Taking anti-inflammatory painkillers for just seven days could increase your risk of a heart attack, new research has found.
The researched, published in the British Medical Journal, used individual patient data taken from large observational studies, investigating the use of commonly-used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, and heart attacks. The studies looked at whether patients had been prescribed one of five NSAIDs and, taking this into account, compared those who had had a heart attack with those who had not.
Researchers found that recent and current use of any NSAID is linked to a raised risk of heart attack, compared with someone who has not used an NSAID in the past year. However, some of these results did not reach statistically significant thresholds. The level of risk increased in the first week of being prescribed the drug. The risk was also greatest in the first month of taking the drug (eight to 30 days), and higher doses were, too, found to increase risk. However, there are gaps in the research. For example, it is still unknown if NSAIDs were the direct cause of risk or whether this was related to the condition they were diagnosed for. Worried about how many painkillers you’re taking? Book an appointment with your GP.