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More bad news for over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. A study just published at  McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario links common pain relievers that reduce fever to spreading the flu virus, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of more flu infections each year.

This particular study does not even address the toxicity of  OTC drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol). Last year ProPublica revealed that thousands of people are dying every year from the toxic effects of acetaminophen (See: Tylenol is Killing Americans), and recently the FDA has announced warnings as well.

Another study published last year linked acetaminophen with increased rates of asthma and autism (See: Study: Evidence that Acetaminophen, Especially in Conjunction with Vaccines, is a Major Cause of Autism and Asthma).

Taking Pain Relievers To Fight The Flu Can Increase Transmission Of Virus, Study Finds

By Philip Ross
International Business Times

Excerpts:

Taking fever-reducing pills when sick is one way to get a little relief, but it may have unintended consequences for others. According to researchers in Canada, popping acetaminophen, ibuprofen or other pain relievers can actually help spread the flu to others.

A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests that, based on factors like the quantity of pain relievers sold and the reproduction rate of the flu virus, using these drugs leads to an additional 700 flu deaths and several thousand more infections a year.

Fever-relieving medicine can certainly lower one’s body temperature, and alleviate some of the symptoms of the flu, but it can also encourage the virus to continue thriving in the body. Health experts believe a fever is the body’s way of killing the virus, so getting rid of the body’s mechanism for combatting the flu can, in principle, increase the amount of virus we can pass on to others. Also, symptom relievers can give flu sufferers a false sense of feeling better, thereby increasing their chances of interacting with others.

As New Scientist noted, researchers studied the effect lowering a fever has on the prevalence of a virus by turning to a 1982 study of fever in ferrets. According to the study, ferrets react to the flu similarly to humans. When researchers lowered the ferrets’ fevers either by giving them medication or shaving off their fur, their bodies produced more seasonal flu virus.

Applying this model to the U.S. population, researchers estimated that fever-reducing pills may lead to a 5 percent increase in seasonal flu infections.

“Because fever can actually help lower the amount of virus in a sick person’s body and reduce the chance of transmitting disease to others, taking drugs that reduce fever can increase transmission,” study researcher David Earn, a professor of mathematics at McMaster University, said in a statement. “We’ve discovered that this increase has significant effects when we scale up to the level of the whole population.”

The research comes on the heels of a body of research that suggests overmedication, such as the overuse of antibiotics, can lead to unintended consequences, like the emergence of drug-resistant “superbugs.”

Read the Full Article Here.