Added the following:
NSAIDS (Advil, Ibuprofen, Celebrex, etc.) Linked to Higher Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
Evidence from a study of 32,602 patients from the Danish National Registry found that a history of taking first generation Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) such as Advil or ibuprofen was associated with a 40% higher risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm.The newer COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex were associated with a 70% higher risk.The risk was greatest for older people and people with kidney disease. This makes it likely that these drugs are more dangerous for people with Diabetes, many of whom have signs of kidney damage.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and risk of atrial fibrillation or flutter: population based case-control study. M. Schmidt, et al. BMJ, 2011; 343 (jul04 1): d3450 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d3450
Discussed in detail here:
Science Daily: Common Pain Killers Linked to Irregular Heart Rhythm
2 comments:
Strange, isn't it? Aspirin is never on that list... Yet it is always considered a 'dangerous drug'.
Been taking it for years - no adverse effects (but I've had the sense to take it after a full meal). But perhaps I am a biological aberration. Almost everyone I know complains that it gives them 'stomach problems'. I wonder if it isn't the medical hype that is causing a psycho-somatic response. When I was in my 20's (in the 1400's ;->, ok 60's) everyone took aspirin for headaches, arthritis and other pains, and nobody ever complained about it causing 'stomach problems'.
Thanks for your blog, Jenny, I found it by reading Peter's blog.
Great stuff! I'm sure there are lots of people that read and don't comment (generally, that's me).
Another aside: I have a friend, bless him, who would rather take rat poison than aspirin as a blood thinner (his doctor says it is 'safer'). Sigh... So very dangerous.
Cap'n Jan,
Aspirin can definitely cause bleeding in the stomach. The people who have the most trouble with it (and these other pain pills) are those who with arthritis. They take huge doses every day year round and over time Aspirin causes bleeding stomach ulcers which can be very serious.
People vary greatly in how high their platelet count is. So some might tolerate much bigger doses than others.
There are all kinds of different reasons for using the various different kinds blood thinners. I dont' know enough to comment on your friend's situation, but I do know that all blood thinning meds that fight heart attack can promote hemorrhagic stroke, which makes sense. If you don't clot fast, a bleeding stroke in the brain is going to do more damage.
But if you let someone put a stent into your arteries you will need some kind of blood thinning, and aspirin might not be enough.
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