[Alert] Pain Pills Causing Heart Attacks?!

When your painful knee is flaring up… or when your shoulders or fingers are aching… you probably do what lots of folks do.

You reach for those trusty pain pills, like ibuprofen.

It’s hard to argue with something that promises fast pain relief.

But I’m going to argue anyway.

Because it turns out that people who regularly use NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) have a much higher risk of one of one of the deadliest health threats out there.

And staying away from these pills just may save your life. 

According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, regularly using anti-inflammatory drugs can increase your risk of having a heart attack.

The researchers studied a whopping 450,000 people and found a 24%-58% increase in the risk of heart attack compared to those not taking the drugs.

Even scarier? The increased risk happens in as little as one week. The longer you use the drugs, the higher the risk.

NSAIDs include such household names as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). The study also included diclofenac, celecoxib, and rofecoxib.

The fact that long-term use of these drugs is tied to heart problems is nothing new. What is new is just how little time it can take for the damage to take effect.

I can’t say I blame people for looking for some reprieve from pain—especially those suffering from chronic conditions like back and joint pain.

But the good news today is that you don’t have to rely on NSAIDs—and the risks that come with them—to get the relief you’re looking for. There are plenty of other options that provide risk-free relief.

Here are just a few I recommend to my patients:

• Krill oil is at the top of my list, with studies showing it is about as effective as NSAIDS for arthritis pain.

• Topical NSAIDs work well, and they have much less systemic effects than their oral counterparts.

• Regenerative injection therapies like prolotherapy are especially effective for joint pain.

• Soaking in an Epsom salt bath is another great way to relieve pain—and has the added benefit of increasing magnesium levels.

• Finally, a few lifestyle changes can make a big difference. I always recommend getting plenty of morning sun, staying hydrated with clean water, and avoiding artificial light at night.

Now those are options I can stand behind.

To a brighter day,

Dr. Richard Gerhauser, M.D.