Take after food

I have the answer to this question as I too sometimes need painkillers in the night. Lloyd’s pharmacy are the first suppliers of Flarin which is a liquid gel tablet of Ibuprofen but this particularly type can be taken on an empty stomach. They cost about £7.45 for about 20. Other chemists should stock them soon.

I took one last night because of inflammation in my knee and it worked a treat.

Eat a couple of small savoury biscuits. I always have marmite rice cakes in the cupboard and eat one of those if I need to take pain killers at night.

Just take them. Taking with food is to protect your stomach lining, it is not compulsary.
I have multiple sclerosis which causes me to take many pain killers in addition to my prescription drugs.
When I am having a bad time I'd end up the size of a house if I ate every time I took some painkillers.

Take them as directed. Anti inflammatories can damage the stomach lining resulting in haematemesis (vomiting blood) .
from a stomach ulcer or severe gastritis. If you vomit blood and also have a burning or gnawing pain in your tummy, the most likely causes are a stomach ulcer or severe inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis). Bleeding occurs when the ulcer or inflammation damages an underlying artery.
I have witnessed it and would not wish it on you.
Better overweight than dead.

And apparently the effect is worse after the age of 60. I had to tale ibuprofen recently and was prescribed a second pill to take once a day to protect the stomach lining.
You can take paracetamol as well as Ibuprofen, and that doesn't need to be taken with food. So use them in the night if necessary

Sounds like NanKate has a good solution. You could just keep these gel coated ones for night emergencies?

I eat a handful of dried apricots. They are fairly high in sugar/calories though.

If you have had an evening meal/ supper you stomach has probably still got food in it. When I used to do the last medication round on the ward and indeed during the night we didn't give anyone something to eat unless of course they requested it.

Please don't take them on an empty stomach, the damage they cause is appalling and if you do have damage you will not be able to take the anti-inflammatory for a long time.