Deadly Combo, Ibuprofen and Aspirin

Many people are told to take a daily aspirin in order to lower caridiovascular risk. Studies have shown that taking aspirin often can be a heart-healthy habit for patients who may be at risk for heart disease. Studies have also shown that Ibuprofen is a very effective painkiller, able to ease all woes from swelling to cramps. Ibuprofen is found in Advil and Motrin. However, Recent findings are causing some alarm among doctors and patients. What happens when you combine the two over the counter medications, ibuprofen and aspirin? Research now shows that cardiovascular patients should be very cautious when mixing the two medications.

At the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, research was done that found that patients with high cardiovascular risk who took a combination of aspirin and ibuprofen were nine times more likely to suffer from a heart attack. Published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, the study suggests that ibuprofen gets in the way of aspirin's blood thinning characteristics.

The study was called the Therapeutic Arthritis Research and Gastrointestinal Event Trial. In the study, 18,325 osteoarthritis patients were put into two separate groups where lumiracoxib was compared to ibuprofen or naproxen. The brand name for naproxen is Aleve.

Patents were followed and observed for a total of one year. Observers took note of the number of non-fatal heart attacks, and strokes or death due to cardiovascular disease. The results showed that those using ibuprofen had a higher risk of congestive heart failure compared with those using lumiracoxib.

Some experts say that there is little to be concerned about and that this time no one should panic. The study is only a cause for alarm because Ibuprofen is so easily available over the counter. If patients just begin taking ibuprofen for pain while they are taking aspirin at the same time for their heart, they could be in danger because their doctors would not be aware of what is happening.

Dr. Robert Scott, assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, College Station, and senior staff cardiologist at Scott and White Hospital said, "You can't draw firm conclusions from this paper, but it raises the question that perhaps we should do a formal study looking at ibuprofen versus some of these other agents in patients who are at high cardiovascular risk and seeing if it really does hold up." However, it is good for doctors and patients to know that Ibuprofen may cancel the heart healthy benefits of aspirin in general.

Ibuprofen May Raise Heart Risk UPI Url(http://news.monstersandcritics.com/health/news/article_1288158.php/Ibuprofen_combo_may_raise_heart_risk)