Analgesic Abuse - Are You Doing This Too?

Analgesic drugs are the most frequently used medications, yet women who habitually pop a few every day may be raising their chances of getting high blood pressure and gastric bleeding.

American scientists studied over 5,000 women, monitoring their intake of aspirin, paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen. They found that women who took 500mg or more of paracetamol a day were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure. Those taking 400mg plus of ibuprofen a day were 60% more likely to develop the condition, rising to 80% for older women (aged 51-77). Aspirin, on the other hand, did not seem to affect the blood pressure.

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Apart from the risk of developing high blood pressure, excessive consumption of analgesics is associated with many other serious health risks too. For instance, the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding increases in patients taking NSAIDs on a regular basis. This can aggravate the underlying peptic ulcer disease too by increasing the likelihood of erosion of stomach mucosa. Patients who have peptic ulcers/gastric ulcers can also develop severe bleeding, and those without previous history of peptic ulcers can develop these due to superficial erosion in the stomach lining.

Patients who are more prone to develop bleeding gastric ulcers are those taking analgesics (NSAIDs) for some underlying pain disorder, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, it is very essential to visit your general practitioner for a regular assessment of your dosing schedule and any associated side effects. Most ulcers are preventable if detected earlier, and can be prevented altogether by reducing the intake of these medications or replacing them with those having fewer side effects.

Analgesic Abuse - Are You Doing This Too?

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