Doctor reveals common medications taken by millions of people that can lead to heart attack

A top doctor has revealed which common medications taken by millions of people could increase the risk of a heart attack.

Dr. Zain Hasan, an anesthesiologist in California, emphasized nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Aleve (the brand name for naproxen sodium) and Motrin (ibuprofen).

Although these medications are used to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever, over time they can cause changes in the blood that increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

When taken in high doses and for long periods, they can more easily form blood clots, which can block the arteries in the heart, and they can potentially increase blood pressure through fluid retention.

The FDA says the drugs can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 10 to 50 percent or more, depending on the drugs and doses studied.

The risk is particularly high for people with pre-existing heart conditions. Therefore, people are advised to discuss the medications with their doctor.

Next, Dr. Hasan warns about the risks associated with corticosteroids such as prednisone, which are a different class of anti-inflammatory medications than NSAIDs.

These medications, which are used to treat conditions such as asthma, allergic reactions, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, can also cause water retention, which can then affect your heart in the long term.

Corticosteroids can constrict blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure. Over time, this damages blood vessels and increases the burden on the heart, making it more susceptible to blockages and heart failure.

These types of steroids can also lead to hardening of the arteries, making it more difficult to get blood properly to and from the heart.

At number three on Dr.’s list. Hasan is on medication for chemotherapy.

Explaining his reasoning, the doctor says, ‘Certain chemotherapy drugs can affect your heart, cause heart failure and cause breathing problems.

“(It) makes sense because chemotherapy affects every part of your body.”

Dr. Hasan says the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin is the worst culprit when it comes to developing heart problems.

The British Heart Foundation says that at the current maximum dose limit for doxorubicin – which only a small number of patients receive – seven in 100 people given this dose will develop heart failure.

From research, the charity says it has ‘found that an enzyme called NADPH oxidase, which occurs naturally in the body but increases in disease, plays a key role in causing heart failure in response to chemotherapy’.

It says that when mice were given high doses of doxorubicin chemotherapy and the activity of this enzyme was blocked, it was found that the rodents were protected from heart failure.

Researchers are now trying to understand exactly how this enzyme causes heart failure in response to chemotherapy and whether blocking its action in cancer patients could prevent it.

Moving on, Dr. Hasan says that certain diabetes medications can also have a negative effect on your heart.

He emphasizes that this is not the “majority” of diabetes medications, but that certain medications such as Avandia (rosiglitazone) are linked to heart failure and can affect your heart in the long term.

One study found that people taking Avandia were 33 percent more likely to have a heart attack, heart failure, or death from heart problems or other causes.

Because of these links, sales of the drug used to treat type 2 diabetes were suspended in Europe in 2010 and it is rarely prescribed in the US.

Dr. Hasan says that when choosing a drug, you sometimes have to “weigh the risks versus the benefits” beforehand.

The last medications he mentions are stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, which are used to treat ADHD.

Alarmingly, he says, these drugs are often “heavily” prescribed to children.

In the US, approximately 3.4 million children between the ages of 3 and 17 use ADHD medications.

Dr. Hasan says these drugs – which increase levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to help improve focus and concentration – have a major impact on the heart.

He explains: ‘TThese medications are stimulants. What does that mean? Increases your heart rate, increases your blood pressure, makes you more awake, provides more blood flow to your brain.

“But think about it: If you continually stimulate your heart over a long period of time, it makes perfect sense that it could potentially damage your heart.”

One study found that people who take ADHD medications for more than five years have a 23 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who do not take medications.

As with all medications he mentions, Dr. Hasan recommends talking to a healthcare provider before replacing it.

Stopping medications suddenly can be dangerous, with a higher risk of withdrawal symptoms. It is also more likely that your original health problems will return or worsen.