October 27, 2007

The Underreporting Of Arthritis Drug Use0 Are You Taking 0Poison0 And Not Telling Your Doctor?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are among the most commonly used over-the-counter medications. Examples include Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen), and Orudis (ketoprofen).
They are so ubiquitous in their use that often people don0t think about them nor do they even consider them to be medicines.
A recent U.S. study suggested people underreport their use of these common but potentially dangerous over-the-counter pain medications even to their doctors.
Unfortunately, this practice is risky. NSAIDS have known serious side effects. They can damage the liver, can cause bone marrow problems, and can also lead to abnormal kidney function and kidney failure.
Fluid retention, aggravation of hypertension, and congestive heart failure are other potential problems. In addition, NSAID use has been linked to cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack. This latter issue is what caused the removal of Vioxx from the market by the FDA. Most people aren0t aware of the fact, though, that all NSAIDS- as a class- carry the same type of risk.
Because of drug interaction, NSAIDS have the ability to alter blood levels of other drugs leading to side-effects. A particularly severe problem can occur in patients who are taking blood thinners like Coumadin (warfarin) and then start NSAIDS. There are two major […]