Wisdom Teeth Taken Out. Taking Ibuprofen 600mg. Noticed Blood In Stool. Is This Normal?

Posted on Tue, 27 Nov 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 Answered on

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : I recently had my wisdom teeth taken out (just over a week ago). I was taking 600 mg Ibuprofen up until the day before yesterday. 3 times that I have went number 2 there's been bright red blood. I'm scared that it might be something more serious. Should I wait to see if it stops or go to the hospital ? Or is it common?

Answered by Dr. G.Srinivasan (2 hours later)

Hi,
Welcome to XXXXXXX and thanks for your query.
Ibuprofen does not produce fresh blood in stool.
The bleeding caused by Ibuprofen if at all, is from the stomach. It manifests as black coloured stools, because by the time the blood reaches the rectum, the colour changes.
Fresh blood is something else and is usually related to pathology in the rectum like piles or anal fissure.
This type of bleeding is not an emergency, unless it is massive. It usually stops to recur again.
Kindly consult a surgeon to look out for a cause.
Wishing you good health,

Regards
DR GS

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar