Ibuprophen risks

One of the best otc drugs for pain IMO.

Kill or cure?

Chloe Rhodes asks, what's the truth about... ibuprofen?





Ibuprofen - sold under a variety of labels, including Nurofen, Cuprofen, Advil, Motren, Proflex and Anadin - is one of the most regularly used painkillers. It is effective in the relief of muscular aches, period pains, headaches, backache, rheumatic pain, dental pain and neuralgia, and it can also reduce feverishness and the symptoms of colds and flu. But, last week, doctors warned it might increase the risk of a heart attack. Can we trust it, or should we look for an alternative?

Why the bad news?
According to new research, long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - including ibuprofen, the only one that is available over the counter - can significantly increase the risk of having a heart attack. The study, carried out at Nottingham University, examined the cases of 9,000 men and women who had suffered heart attacks. It found that those taking NSAIDs in the three months before their attack were at a higher risk than those who were not taking the drugs. The most powerful NSAID, diclofenac, which is available only on prescription, increased the risk by 55 per cent. Ibuprofen increased it by 24 per cent.

Why is it causing such a stir?
NSAIDs have always been known to cause gastro-intestinal inflammation, and sometimes haemorrhaging. As a result, newer drugs that were gentler on the stomach, known as Cox2 inhibitors, were prescribed instead. However, last September these were found to increase the risk of heart disease substantially, and many patients switched back to NSAIDs such as ibuprofen. The new findings could mean that some of these patients might now be just as vulnerable to heart problems as they were on the Cox2 inhibitors.

Should I stop taking ibuprofen?
Professor Stuart Bevan, pain expert at University College London, says it is important to keep the risks in perspective: "This is a drug that's been around for a long time and the increased risk suggested here is relatively small when weighed against the benefits it brings, which in patients with chronic pain is significant. People using the drug appropriately should continue to do so without anxiety."

What's the bottom line?
According to the study, for every 1,005 long-term users of the drug, one additional patient will suffer a first-time heart attack. "For those taking ibuprofen occasionally, for headaches or menstrual pain, the risk is cut even further and there is nothing in this study to concern them at all," says Prof Bevan. "People taking it longer term, for arthritis, for example, will be doing so on prescription, under the direction of their GP, so they can also continue to take it with their supervision."

 

I probably take like 10 a year. Why would you take it regularly?

 

Some people have pain every day. Old injuries, arthritis, diseases that cause pain etc.....

 

It seems like it would stop being effective if you took it regularly.

 

Sometimes.

 

Maybe.

 

Ibuprofen rocks. I used to take it pretty regularly for muscle soreness and stress that I kept in my jaw. It never got less effective, but I avoid pain meds whenever possible now, so I hardly take it anymore. I don't give a fuck about heart disease, but professional athletes appear to be destroying their kidneys with anti-inflammatories. They're a great test group because they use them a lot.

 

Im pretty sure Alonzo Mourning's condition stemed in part from that. I remember Larry Johnson had some problems with them. and Shaq pretty much quit taking them after Zo was diagnosed.

 

That's my impression as well. I'd rather drop dead from a heart attack than spend years getting dialysis and/or waiting for an organ transplant.