Painkillers raise blood pressure in women-U.S. study

[Placebo]

Women who take higher doses of common, over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen and even Tylenol have higher blood pressure than women who do not, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Only aspirin did not raise the risk of high blood pressure among the women, who were followed for three to four years to see which ones developed high blood pressure.

The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Hypertension, add to a growing list of research that suggests all painkillers, prescription and non-prescription, carry health risks and should be used carefully.

This includes acetaminophen or paracetamol, sold by Johnson & Johnson Co. under the brand name Tylenol.

More...

[flamingyouth]

1. Pain can also increase your blood pressure.

So it's kind of a catch-22 for those of us with chronic pain, unfortunately. :(

[aquart]

3. But doctors and pharmacies have been refusing

to prescribe or stock the aspirin version of popular painkillers.

Aspirin is one of the few anti-inflammatants I can tolerate.

[flamingyouth]

5. I was just on 600 mgs. 3x a day of ibuprofen after an accident.

I took it for about five days before I felt like my stomach was fraying. That's nasty stuff. Aspirin does work well, I agree.

I was surprised to see that Tylenol had the same effect on blood pressure, to be honest. :shrug:

[Gloria]

19. After my back surgery, I was on the Vioxx, then Ibuprofen 600

and my BP went up. Doctor said it was just related to the surgery. However, it did go down when I dropped the meds.

I stick to aspirin nowadays...

[Baconfoot]

9. I hadn't heard about this. Where? NT

[aquart]

24. I can't remember the drug's name.

It comes formulated with Tylenol and with aspirin and a slight name difference to distinguish. My mother could not get the prescriptions filled by chain drug stores in NYC. She finally went to a small independent pharmacy. The prescriptions were her birthday present to my sister, who cannot get California doctors to write her prescriptions, EVEN THOUGH they have told her she will be in pain for the rest of her life. When they are willing to write a prescription, most of them still won't write for the aspirin formulation.

[gkhouston]

25. this wouldn't be fioricet and fiorinal, would it?

contains caffeine, a barbituate, and either aspirin or tylenol, if memory serves. Used to use it as a rescue med for my migraines, before I found a preventive medicine that knocked the headaches down into a more bearable range.

[tblue37]

27. Hydrocodone?

[havocmom]

2. Damn, and here I thought it was the pain raising the BP

Does anybody know if they use mixed gender groups when they test stuff? I know more women have atypical symptoms with heart attacks so we often don't get treatment as early. Perhaps more gender specific testing should be required by the FDA ::havocmom, what are you thinking? The FDA is not here to look out for consumers...::

[leftchick]

4. I am a perfect example of that...

though the pain itself can boost blood pressure. I have always been about 100/70, even through two pregnancies, until my disc problem. For almost a year my blood pressure was elevated to 165/100 sometimes from the pain and or meds. Thank God I am off of them all now and back to low-land.

[Skittles]

6. see I am the opposite leftchick

I take tylenol a lot because of headaches and I very often almost fail the blood pressure test when donating blood - last time it was 92/52, something like that. Nurse said she'd seen people in comas with better pressure - not sure if she was kidding. :(

[leftchick]

11. that is not good ....

have you tried plain old aspirin for your headaches? I am very anti-tylenol after reading up on it. There are so many painkillers that are bad bad for you. You should also see your Dr. about that pressure.

:hug:

[Skittles]

16. I donate platelets leftchick and they ask that I do not take aspirin

something about what it does to hemophiliac recipients or something like that :)

[silverweb]

23. Aspirin is a blood thinner.

A recent study showed that plain aspirin was actually more effective than the usually prescribed (and much more expensive) Coumadin.

That's why aspirin is good for stroke and heart attack prophylaxis, but bad for hemophiliacs.

[Skittles]

34. you are correct silverweb

I don't take aspirin because.....it could hurt hemophiliacs I don't know.....lol, such is the beauty of being a volunteer platelet donor :D

[etherealtruth]

15. The nurse was kidding

Are you young, physically fit? See your doctor ... she'll likely tell you your BP is GOOD.

Was a nurse for a decade and on a personal note my bP was ~90/60 until I quit smoking (and gained weight:shrug: )

As an aside I DO NOT take tylenol.

[Skittles]

17. ya I exercise an hour almost every day

I think the problem with the blood center is it is right across a field from me and I often wake up and head right over there for my appts - I think perhpas they are getting my sleep bp LOL

[hogwyld]

7. GWB and...

This Nazi administration and their GOP brownshirts raise my blood pressure!

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. "Pain-in-the-ass raises my blood pressure - my study"

That would be G.W. Bush, in case you didn't guess right.

[graywarrior]

10. I use a tahitian product..a juice...it's the only thing that works for me

Migraines wiped out in 10 minutes.

[silverweb]

14. Noni juice?

I've seen it in the store and wondered about it.

[graywarrior]

26. Yep. But I get it direct from the distributor

Been using it for 4 years. Saved me during my car accident recovery. I use it after working out, hiking, for toothaches and to help me sleep. Great stuff.

[silverweb]

28. I'll have to give it a try.

Anything that provides relief of aches/pains and headaches, and help getting to sleep is worth trying! :D

[graywarrior]

30. Just be careful of the store bought stuff. Most of it is a powder mixed

with water.

[silverweb]

32. I'm a compulsive label reader.

I'll try to be sure I get the "real deal."

Thanks! :hi:

[graywarrior]

33. Good luck

:beer:

[Patiod]

12. I've always wondered about that

I have normally low BP, but around my period, when I gobble ibuprofen, it feels high and sometimes tests high

This explains it

[silverweb]

13. Once again, aspirin wins.

Or "acetylsalicylic acid" as we called it when we made a crude batch in freshman chemistry class.

"Only aspirin did not raise the risk of high blood pressure among the women,..."

"Although aspirin also inhibits prostaglandin synthesis, it has not been associated with endothelial dysfunction. On the contrary, aspirin may improve endothelial function, as has been documented in patients with atherosclerosis."

Despite the fact that some are allergic to it and it can cause stomach problems, aspirin ranks right up there with penicillin and polio vaccine as one of the true "miracle" drugs. Besides its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving actions, almost all of its side effects are beneficial, cutting the incidence of stroke, heart attack, and colon cancer, among other things.

[Placebo]

18. It's really amazing...

how people are always all "aspirin is bad for you! aspirin is bad for you!" and yet it's repeatedly one of the few painkillers that is beneficial to you if not free from negative side effects.

[silverweb]

22. Oh, yeah.

That's because it's cheap and easy to produce -- less profit for big pharma, dontchaknow!

Add breast cancer to the list of things aspirin helps prevent:
http://www.breastcancer.org/research_risk_aspirin.html

Nature gave us everything we need to be happy and healthy -- but we continue to insist on trying to go her one better and only end up fucking things up. You'd think we'd have learned by now how smart we're really not.

:eyes:

[Gloria]

20. Dr. Quinn SWORE by it, too....always passing out the

"willow bark tea" which, if I'm correct, was basically asprin, no?

[silverweb]

21. *White* willow bark, specifically.

I believe aspirin was derived from the bark before it was synthesized, although I wouldn't swear to that. I'm sure googling the information wouldn't be hard.

On edit: Confirmed here -- http://www.kcweb.com/herb/whitew.htm

[DrBloodmoney]

29. Good thing medpot

is still illegal.

[silverweb]

31. No kidding.

I'm surprised they haven't made white willow illegal, as well. :eyes: