“Anti-Inflammatories Bad For The Heart”
Back in 2008, I told you that the use of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen and Celebrex, for over 5 years may lessen a person’s risk of developing cancer of the lower portion of the large bowel by up to 40 percent. But, I also told you that a study monitoring over 7,000 patients found that people who took Vioxx had five times greater risk of heart attack than those who took other painkillers and that Merck waited two years before warning physicians of the associated cardiovascular risks. In a new study of almost 100,000 first-time heart attack sufferers, researchers found that those who used the NSAID-medications afterward were more likely to have a repeat heart attack or die over the next five years. In the first year after the heart attack, 20 percent of NSAID users died, versus about 12 percent of non-users and NSAID users’ rate remained about double that of non-users. Obviously, if you have had a heart attack, pain killer use should be a subject of discussion with your doctor and it should occur soon after the heart attack.
