When is the use of ibuprofen dangerous? | What …

The French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Medical Devices (ANSM) has warned doctors and patients against certain dangers badociated with the use of ibuprofen and ketoprofen. According to these preliminary investigations, these drugs could aggravate the same infections as those intended to be treated with them. Following these hypotheses, the ANSM asked for a survey on these main drugs, at European level.

The ANSM, which launched last June a pharmacological study carried out in its centers of Tours and Marseille, has just published a series of recommendations. The first is to favor the use of paracetamol before the use of ibuprofen and ketoprofen in case of pain or fever. Especially when it is an infection such as angina, nasopharyngitis, otitis, cough, lung infection, as well as for a lesion cutaneous or chickenpox.

This is not the first time that these types of alarms are lit in connection with these nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Already in 2005, the Medicamentos Control Authority of the United States (FDA) had indicated that these drugs could cause heart attacks and / or cerebrovascular disease.

What do specialists say in Argentina? "So far, no conclusive data is being processed." Yes, at one point, ibuprofen was linked to a cardiac abnormality, "explained Ricardo Saxton, head of pharmacology at the University of Toronto. 39, University Maimónides and head of pharmacy in Fleni, before the consultation. Page12. In the case of paracetamol, "there is much more evidence that chronic and prolonged use can cause liver damage and it is already known that acute absorption, that is, say when a person is intoxicated, causes very severe damage to the liver and that sometimes it is necessary to resort to transplantation ". In the case of ibuprofen and aspirin, there are other known side effects, "related to gastric erosion and the possibility of ulcers," says Saxton , which also invites us to lower the tone of the panic: "For the moment, what is the new face to me? A little alarmist.I would not send people running to turn to paracetamol, but to make the distinction between correct use and chronic use ".

For Christian Höcht, Professor at the Chair of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry UBA, "the information that appears so far is of very low scientific rigor". These are "drug monitoring studies" that seek to establish a relationship between the use of a drug and rare adverse events. That is why "it is very difficult in this type of studies to find a causal link between the use of ibuprofen and the risk of infections, because of d. Other uncontrolled causes could explain the occurrence of these infections, "Höcht told this journal. "It may be that the action of these drugs predisposes to the onset of infections because they generate a momentary lowering of defenses, but this is inherent to any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which 39, it is ibuprofen, diclofenac, aspirin. " The real problem lies in the continued use, in large doses, of any anti-inflammatory "because it can cause lesions in the intestines, or even haemorrhages". Excessive consumption can also cause "cardiovascular adverse effects, such as heart attacks and kidney damage in people who are susceptible" to this type of problem, says Höcht, who also says that in the case of over-the-counter drugs, Attention is focused on "good consumption", ie "low doses and periods of not more than five days, unless very specific indications".