Headache, spine pain or teeth and other sudden pains, causing people to go to the nearest pharmacy to buy pain relievers, which transforms their use into a life habit without being aware of the many health risks involved. And scientific studies revealed several risks of these drugs when taken in a moody manner, starting from stomach problems and reaching the level of bleeding, up to problems in the kidneys, while more dangerous than that, their effects may reach the heart. The spread of the "Covid-19" virus contributed to the increase in people taking painkillers because they avoided visiting hospitals to avoid infection, so it was the first and alternative solution. The doctors who spoke to «Emirates Today» unanimously agreed that the temporary relief granted by these analgesics may have dangerous health consequences, stressing that these drugs should be used with care and avoid their habit and addiction to avoid all their damages in the long run.
Stomach protection
The specialist in diseases of the digestive system and the liver, Dr. Anas Al-Kammaz, stressed that the damage of analgesics to the digestive system is multiple, indicating that the analgesics ranged between light, medium and strong, and the analgesics that are spent in the pharmacy are non-steroidal analgesics, which are the most used drugs, as they are used by 320 million people worldwide. He pointed out that these drugs carry effects on the entire body and the digestive system, as they leave effects on the upper and lower digestive system, and lead to a defect in the protection layer of the lining of the digestive system, which may cause bleeding or injury to the lining of the digestive system, both upper or lower. Al-Gammaz stressed that with painkillers taking medications can be taken to protect the stomach, but this is due to the type and nature of the home used, noting that people who have a history of disease such as stomach ulcers or even those over 65 years of age, as well as those who use several types of drugs, including medicines Fluidity of the heart, or those with stomach germs may increase the effect of analgesics on them, as they are more vulnerable to analgesic damage.
Al-Kammaz considered that the presence of signs, including severe and persistent pain and the change of the color of stool to black, are indications of effects of medical importance that require hospitalization and verification of the effects on the stomach, pointing out that the doctors who know there is a problem in the patient's digestive system, do not prescribe strong analgesics for him And they try to use topical analgesics that do not harm the stomach or use analgesics that do not lead to addiction, and in the event that you have to use known analgesics there are factors that determine the amount of danger of the drug.
Blood flow
The consultant in urology and kidney transplantation Dr. Hossam Al-Qudah pointed out that the painkillers that leave their effects on the body are non-Australian and that people take without consulting, knowing that some painkillers are found on the market under other names, but they are of the same composition, and therefore have the same effect on Kidney and stomach, it increases the likelihood of stomach ulcers. As for the second effect, the judges pointed out that it is located on the kidneys, as it is possible that the use of analgesics reduces the amount of blood flow towards the capillaries of the inner kidney, which causes problems in kidney functions and may lead in advanced cases to severe kidney failure, pointing out that access to This stage of damage varies from person to person, sometimes the kidney suffers from symptoms or wounds due to other diseases, such as a patient who suffers from diabetes or high blood pressure or who suffers from dehydration, then blood flow towards the kidney decreases with dehydration and thus increases the likelihood that one will have damage to Kidney function.
Dr. Hussam Al-Qudah noted that the damage to the kidneys is clearly with those who have diabetes and birth defects in the kidneys, genetic diseases that affect the kidneys or stones and tumors that affect the kidneys. As for avoiding these damages, be cautious about taking painkillers, especially those who suffer from diseases in the kidneys, stressing the importance of reading the leaflet about medicines before taking them, and asking the doctor and not taking them without any medical evidence, simple analgesics are safe and do not have damage, as it is necessary Ensuring high body moisture to reduce the damage to the kidneys, stressing that it seeks to spare the patients with strong painkillers.
Ongoing studies
The consultant in heart surgery and diseases, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sukkar, said: “The link between pain relievers and heart diseases is a subject that is subject to continuous studies, and every time opinions change due to new discoveries.” Under the drug category, being narcotic, including "morphine" and "tramadol", but the most dangerous of them are analgesics that are dispersed without a prescription and are available in pharmacies. He noted that analgesics carry damage, but the explanation of this damage is not clear, but in contrast there are analgesics, including Profene and Voltaren, which work to increase the viscosity of blood, which leads to an increase in the proportion of blood clots, as it leads to kidney failure, and kidney diseases adversely affect the heart . He stressed that some studies have shown that analgesics greatly affect high blood pressure, and can be divided according to safety into categories, while emphasizing that the only safe analgesic is aspirin at a dose of less than 325 milligrams, knowing that aspirin in large quantities may cause ulcers or bleeding in the stomach Its side effects are outside the frame of the heart.
He pointed out that the patients who had a recent clot that leads to cutting blood from the heart muscle suffer from a wound in the muscle, and therefore the analgesics increase the wound healing period. He pointed out that there are some problems that can be avoided by analgesics while giving other medications to help relieve pain or solve the problem, as it is necessary to solve the cause of the problem and not relieve pain. He advised that the problem should be solved instead of taking painkillers, indicating that a person who does not have heart diseases cannot relieve him of the painful problems or the damage that has been mentioned, unless he suffers from pressure and cholesterol.
Benefits and harms
The consultant in orthopedics and sports injuries at the University Hospital in Sharjah, Dr. Ahmed Aboub, said: “In the field of joint diseases and orthopedics, we use a lot of pain relievers, which we call anti-inflammatory, including Provin, and they carry a lot of benefits and damages, so their use must be scientifically and wise, Because eating it excessively and on a daily and continuous basis for several months, leads to ulcers in the stomach and causes disorders of the kidneys and liver functions, and those with health problems such as diabetes are exacerbated by the negative effects. Dr. Abboub pointed out that the reasons that cause people to resort to analgesics are many, including the lack of time to visit the doctor, in addition to the fact that the spread of the new Corona virus has compounded the lack of visiting clinics, for fear of visiting the hospital and the transmission of any infection, which causes them to resort to any solution, and this is why it is advised Doctors take these medications when necessary, but only intermittently. Abboub noted that the number of cases infected with the virus decreased a lot in the state, and that is why you should not be afraid to visit the doctor when needed, because these analgesics should not be relied on for a long time, so it is not recommended to take painkillers for back and knee pain for more than 10 days, while treating tendinitis needs Over two weeks of treatment.
Analgesics and heart attacks
Several studies linked analgesics and heart attacks, among them the study that revealed a relationship between taking high doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including «ibuprofen» and exposure to heart attacks. Studies have relied on a lot of research that links drugs to heart diseases, as research has confirmed that the risks increase with people who take analgesics for more than 30 days.
The spread of the Corona virus has contributed to an increase in people taking painkillers, as they have avoided visiting hospitals.