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Diclofenac Causes as Many Heart Attacks as Vioxx

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By Dr. Mercola [1]

A brand new meta-analysis reveals that the world’s most popular painkiller is as dangerous as ill-fated Vioxx. Vioxx [2] (refecoxib) was pulled from the American market in 2004 — but not until 60,000 people had lost their lives from heart attacks and strokes as a deadly side effect of the drug.

Diclofenac is in the same category as Vioxx, representing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) classified as COX-2 inhibitors.

Diclofenac is one of the oldest NSAIDs, with prescriptions dating back to the 1970s for all types of inflammatory problems, including arthritis, back pain, gout, headaches and fever.

Although not terribly popular in the U.S., diclofenac is the most widely prescribed NSAID worldwide, sold under the brand names Voltaren, Cambia, Cataflam and Zipsor. Diclofenac far outsells ibuprofen, naproxen, and other NSAIDs in 15 countries around the world1.

In Canada, it is the third most prescribed NSAID. And in England, six million people were prescribed diclofenac last year. Of particular concern is the overuse of this drug in low- and middle-income countries where cardiovascular disease rates are on the rise.

Diclofenac Can Raise Your Risk of Heart Attack or Stroke by 40 Percent

All NSAIDs [3] are associated with significant side effects, including increased risk for heart attack and stroke. But how do they do this? The reason is that, along with inhibiting the “bad” prostaglandins that cause inflammation and pain, they inhibit the “good” prostaglandins that dilate your blood vessels and increase blood flow.

So when those “good” prostaglandins are suppressed, the result is higher blood pressure and increased blood clotting. It was initially believed that your body’s own nitric oxide would compensate for these effects, but recent studies have shown this is not the case.

The cardiovascular risk is greatest for people who already have cardiovascular disease, but even heart-healthy people are at substantial riskIf you’re taking an NSAID and you have a history of heart disease, your risk for congestive heart failure (CHF) is increased 10-fold.

The latest diclofenac study2, led by David Henry of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, found diclofenac raises your risk of a heart attack or stroke by about 40 percent, compared to taking no NSAID. Since this study was a meta-analysis, it analyzed the results of multiple studies, some of which showed disturbingly high rates of cardiovascular events.

In a 2012 study published in Circulation, NSAIDs were associated with a persistently increased risk of coronary events in patients with a previous myocardial infarction (heart attack). In more than 43,000 MI patients, NSAID use was associated with a 59 percent increased risk of death after one year and a 63 percent increased risk of death after five years of use. In addition, the use of the NSAIDs was associated with an increased risk of coronary death and recurrent MI.3 Henry remarked:

“Clearly thousands of people die as a result of using [diclofenac]. But these are invisible victims. And therefore, there’s no advocacy lobby group on their behalf.”

No Dose Low Enough to be Safe

Diclofenac is now available in an over-the-counter product called Voltarol Pain-eze, which contains a lower dose of the drug than prescription strength. Even this lower dose resulted in a 22 percent increased risk of a cardiovascular event. Besides increasing blood pressure and clotting, there is now evidence that COX-2 inhibitors may cause hardening of the arteries as well, even in heart-healthy people.4 In fact, the researchers said they could not find ANY dose of this drug low enough to not significantly increase your cardiovascular risk!

In addition to the cardiovascular effects, the NSAIDs are associated with damage to the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys [4] and liver, and have also been linked to hearing loss and miscarriage. The evidence is mounting to indict these drugs as some of the most damaging you can take! Your relative risk from NSAIDs is controlled by a number of factors. Your odds of having adverse effects increases if any of the following apply to you:

Inflammation Can Be Controlled Without Drugs

If you have an injury or infection, inflammation [5] is a natural part of the healing process. Through a series of biochemical reactions, white blood cells and other chemicals are sent to the injured area to fight off foreign bodies. This inflammatory process can lead to pain, swelling, redness, warmth and loss of movement or function.

If you have pain from inflammation, there are ways to treat that pain using natural anti-inflammatory agents instead of drugs. These natural anti-inflammatories will benefit your heart and brain — unlike their pharmaceutical counterparts that can do more harm than good. For example, our revised and updated rheumatoid arthritis protocol [6] has a 60 to 90 percent improvement rate for RA sufferers.

If you struggle with pain from inflammation, I urge you to avoid the use of NSAIDs like diclofenac, which are riddled with potentially dangerous health effects. Diclofenac is as dangerous as the ill-fated drug Vioxx that killed more than 60,000 people — yet diclofenac continues to be the most prescribed painkiller worldwide! When you look at these statistics, it is blatantly clear that you simply can’t rely on your physician to protect you. But you can be proactive and take charge of your own health.

Basic Lifestyle Factors that Must Be Addressed

Lifestyle changes will go a long way toward reducing inflammation in your body, so focus on addressing the following factors:

Fighting Inflammation Naturally with Herbs and Supplements

The herbs and supplements that follow are useful for treating the symptoms of inflammation and relieving pain while you work at implementing the lifestyle changes above:

Read the full article here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/27/diclofenac-dangers.aspx [1]