Physicians Advise Patients to Report Use of Over-the-Counter Drugs

Research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School are reporting that many patients do not inform their personal doctors about any over the counter pain medications they are taking. The medications, called NSAIDs can cause serious injury and bleeding in the GI tract. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 people in the United States who end up in the hospital every year and between 15,000 and 20,000 will die each year from ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding that can be traced to the use of NSAID's

This can be especially dangerous for those with different types of arthritis. And in the elderly population, who have the highest risk for GI bleeding. It is estimated that more than 14 million arthritis patients take NSAIDs to relive pain and inflamation on a regular basis. And out of this group, as much as 60% will develop gastrointestinal side effects that are linked to these drugs and more than 10% will stop using their prescribed medications due to the symptoms

The participants in the study were patients of a private GI practice. They gave the nursing staff both written and verbal confirmations of the medications they were taking. Then they were given a survey to complete. Almost 20% listed the use of a NSAID in the survey that they had not reported to the nursing staff. Out of this number 8% said they used the drugs daily. And 22% did not think that the drugs were important enough to mention and 30% said they did not mention them because they were not prescription medications.

Recent studies point to the use of acid suppression therapy in combination with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for those who are at risk for developing stomach ulcers from the long term use of NSAIDs, but the physicians cannot prescribe them if the patients do not let them know about their use of the NSAIDs.

In a different study VA researcher, Neena S. Abraham, M.D. conducted a study of the cost from hospitalization for GI bleeding related to NSAID use, and related it to the use of PPIs