High blood pressure affects one out of every three people in the UK.
Paracetamol purchase had increased widely after the coronavirus struck the world. It is a commonly used painkiller prescribed to manage chronic pain. Many patients and people with mild Covid symptoms turned to Dolo and manage chronic pain, despite little evidence of its benefit for long-term use. for recovery. Many even made it a daily routine to pop a tablet to stay protected from the virus. However, there is little evidence of its benefit for long-term use. A recent study warned that daily consumption of paracetamol can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
A study conducted by the experts from the University of Edinburgh revealed that the blood pressure of people with a history of high BP increased within four days of eating the painkiller, further increasing the chances of a heart attack or a stroke by 20 per cent.
Professor David Webb, chair of therapeutics and clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh, said, "We have always thought that paracetamol was the safe alternative if we were trying to advise patients to stop using drugs like ibuprofen, which are known to raise blood pressure. Consideration should be given to stopping using paracetamol in patients at risk of heart attack or stroke."
He added, "We would recommend that clinicians start with a low dose of paracetamol and increase the dose in stages, going no higher than needed to control pain. Given the substantial rises in blood pressure seen in some of our patients, there may be a benefit for clinicians to keep a closer eye on blood pressure in people with high blood pressure who newly start paracetamol for chronic pain."
The experts also claimed that those who pop a paracetamol for chronic pain should consume separate medication to keep their blood pressure under control.
"This is not about short-term use of paracetamol for headaches or fever, which is, of course, fine but it does indicate a newly discovered risk for people who take it regularly over the longer term, usually for chronic pain," said Dr Iain MacIntyre, consultant in clinical pharmacology and nephrology at NHS Lothian.
