It’s easy to overdose or to patch over problems that require a doctor’s care. Research adds the list of risk factors, but it also sees possible new benefits.
By Emily Sohn, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Published February 14, 2011
When something hurts, most Americans open their medicine cabinets and pop a few capsules, tablets or gel-caps.
Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen: More than 80% of us report using these four main over-the-counter analgesics, according to the market research firm Mintel. Two-thirds of us keep stashes on hand, not just at home but also at work, in our handbags or in the car. And about half of us have multiple bottles available, just in case.
All that pill popping certainly affects our health — and not always for the better. Used correctly, over-the-counter analgesics can help with acute aches and pains. Even more enticing, growing evidence suggests that some of them might also help fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as heart attacks and some cancers.
But there are real risks. It’s easy to overdose, with dangers that include stomach upset, organ failure, strokes, even death. And the safe upper limits may vary from one person to the next, depending on body size, genes and prior health conditions.
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