Motrin, NSAIDS, cause Heart Disease, and FDA has not gotten around to warning people

High Dose of Motrin (ibuprofen, and other NSAIDS) can cause high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, edema

Discovery was announced by FDA in 2015, but little public education followed. So City of Angels Blog is providing this information for its readers and other members of the community.  

Please help spread this word to doctors, friends, and family, as the dangers of over the counter NSAIDS are not yet widely known, and people could be getting very sick, even dying, unnecessarily:

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(If you are taking high doses of Ibuprofen or similar NSAIDS such as Motrin aka ibuprofen and you also have high blood pressure or are developing heart disease, there may be a connection.  )

"NSAIDS such as Ibuprofen increase the odds of having a heart attack or stroke, even in people who aren’t at a high risk to begin with. This is especially true if you have other health problems, when you take very high doses and when you use the medication long-term to manage symptoms. (5) (Source: Take Painkillers Often? Here’s How to Avoid Ibuprofen Overdose. By Jillian Levy, CHHC.  November 14, 2015 Read more at: https://draxe.com/ibuprofen-overdose/

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(Motrin aka ibuprofen also causes water retention that is associated with high blood pressure:)

Possible warning signs of some serious side effects that can occur during treatment with this medicine may include swelling of the face, fingers, feet, and/or lower legs;  Read more at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ibuprofen-oral-route/precautions/drg-20070602

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(In 2015 the FDA released warnings re these new findings connecting ibuprofen with heart disease: )

"Along with several other NSAIDs, chronic ibuprofen use has been found correlated with risk of hypertension^[24] and myocardial infarction (heart attack),^[25] particularly among those treated chronically using high doses. On 9 July 2015, the US FDA toughened warnings of increased heart attack and stroke risk associated with ibuprofen and related NSAIDs; the NSAID aspirin is not included in this warning.^[26]   (SOURCE: Staff (9 July 2015). "FDA Strengthens Warning of Heart Attack and Stroke Risk for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs"  F D A . from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.  Continue research here:  https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-strengthens-warning-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs

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(Ibuprofen was patented in the UK in 1962 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.  When "Brufen" was found to also relieve pain, it was made available as a prescription pain killer. Now it's sold OTC in stores everywhere, with little warning going out to the pubic about Motrin's connection to heart disease.)

"When he [Stewart Adams] and Nicholson began trying to create a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, they went through years of trial and error. Four compounds failed clinical trials because of negative side effects. They patented their fifth compound, Brufen, in 1962. It passed clinical trials at the Northern General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1966, and three years later was available in Britain as a prescription treatment for rheumatic diseases."  Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/stewart-adams-british-pharmacist-who-helped-create-ibuprofen-dies-at-95/2019/02/05/9b5db304-2643-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html?utm_term=.07587eb38565

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(The U.S. FDA was to put warnings on all NSAID bottles re this connection to heart disease in 2015, but a quick trip to a drug store to look at labels reveals the mandate to include a warning on labels has not yet gotten to the manufacturers.)

Bottles of ibuprofen currently warn "do not take if you have heart disease." They do not say the ibuprofen or other NSAID will actually CAUSE heart disease as discovered in 2015.

(June 2015:) "In the coming months, FDA will require manufacturers of prescription NSAIDs to update their labels with more specific information about heart attack and stroke risks. FDA will also request that the manufacturers of OTC NSAIDs update the heart attack and stroke risk information in Drug Facts labels.  FDA added a boxed warning to prescription drug labels for this risk in 2005. More recent data and information are prompting FDA to update NSAID labeling. Today we know that the risk of heart attack and stroke may occur early in treatment, even in the first weeks." https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-strengthens-warning-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs

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If you are developing symptoms of heart disease even though you are not otherwise a candidate for a stroke or heart attack and you are also taking large doses of ibuprofen or other NSAIDS and have been for a long time, there may be a connection.

-Research by Kay Ebeling