NSAIDs and Heart Attack

[Thai]

Just a Week of NSAID Use Tied to Increased Heart Attack Risk

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for even 1 week is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction, a meta-analysis in The BMJ finds.

Using individual patient data from four studies from healthcare databases, researchers identified over 61,000 cases of acute MI and 385,000 controls without MI. Compared with NSAID nonuse, current use of each NSAID studied — including diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib — was associated with increased MI risk. The elevated risk was not higher for celecoxib than for other NSAIDs.

The increased risk generally emerged during the first week of use and was highest during the first month. Higher doses were also associated with greater risks.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, editor-in-chief of NEJM Journal Watch Cardiology, weighed in: "People, particularly those at high risk for cardiac disease, should be aware of these risks as they contemplate use of these popular medications. This large study further reinforces that these risks are large enough to be meaningful for many patients."

 

[Thai]

Bump for FYI. I think that this is very important for folks.

NSAIDs = ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, naproxen, Aleve, BC Powder, Celebrex, meloxicam, Mobic.

Basically, all common anti-inflammatories.

 

[-JD-]

Interesting. Ever since I was a teenager I've resisted taking these. Always had a bad feeling about them.

 

[1engineer]

Bump for FYI. I think that this is very important for folks.

NSAIDs = ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, naproxen, Aleve, BC Powder, Celebrex, meloxicam, Mobic.

Basically, all common anti-inflammatories.

Damn @Thai, seriously. I don't know of much that does not hurt you. My personal key, and I'm an engineer not a doctor, is genetics and moderation. If I start worrying about everything that's bad for you then I can't eat anything or take any medicine. Read the side affects and they read like a Stephen King novel.

On my points, if you have bad genetics, you are susceptible to a lot more than someone with good genetic makeup. Not much to do to help it either.

Moderation is my personal key. I don't drink alcohol all day every day. I have a beer every now and then. I don't eat a dozen doughnuts at a time. I eat maybe one a week, if that. I don't eat read meat daily. Maybe three times a week. Like my fish and chicken. I eat fast food like burgers once a week or so. Don't take medicine unless I have to which is rarely. NSAIDS really help when I wreck my mountain bike and I can't hardly walk and I am a big bruise. Moderation.

And, on top of that, sometimes when it's your time, it's just your time man. A friend of mine (54 yo) died this summer of lung cancer. Never smoked. Excellend shape, not overweight. His parents never smoked. He was an accountant so no environmental issues. He got his normal physicals. No reason to have it. One day his shoulder was hurting. He kept riding and after a few weeks he went to the doc, had an xray, sent to a specialist, found he had a fast growing cancer that started in his lung and metastasized to his bone. He died three weeks later. Sometimes its just your time man and there is no obvious reason.

So I just hope I have good genes (I was adopted) and practice moderation and exercise by riding my mountain bike daily.

Life is too short. If you want a piece of cake eat it. Don't eat the whole thing. If your muscles hurt, take a few Motrin, don't live on them.

 

[Thai]

Damn @Thai, seriously. I don't know of much that does not hurt you. My personal key, and I'm an engineer not a doctor, is genetics and moderation. If I start worrying about everything that's bad for you then I can't eat anything or take any medicine. Read the side affects and they read like a Stephen King novel.

On my points, if you have bad genetics, you are susceptible to a lot more than someone with good genetic makeup. Not much to do to help it either.

Moderation is my personal key. I don't drink alcohol all day every day. I have a beer every now and then. I don't eat a dozen doughnuts at a time. I eat maybe one a week, if that. I don't eat read meat daily. Maybe three times a week. Like my fish and chicken. I eat fast food like burgers once a week or so. Don't take medicine unless I have to which is rarely. NSAIDS really help when I wreck my mountain bike and I can't hardly walk and I am a big bruise. Moderation.

And, on top of that, sometimes when it's your time, it's just your time man. A friend of mine (54 yo) died this summer of lung cancer. Never smoked. Excellend shape, not overweight. His parents never smoked. He was an accountant so no environmental issues. He got his normal physicals. No reason to have it. One day his shoulder was hurting. He kept riding and after a few weeks he went to the doc, had an xray, sent to a specialist, found he had a fast growing cancer that started in his lung and metastasized to his bone. He died three weeks later. Sometimes its just your time man and there is no obvious reason.

So I just hope I have good genes (I was adopted) and practice moderation and exercise by riding my mountain bike daily.

Life is too short. If you want a piece of cake eat it. Don't eat the whole thing. If your muscles hurt, take a few Motrin, don't live on them.

You’re correct. SHIT HAPPENS. Bad luck.

You can be a saint and get hit by a bus tomorrow...or get cancer. It is like buying a brand new Toyota and then have it break down on the side of the road while a Land Rover drives past you.

But, you also want to be wary of things that may harm you. For example, NSAIDs may potentially increase risk of heart attack within the 1st week of using it. 1st week. Even in young folks. In four studies showing similar findings.

Does this mean that you WILL have a heart attack by using Aleve for one week? No. But you may. There is a small chance that you may.

Should you avoid NSAIDs? IMO, yes. I am very much against it. But, if you have something very inflammatory (severe knee pain due to arthritis when cold weather hits), then yeah, you don’t have a choice...and even then, i recommend short course if possible. Tylenol is MUCH SAFER, but is not anti-inflammatory. So, if you had to pick your poison b/w suffering badly vs. taking NSAIDs, then take NSAIDs...but make it short and use lowest dose possible.

As for alcohol...my opinion is same as NSAIDs. Avoid it...especially now it is proven repeatedly that there is no benefit of alcohol of any amount. I sometimes drink a lite beer if i am eating a good (expensive) steak...but that is seldom (i am cheap).

And that is why i wrote in the other thread (alcohol-related), you do what you do to enjoy life...but do it responsibly. You also have to think about the people close to you because it is rarely just you and you alone that suffers.

(And if you haven’t figure out already...i am a chickenshit!)