A listener asks, “I’ve heard that over-the-counter painkillers may be bad for my heart. Could this be true?”
Well, research does suggest that high doses of certain pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, may indeed be linked to increased heart risks. But don’t pour out your pills just yet.
Study results show the risk occurred only in patients with “moderate heart disease,” and even for these, the risk was statistically small. Not only that, their ibuprofen dosage was much higher than average.
So the risk is low, but it’s there. If you have heart disease, I think it’s wise to talk with your doctor about whether you should take ibuprofen or another pain reliever such as acetaminophen or naproxen, just to be safe.
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Here are some of my other blogs on ibuprofen:
- Ibuprofen prevents (and reduces severity of) acute mountain sickness
- AHRQ releases report on analgesics for osteoarthritis
- Study: NSAIDs, aspirin, and acetaminophen may all reduce risk for certain skin cancers
- If you have hypertension can you take NSAIDs?
- Study suggests NSAIDs raise risk of miscarriage
- Two OTC drugs give better pain relief than one for osteoarthritis
- Some NSAIDs potentially dangerous for heart attack survivors
- Cardiovascular safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Taking low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs can be a challenge (Part 1)
- Taking low-dose aspirin and NSAIDs can be a challenge (Part 2)
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BTW, you can listen to the podcast of this news story here.
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