Bitter pills
New research suggests mainstay drugstore meds might do more harm than good
YOU pop three pills for intense post-workout soreness, two for a pre-coffee headache, a small handful for period cramps and suddenly you’ re swinging by Duane Reade for a new bottle of Advil. Plenty of people take non opioid analgesics—aka everyday pain med s—without a second thought. But are you doing your body more harm than good?
Quite possibly, according to a slew of new studies. These pain-fighting drugs have a range of unexpected potential side effects, broken down in the chart below.
Aspirin (Bayer)
Study buzz: This common fever remedy and pain pill is a blood thinner and “is thought to lower the likelihood of forming harmful blood clots like those responsible for heart attacks and strokes,” Dr. Charbel Abi Khalil explained at a recent cardiology conference. In an analysis of 12,000 patients’ health records, Abi Khalil’s team at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar found that taking the drug daily lowered the risk of early death for patients with diabetes and heart issues. However . . .
Side effects: . . . it’s not all good news. That same data set also showed that taking a daily dose of aspirin could increase the risk of nonfatal heart attacks or strokes.
The take-away: If you’re going to be taking a baby aspirin every day to cut your heart attack risk, “it really should be under the guidance of a physician,” Mayo Clinic doctor Stephen Pavela tells The Post. That way, he or she can help you weigh the pros and cons of dosage.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Study buzz: A recommended dose of these tablets drives down more than just a fever: It can also lessen the emotional pain you experience, according to new research out of University of California, Santa Barbara.
Side effects: Although dulled emotional response comes with some perks — such as “better tolerance for uncomfortable experiences,” study co-author Kyle Ratner, Ph.D., tells The Post — it also can turn you into kind of a jerk by “blunting your empathy,” he says.
The take-away: Acetaminophen is “safer” than most painkillers on this list, Pavela says. “It doesn’t upset the stomach; in low doses, it’s not going to hurt any organs like the kidney or liver,” he says. But Pavela thinks more research is needed into the emotional side effects.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
Study buzz: In a study of 1,326 ibuprofen users, epidemiology professor David Kaufman and his research team found that about one in 10 people exceeded the suggested daily limit for the painkiller. “The biggest pattern was people taking too much at once,” he says.
Side effects: Kaufman says gastrointestinal bleeding and heart attacks are “the two biggest concerns” with ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, a group of pain-fighting meds that fall under the analgesic umbrella).
The take-away: “It’s always a good idea to take as little” as possible, says Kaufman. You don’t have to go au naturel through your next hangover, but see if one capsule does the trick, instead of two.
Celecoxib (Celebrex)
Study buzz: Unlike many NSAIDs, this prescription painkiller doesn’t cause much gastrointestinal distress — so “some health care professionals think [it’s] safer” and tend to feel more comfortable prescribing it to patients with chronic or severe pain, Dr. Chia-Hsuin Chang of National Taiwan University Hospital tells The Post. But just because it’s easier on your gut doesn’t mean it’s better for your ticker: His team’s latest study found that celecoxib poses just as many risks to your heart as ibuprofen or naproxen (such as Aleve).
Side effects: In the worst-case scenario, celecoxib can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The take-away: “Probably the biggest risk is continuing a patient on it for too long,” Dr. Neel Mehta of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell tells The Post. If you’ve been on celecoxib for a few months, check in with your physician. Is it working? If so, do you still need it or should you start to plan an “exit strategy”?