Heart failure the latest addition to growing list of NSAID risks

The bad news about NSAIDs — the anti-inflammatory drugs that include some of the most common names on the shelf, such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve and even aspirin — keeps on getting worse.

Last year I told you how after years of looking the other way, the FDA finally admitted that these drugs can put you on the fast track to a heart attack and stroke.

Shortly after that came the news about what NSAIDs can do to your kidneys.

Now, a new study out of Europe has discovered that these drugs can significantly up your risk of heart failure.

That’s right, heart failure.

And while those who are taking the prescription versions are at the greatest risk, the researchers found that this danger very likely applies to the take-’em-like-candy OTC kind, too.

Enough is enough!

When researchers say their findings “may have large public health consequences,” you can bet they’ve found a smoking gun.

Of course where NSAIDs are concerned, you might also ask, What else is new?

Recently I told you a study involving 30,000 people found that those with high blood pressure who regularly used one of these painkilling meds for as little as three months were a third more likely to have chronic kidney disease. And the next step from there could be having your name added to the list for dialysis or even a kidney transplant.

I also warned you how NSAID use had been found to elevate blood pressure by causing sodium to be retained in the kidneys — and that this could significantly up your risk of stroke.

Now, an analysis of almost ten million patients has found that those prescribed an NSAID had close to a 20 percent increased risk of being admitted to the hospital for heart failure.

And that was within just a two-week period of taking these drugs!

The researchers also found that some NSAIDs appear to be more dangerous than others.

Familiar names on that risk list include: ibuprofen (Motrin) and naproxen (sold as Aleve). Others are diclofenac, indomethacin, ketorolac (Toradol), nimesulide, and piroxicam.

This study, from the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, was about prescription varieties of these meds — ones usually taken at higher doses.

However, as the researchers pointed out, some OTC versions can also be found at the same strength. And that can be even more risky, since you can get an unlimited supply and take them as long as you want.

Dr. Christopher O’Connor, editor-in-chief of the journal JACC: Heart Failure, said that these drugs may trigger heart failure by causing sodium retention, and that people should take them “in as short-term fashion” as they can.

And yes, that’s good advice. But as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — the federal agency that studies alternatives to mainstream drugs — has reported, numerous risk-free treatments, such as acupuncture, yoga and tai chi, can be just has effective in dealing with chronic pain.

Also, arnica has been used as a pain reliever for hundreds of years. It’s available as an ointment and cream, and is very effective for soothing sore muscles and aching joints. It also can be taken orally as a homeopathic remedy (those tiny pills that you put under your tongue).

Capsaicin, a key ingredient in chili peppers, also can be found in various topical pain-relieving products, where it helps to soften the body’s pain signals.

Unfortunately, too many of us are still in the dark about these much safer pain-relieving options and continue to take drugs that more and more studies are revealing to be unbelievably hazardous to our health.

Sources:
“Could prescribed NSAID painkillers raise heart failure risk?” Dennis Thompson, September 28, 2016, HealthDay, consumer.healthday.com