An NHS doctor has raised concerns about common tablets taken by millions each day, cautioning they could cause potentially lethal stomach ulcers.
Dr Mark Porter sounded the alarm over anti-inflammatory drugs and explained how frequently-used medications such as ibuprofen can lead to ‘life threatening’ stomach ulcers, outlining the early warning indicators to monitor.
Furthermore, routinely taken types like ibuprofen can actually increase blood pressure, elevate the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes, and play a role in kidney disease.
In his Times column, Dr Porter revealed that ‘tens of thousands’ of people are hospitalised each year, with one in ten dying.
Approximately one in ten will suffer a stomach or duodenal ulcer at some point, and whilst the majority recover completely without issues, some, including Radio 2 broadcaster Steve Wright, don’t even make it to hospital, reports the Mirror.
Dr Porter warned: “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.”
The primary culprit behind the condition is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), which include aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen, “taken by millions of people to treat problems such as arthritis and back pain”, he explained.
He highlighted that anyone using an NSAID may experience issues like indigestion and heartburn, with the risk increasing with higher dosages and longer durations of use.
He warned: “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.”
Dr Porter advised that taking acid-suppressing medicines such as omeprazole and lansoprazole alongside the NSAID can help prevent these complications.
He added: “Some commonly used types, including ibuprofen, increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, and they can all raise blood pressure, cause fluid retention, lead to kidney disease (and failure) and aggravate asthma.
“If you are self-medicating for pain or fever relief, I generally recommend paracetamol rather than ibuprofen or aspirin. It may not work as well in some people, but it is safer (unless in overdose). If you are already on an NSAID prescribed by your doctor, do not take over-the-counter aspirin, which increases the risk of ulceration and exacerbates any subsequent bleeding through its effects on clotting.
“If you are prescribed an NSAID without anything to protect your stomach, do ask the prescriber why. Additionally, if you are on long-term therapy and not taking the acid-suppressing medicine as you are supposed to (some patients don’t see the point), please restart it.”
He added: “If you are on other medication, as lots of people are, do watch out for potentially dangerous combinations. I have mentioned aspirin, some diuretics and the more commonly used antidepressants, but it’s anticoagulants like warfarin, rivaroxaban and edoxaban that worry doctors the most, because if you do get a bleed on your NSAID it is more likely to be fatal if you are taking any of these.
“Bottom line? If you have to take an NSAID, as many do, try to manage on the lowest dose for the shortest duration. Less is more with this family of drugs.”