Don’t get your blood pressure up over a headache!
You’ve heard me rail against over-the-counter pain relievers before, and I recently told you that pain relievers could increase your risk of heart attack.
Now a study has come out that shows middle-aged men who regularly use these pain relief pills have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. These would include pain relief remedies such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), or aspirin.
Researchers looked at 16,031 men who were an average age of 65 with no history of high blood pressure. They were questioned thoroughly about their use of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin. The researchers followed this group for four years. And at the end of the four years, 12 percent, (or 1,968) of the men developed hypertension. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The study also found:
Those who took acetaminophen six to seven days a week had a 34 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure, compared to those men who didn’t use it.
Using NSAIDs six to seven days a week caused a 38 percent higher risk.
Taking aspirin six to seven days a week caused a 26 percent higher risk.
Those men who took 15 or more pills per week had a whopping 48 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure!
This is incredible, because here’s yet another case in which these seemingly “safe” OTC remedies can actually create health problems. I don’t know anyone who’d rather risk a heart attack in exchange for some temporary pain relief!
(And just in case the ladies think they’re off the hook, I need to point out that prior studies showed the very same thing occurred in women.)
I know how you feel. Your arthritis acts up or you get a headache the size of Cleveland. It’s not something you want to call your doctor about, right? It seems a reasonable thing to just handle yourself with the help of a pain reliever.
I don’t mean to preach, but I do want to remind you that just because you can walk into a store and buy it off a shelf—it doesn’t mean it’s safe! Don’t forget that OTCs are nothing more than prescription medications that have come off of patent, and need to be treated as such.
No one wants to suffer with chronic pain that interferes with activities or sleep. And I’m not saying you’d better toughen up or else. As a humble country doctor, I am saying there are safe, effective, and natural ways to clobber pain.
If you feel you must use a pain reliever, remember it should only be used as an infrequent treatment.
