When they say a pain "killer"...
You have some aches from a little too much snow shoveling or, you've been cleaning house a little too strenuously. Your natural inclination may be to reach for an ibuprofen.
You may just want to hit the pause button before you do. Hear me out.
The preliminary findings of a new study have come along that suggests that pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen could raise your risk of a heart attack. This study, conducted by the University of Nottingham, England, analyzed data that was collected from general practitioners in England, Scotland, and Wales. Comparing data from 9,218 people who had first-time heart attacks with 86,349 people who didn't, they found that those with heart attacks were much more likely to have used an anti-inflammatory painkiller.
This study showed that Vioxx increased the risk of heart attack by 32 percent, and then went on to show ibuprofen linked to a 24 percent higher risk of heart attack than people who had not taken an anti-inflammatory in the past three years. They also found that older patients, who already have a higher risk of heart attack, would be even more vulnerable to the risk of heart attack from painkillers. The study found that Vioxx would cause one additional heart attack for every 700 patients over the age of 65, and ibuprofen would cause one extra heart attack for every 1,000 patients.
Now, what I like about this study is that it wasn't funded by Big Pharma. And I can't emphasize enough to be mindful about every pill you put into your body and its potential side effects. I especially want to caution you about daily use of these drugs. Not only do they increase your risk of heart attack, they also increase your risk of bleeding from your gastrointestinal tract, irreversible kidney damage and they have an adverse effect on your blood pressure. So you see, just because a drug is over-the-counter doesn't mean it's safe!
