Does taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the risk of heart attack or stroke?

Yes. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. These medicines most often treat pain, swelling and irritation, called inflammation, and fever.

The increase in risk affects people who have heart disease and those who don't. But the risk is greater in those who have heart disease. So it's best for people with heart disease not to use NSAIDs if possible.

You can buy many NSAIDs without a prescription. You can get some NSAIDs only by prescription. Examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox DS, others), diclofenac sodium and celecoxib (Celebrex, Elyxyb).

If you need to take an NSAID, take the smallest dose for as short a time as you can. This helps cut the risk of heart attack or stroke. Depending on where your pain is, an NSAID gel that you put on the skin might be a safer choice.

Most people can take NSAIDs safely once in a while. But serious side effects can happen as early as the first weeks of daily NSAID use. The risk can increase the longer it's taken.

To help ease muscle or joint pain, try hot or cold packs or physical therapy before taking NSAIDs. Your healthcare professional might suggest other medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), for pain relief.

Aspirin doesn't appear to be linked to a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. If you take aspirin to help prevent a heart attack, talk with your healthcare professional before you also take NSAIDs. Some NSAIDs get in the way of aspirin working to prevent a heart attack.

If you get symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, get medical help right away. These symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness in one part of the body or one side of the body, or sudden slurred speech.

With

Jeremiah Saunders

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

July 10, 2024 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Abdominal pain
  2. Angina treatment: Stents, drugs, lifestyle changes — What's best?
  3. Anxiety disorders
  4. Blood tests for heart disease
  5. Calcium supplements: A risk factor for heart attack?
  6. Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?
  7. Cardiac catheterization
  8. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): First aid
  9. Chelation therapy for heart disease: Does it work?
  10. Chest X-rays
  11. Coronary angiogram
  12. Coronary artery bypass surgery
  13. Coronary artery disease
  14. Coronary artery disease: Angioplasty or bypass surgery?
  15. What is coronary artery disease? A Mayo Clinic cardiologist explains.
  16. Coronary artery disease FAQs
  17. Daily aspirin therapy
  18. Dizziness
  19. Drug-eluting stents
  20. Echocardiogram
  21. Ejection fraction: What does it measure?
  22. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
  23. Excessive sweating
  24. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
  25. Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
  26. Fatigue
  27. Flu Shot Prevents Heart Attack
  28. Flu shots and heart disease
  29. Four Steps to Heart Health
  30. Grass-fed beef
  31. Healthy Heart for Life!
  32. Heart and Blood Health
  33. Heart attack
  34. Heart attack
  35. Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
  36. Heart attack symptoms
  37. Heart Attack Timing
  38. Heart disease
  39. Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors
  40. Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
  41. Heartburn or chest pain?
  42. Interval Training
  43. Menus for heart-healthy eating
  44. Nausea and vomiting
  45. Niacin to improve cholesterol numbers
  46. Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health
  47. Omega-3 in fish
  48. Omega-6 fatty acids
  49. Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?
  50. Pseudoaneurysm: What causes it?
  51. Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol
  52. Shortness of breath
  53. Silent heart attack
  54. Sleep disorders
  55. Heart disease prevention
  56. Stress test
  57. Symptom Checker
  58. Integrative approaches to treating pain
  59. Nutrition and pain
  60. Pain rehabilitation
  61. Self-care approaches to treating pain
  62. Video: Heart and circulatory system