Painkillers cause ‘modest’ risk

A scientist at the Medical Research Council (MRC) has urged people not to panic following reports in the press today that painkillers can double the risk of a heat attack.

The Daily Mail was one of several paper that cited a new survey from the British Medical Journal highlighting the risks associated with painkiller drugs such as Ibuprofen and Diclofenac. It said that usage of such drugs increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes after 18 months or more of use.

However, Dr Colin Baigent of the MRC spoke on BBC Radio Four today to reassure people that only three in every thousand people would experience a heart attack while on such medication.

He said: “We accept these sorts of risks when we take other drugs. For example?one or two per 1000 each year will experience a serious bleed from aspirin.

“They really are very small risks when we compare them to the sort of risks we might see with other drugs; for example anti-cancer drugs are much more risky to take.”

Dr Baigent added that anyone taking drugs such as Ibuprofen to treat headaches, toothaches or other minor complaints could take comfort that the new report was “really nothing to even get worried about”.

The International Ibuprofen Foundation added that the report in specifically referred to high dose prescription treatment, so individuals who take the medication as short-term measure for minor complaints are at very little risk.

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