Ibuprofen

[Sly Saint]

Millions taking ibuprofen at risk of 'life threatening' side effects, warns NHS doctor​

Millions taking common pill at risk of life threatening side effects

Dr Mark Porter issued a warning about a common pill, outlining the early warning signs of a life-threatening side effect

www.mirror.co.uk

An NHS medic has sounded the alarm over everyday tablets consumed by millions daily, warning they could trigger potentially fatal stomach ulcers.

Dr Mark Porter highlighted anti-inflammatory medications and detailed how widely-used pills such as ibuprofen can result in 'life threatening' stomach ulcers, setting out the early warning signs to watch for.
Moreover, regularly consumed varieties like ibuprofen can actually raise blood pressure, heighten the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and contribute to kidney disease.

• Writing in his Times column, Dr Porter disclosed that 'tens of thousands' of individuals are admitted to hospital annually, with one in ten losing their lives.
  
  Around one in ten will develop a stomach or duodenal ulcer at some stage, and whilst most make a full recovery without complications, some, including Radio 2 presenter Steve Wright, don't even reach hospital.
  
  Dr Porter cautioned: "Complications from these peptic ulcers, such as bleeding and perforation, can be life-threatening and hospitalise tens of thousands of people a year in the UK, at least one in ten of whom will never return home. Catastrophic though these "burst" ulcers can be, it's bleeding that poses the bigger threat nationally because it is far more common.

"In a typical year in the UK about 25,000 people will require admission to hospital because of a bleed from the upper part of their gut, and many of them end up there because of the pills they are taking."

He explained the primary culprit behind the condition is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), the group of medications that encompasses aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen, "taken by millions of people to treat problems such as arthritis and back pain".

He noted that anyone using an NSAID may experience issues like indigestion and heartburn, though the higher the dosage and the longer the duration of use, the greater the likelihood of developing an ulcer or experiencing bleeding.

He cautioned: "An average person taking an NSAID is four times as likely to have a bleed from their stomach than a peer who is not taking one. If they are also taking an SSRI-type antidepressant (eg sertraline or citalopram) - as about one in six adults in the UK will at some stage this year - that risk increases to sevenfold. And if you take an NSAID and a steroid (eg prednisolone) it rises to twelvefold."