. I was prepared for something similar to an antibiotic injection.

The stinging came in waves for over an hour, and it did feel as intense as a bee sting. It was weird. I wouldn’t say it was really painful, but it was agitating and lasted much longer than expected.

Will Toradol cause an IBS flare?

After receiving the injection, I prepared for the worst. I expected a severe flare and all the pain that goes with it. Adding a flare to my injury would not be fun, but I really did need an NSAID to treat my injury and help it heal.

The doctor also prescribed me Toradol in pill form if I wanted to try continuing to take it for pain relief and to help with swelling. I decided to wait a day and see how the injection affected me.

The benefits

The injection helped a great deal with both pain and swelling. I think part of the initial pain relief was the result of paying more attention to the weird stinging sensation as opposed to my actual injury. Still, I do feel it was beneficial and don’t regret my decision to try it.

I expected to be a lot more swollen and stiff the next morning. I was not, and I do feel that was the result of the injection. If you’re on the fence about it, my personal experience was that it did help prevent more swelling and stiffness.

Injection or pills

Did the injection cause an IBS flare? It did not. I don’t know if it was a fluke or if her idea of it not causing problems because it bypasses the digestive system was correct. All I know is it did not trigger an IBS flare. I didn’t have any issues whatsoever.

My experience with the Toradol injection was that it did not trigger a flare and the benefits I received from the injection would have been worth it even if it had. Did the pill cause any issues? I was not brave enough to press my luck and was quite happy with how a combination of the injection and icing controlled and reduced the swelling. I decided against trying to take the pills.

Have you had a Toradol injection? What was your experience with it? Share with us in the comments below!