Painkillers are more dangerous than you think, according to new research from Europe.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often prescribed for many conditions to relieve pain, fever, and inflammation. However, these painkillers have been shown to cause harmful side effects, including higher blood pressure and increased risk of ulcers and liver damage.
The new study was a review of all the research in the area of NSAIDs and health risks. The researchers found that these medications may be very dangerous for the heart.
“It’s been well-known for a number of years that newer types of NSAIDs — what are known as COX-2 inhibitors, increase the risk of heart attacks. For this reason, a number of these newer types of NSAIDs have been taken off the market again. We can now see that some of the older NSAID types, particularly Diclofenac, are also associated with an increased risk of heart attack and apparently to the same extent as several of the types that were taken off the market,” says Morten Schmidt, MD and PhD from Aarhus University and lead author of the study.
“This is worrying, because these older types of medicine are frequently used throughout the western world and in many countries available without prescription,” he adds.
The European Society of Cardiology has now created a number of guidelines for doctors to consider before prescribing NSAIDs to their patients.
“When doctors issue prescriptions for NSAIDs, they must in each individual case carry out a thorough assessment of the risk of heart complications and bleeding. NSAIDs should only be sold over the counter when it comes with an adequate warning about the associated cardiovascular risks. In general, NSAIDs are not be used in patients who have or are at high-risk of cardiovascular diseases,” said Christian Torp-Pedersen cardiology professor from Aalborg University in Denmark.
The study showing that painkillers are more dangerous than you think was published in the European Heart Journal.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Common Painkillers Are More Dangerous than We Think.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
2. “Cardiovascular Safety of Non-aspirin Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Review and Position Paper by the Working Group for Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy of the European Society of Cardiology.” European Heart Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
