Do You Know The Risk vs. Reward?

Do You Know The Risk vs. Reward?

Often the products like Tylenol and other over the pain relievers seem so common that we tend to forget that like any drug they are associated with risk. People tend to ignore the fact that thousands of deaths per year are a result of those pain killers that most houses have in their cupboards. The following is a Food and Drug Administration warning about the perils of Nasids. They include but are not limited to Aleve, Motrin, Midol, Tylenol, (there are probably over 500 variations). Over the years I have heard in practice that “no I don’t get headaches or other symptom if I take my _____ fill in the blank daily”. This is not health. You can live that way but it is critical that you understand the risk vr. Reward of those decisions. Good information empowers you to make your own personal health decisions. Don’t just rely on the gobblygook that you hear on the TV.

 FDA Strengthens Warning On NSAID Cardiovascular Risk

On July 9, 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is strengthening an earlier warning about the cardiovascular safety of non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), both prescription and non-prescription.

After a comprehensive review of new safety information, the FDA is requiring updates to the labels of all prescription NSAIDs to reflect recent information on risk of heart attack and stroke. Over-the-counter non-aspirin NSAIDs already contain some safety information, but the labels on these drugs will also require an update, said the FDA in its announcement posted online.

The new labels for prescription NSAIDs should contain the following information, according to the FDA:
• The risk of heart attack can occur within weeks of starting an NSAID, and that risk may increase with longer use.
• The risk seems to be higher at higher doses.
• It’s not clear if the risk of heart attack and stroke is the same for all NSAIDs.
• The drugs can raise the risk of heart attack or stroke in both patients with a risk of heart disease and patients without.
• Patients with heart disease or risk factors for it are at a greater risk of heart attack or stroke following the use of NSAIDs, because they have a higher risk at baseline.
• There is also an increased risk of heart failure for patients using NSAIDs.
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