Tablets such as ibuprofen and diclofenac can cause a cardiac arrest

Dangerous Painkillers: Ibuprofen and diclofenac can increase cardiac arrest risk

Many people assume that medications such as ibuprofen or paracetamol are safe because they are over the counter. But some over-the-counter painkillers can be associated with extremely dangerous side effects, including increasing the risk of cardiac arrest.

Prescription painkillers with dangerous side effects

Over-the-counter painkillers can be found in most households today. Often they are relatively thoughtlessly used against a variety of forms of pain. However, the ingestion with significant side effects - including the heart - go along. For example, a study by the McGill University Health Center in Montreal, Canada, found that some of these drugs significantly increase the risk of heart attack. And Italian researchers reported that some painkillers can cause heart failure. Scientists from Denmark have now discovered that drugs such as ibuprofen and diclofenac significantly increase the risk of cardiac arrest.

According to a study, some over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac increase the risk of cardiac arrest. (Image: Sherry Young / fotolia.com)

Diclofenac increases the risk of cardiac arrest by 50 percent

As the researchers from the Copenhagen University Hosptial Gentofte report in the "European Heart Journal", the intake of ibuprofen may increase the risk of cardiac arrest by 31 percent.

Another drug with similar effects is diclofenac, which increased the risk by as much as 50 percent.

The results of the study clearly show that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are by no means harmless.

Such drugs should better not be used in patients with cardiovascular disease or many cardiovascular risk factors, according to the scientists.

Affected medicines should only be sold in pharmacies

Study author Gunnar Gislason, cardiologist at the University Hospital in Gentofte, says that such medicines should not be over-the-counter when there is no professional advice on how to use them.

This form of painkillers should only be sold in pharmacies, in limited quantities and in low doses, the expert continues. If such drugs are freely available everywhere, it will create a false impression on the public.

Many people think that the use of such painkillers is safe, the physician adds.

"Our study provides the evidence for the adverse cardiovascular effects of so-called NSAIDs. Such drugs should only be taken after consultation with healthcare professionals, "says Prof. Gislason.

According to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), such drugs in Germany are in any case prescription only in higher dosages. Patients in this country are sufficiently protected by the existing regulations.

Researchers examined data from ten years ago

For their study, the scientists analyzed the data of all patients in Denmark who had cardiac arrest between 2001 and 2010. All patients were then screened for the use of NSAIDs during the month before cardiac arrest.

In the ten-year period of the study, 28,947 patients had a cardiac arrest. Of these, 3,376 were treated with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug within one month of cardiac arrest, the researchers say.

There were three so-called NSAIDs, which did not lead to a statistically significant increase in the risk of cardiac arrest. These included naproxen, celecoxib and rofecoxib.

However, the results could also be due to a small sample size, explain the authors.

Effects of painkillers on the cardiovascular system

The drugs exert numerous effects on the cardiovascular system, such as influencing platelet aggregation and the formation of blood clots. These effects could help explain the results, the researchers said.

Such drugs can also narrow arteries and increase blood pressure, the researchers add.

Diclofenac is particularly risky and should therefore be avoided by patients with cardiovascular disease and the general population. There are safe medications that have similar analgesic effects, the experts emphasize.

So there is no reason to use Diclofenac. In addition, people should never consume more than 1,200 mg of ibuprofen in one day, explains Professor Gislason. (as, ad)