Over-the-counter cold medication ‘can trigger deadly heart attack and stroke’
COMMON cold medicines might be putting millions at risk from deadly heart attacks and strokes, doctors warn.
Decongestants and non-steroid anti-inflammatories found in things like Day Nurse have been found to pose a danger to people with high blood pressure or heart disease.
Around one in three UK adults suffer from high blood pressure - meaning that many are putting their heart health in jeopardy when taking over-the-counter cold and flu remedies.
"People with uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid taking oral decongestants," said Sondra DePalma, a physician assistant at UPMC Pinnacle in Pennsylvania.
"And for the general population or someone with low cardiovascular risk, they should use them with the guidance of a health care provider."
Dr DePalma co-authored the 2017 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines on high blood pressure management.
It warned that some of the active ingredients in many common cold medicines could increase blood pressure.
Decongestants work by allowing less fluid into your sinuses - drying you up and making your nose run less.
But, they can also constrict the blood vessels.
They include ingredients like pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine, which are found in Day Nurse tablets, Lemsip Max Day & Night Cold, and Sudafed.
"If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, the last thing you need is constricting blood vessels," explained Dr Erin Michos, associate director of preventive cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore.
"It can exacerbate or worsen the condition."
But it's not just those with existing blood pressure issues that might be at risk.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that healthy people might also be at risk.
Scientists looked at nearly 10,000 people with respiratory infections who were hospitalised for heart attacks.
They found that people who were using non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, while sick were more than three times more likely to have a heart attack within a week compared with the same time period about a year earlier when participants were neither sick nor taking a decongestant.
That, experts concluded was down to two things: having a cold or flu can put a massive strain on the cardiovascular system, but the medication can reduce the amount of sodium excreted through urine - increasing fluid retention and raising blood pressure.
You're best off not taking decongestants for longer than a week at a time.
John Smith, PAGB Chief Executive, said: “People taking OTC NSAIDs and decongestants should not be concerned by this research if they are taking the medicines occasionally for short periods and according to the on-pack instructions and patient information leaflet. Anyone who has concerns about taking a medicine, particularly people with high blood pressure, heart disease or other long term conditions, should speak to a pharmacist for advice.”
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If your symptoms still haven't cleared up, talk to your GP.
Drink plenty of fluids, rest, don't go to work. Use a vapour rub on your chest or under your nose to help clear the airwaves.
And avoid taking pill versions of NSAIDs and decongestants where possible.
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