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Question:
Must I avoid NSAIDS, given my heart history and current health?
How important is it for an 83 year old who had a very mild MI 6 years ago (and whose numbers have been great - with the aid of low dose BP meds and who is a vegetarian who exercises daily) to avoid NSAIDS to mitigate arthritic neck pain? Sadly, Tylenol hardly helps at all.
submitted by Neil from Chicago on 10/10/2012
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, George Younis, MD
It's impossible at this point to quantify an individual patient’s risk of using NSAIDs in the presence or history of heart disease. Certainly several observational studies suggest increased cardiac risk with these medications. Still, it is reasonable to use a nonselective NSAID such as naproxen, at the lowest effective dose and frequency, in patients with musculoskeletal pain which does not respond to acetaminophen.
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Updated October 2012
