If you've been doing everything right, cutting trigger foods, taking your supplements, avoiding alcohol, and your gastritis still won't fully settle, it's worth asking a question most people never think to ask: what have you been taking for headaches, back pain, or period cramps?

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are some of the most commonly used medications in the world, and also one of the most common causes of gastritis and stomach lining damage. They're so normalised that most people never connect the dots between "I took some ibuprofen for my headache" and "my stomach has been burning for three days."

What counts as an NSAID

You've almost certainly taken one of these:

• Ibuprofen (Nurofen, Advil)
• Aspirin
• Naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve)
• Diclofenac (Voltarol)

They're in painkillers, period relief tablets, cold and flu remedies, and anti-inflammatory gels and creams (yes, even the gels can be absorbed systemically in meaningful amounts if used regularly). Many people take them for years for chronic pain, arthritis, or migraines without ever being warned about what they're doing to the gut lining.

Why NSAIDs damage the stomach lining

Your stomach lining survives its own acid because of a protective barrier: a layer of mucus and bicarbonate that shields the tissue underneath. That barrier is maintained by compounds called prostaglandins.

NSAIDs work by blocking an enzyme called COX (cyclooxygenase), which is exactly how they reduce pain and inflammation. The problem is that COX-1, one of the enzyme types they block, is also responsible for producing the prostaglandins that protect your stomach lining.

So the same mechanism that relieves your headache also strips away your stomach's natural defence system. Without that protective barrier, stomach acid starts irritating and eroding the lining directly, which is precisely what gastritis is.

This isn't a rare side effect. It's a direct, mechanical consequence of how NSAIDs work, which is why gastritis and NSAID use show up together so often in research and in clinic. Some people feel it immediately as burning or nausea. Others don't feel anything until the damage has already progressed to erosions or ulcers.

Signs NSAIDs might be behind your gastritis

• Your symptoms flare within a day or two of taking a painkiller
• You take NSAIDs regularly for a chronic issue (back pain, migraines, arthritis, period pain)
• You've been prescribed or advised to take a low-dose aspirin daily
• Your gastritis improved with diet and supplements but keeps relapsing for no obvious food reason
• You get stomach pain specifically on an empty stomach after taking a painkiller

If any of that sounds familiar, the trigger you've been looking for might not be on your plate at all.

What to use instead

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) works through a different mechanism and doesn't carry the same stomach lining risk, which is why it's usually the first recommendation for pain relief when you have gastritis or a history of it.

For inflammation-related pain specifically (like arthritis or injury), non-drug options are worth exploring with a healthcare provider: topical treatments away from the gel-absorption issue mentioned above, physiotherapy, heat and cold therapy, and in some cases prescription alternatives that are gentler on the gut.

If you genuinely need NSAIDs

Sometimes there isn't a substitute, some conditions are managed with NSAIDs specifically because nothing else works as well. If that's your situation, this isn't about never taking them again, it's about doing it as safely as possible:

• Always take them with food, never on an empty stomach
• Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible
• Speak to your GP about whether a stomach-protecting medication (like a PPI) alongside long-term NSAID use makes sense for you, though it's worth knowing PPIs come with their own long-term trade-offs if you end up on one for years
• Track your symptoms so you and your doctor can see the pattern clearly

This is general information, not medical advice. If you're on long-term NSAIDs and have gastritis symptoms, that's a conversation worth having with your doctor, not something to self-manage.

Supporting your gut lining if NSAIDs have been part of the picture

If NSAIDs have been quietly working against you, the good news is your stomach lining has a real capacity to repair, but it needs the right raw materials and a break from what's damaging it.

This is exactly why we built the Advanced Gut Repair Formula around DGL (deglycyrrhizinated liquorice), slippery elm, marshmallow root, and aloe vera, ingredients traditionally used to support and soothe the stomach lining, alongside Bacillus Coagulans for a settled gut microbiome. It's not a replacement for stopping what's causing the damage, but it's built to support the lining while you make that change.

Shop the Advanced Gut Repair Formula →

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