Pain relievers can increase your risk of heart attack by 100%

The painkillers prescribed by doctors, including ibuprofen, can increase the risk of a heart attack within 1 month if used in high doses.

According to The Guardian, all five tested nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are likely to increase the risk of heart attack only after the first week of use. Researchers have concluded that more than 90% of the ability of NSAIDs they study is linked to the risk of heart attack.

The likelihood of having a heart attack is about 20-50% higher if taking NSAIDs than not taking the drug, and this ability depends on different drugs, including: naproxen, diclofenac, celecoxib, and rofecoxib . Therefore, the researchers recommend that prescribers should consider the risks and benefits of NSAIDs before recommending patients to use them, especially at high doses.

Some previous studies also suggest that NSAIDs may increase the risk of heart damage.

The longer the treatment duration is, the less likely it is to cause a heart attack.

Specific data showed that among 446,763 patients in Canada, Finland and the UK, 61,460 people had a heart attack.

The longer the treatment duration is, the less likely it is to cause a heart attack, but researchers still recommend that NSAIDs be used for as long as possible. According to them, the ability to increase the risk of heart attack is 75% for ibuprofen and naproxen, more than 100% for refecoxib. Therefore, people should be careful when using painkillers and look for other treatments if possible.

This study has not clarified the risk of heart attack among people taking NSAIDs and non-users, and has not eliminated the factors that may affect this risk, so it is difficult for many people to identify it. to make any conclusions.

According to Professor Stephen Evans of London School of Tropical Medicine, "this is a good and comprehensive study." However, according to him, there are two main problems here: the risk of heart attack is quite small, and for those who are not at high risk of heart attack, the above studies are not applicable. He advises that there is no reason to worry for most people taking drugs.

According to Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard - director of Royal GPs, these drugs can be effective in a short time to help many patients with pain. Every prescriber's decision is based on the patient's status and medication history, and is always considered carefully.

On average every year, about 190,000 people are hospitalized for heart attacks in the UK, according to the British Heart Association.