PART II
To follow up on what we discussed last week here is information regarding, another article printed in the American Journal of Epidemiology on November 1 of this year. This strikes a little closer to home for many individuals who take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin or Advil. These drugs are taken with little regard for side effects or complications, partially due to the intensive marketing program by the manufacturers of these two over-the-counter drugs. However, these researchers have found that these non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase your risk of kidney failure. Now this is another in a series of multiple studies referencing this concern. The research was performed at McGill University in Montreal. The researchers found that “NSAIDs are associated not uncommonly with renal failure.” The researchers also found that “this rate of renal failure is approximately twice that observed for heart attack.”
Researchers found that current new users of any NSAID had a risk factor of twice that of non-users. These researchers were alarmed by this finding. For those of you who are unaware, kidney failure is a condition where kidneys actually shut down and no longer process or clean your blood, therefore leaving all impurities and contaminants in your bloodstream to build up. This condition will cause death in short order.
The lead researcher in this study, Dr. James M. Brophy, states “I think physicians should use the lowest possible dose of all NSAIDS for the shortest possible period of time.” He goes on to state, “Also, since the risk is the highest with current new users, it would seem appropriate to check kidney function shortly after debuting therapy, perhaps two weeks.”
For those of you who are taking any form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, whether it be over-the-counter or prescribed, please recognize that many of the prescribed forms have been either taken off the market or eliminated due to risks of cardiovascular complications, (such as Vioxx and Celebrex). Today however there are many of these strong anti-inflammatory drugs still remaining on the prescription market. Therefore, it is important for you, as an informed healthcare consumer to recognize that these drugs may be harmful to you and question the prescribing doctor regarding this. You should also make sure that kidney function is something that you encourage your doctor to check on a routine basis if you are using these drugs at all.
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