Anyone who is taking diuretics and renin angiotensin system (RSA) inhibitors to treat hypertension should be cautious about taking the painkiller ibuprofen at the same time, according to a new study. Diuretics and RSA inhibitors are usually prescribed together to patients with hypertension, and there are various drug brands to choose from. Ibuprofen and other pain, fever and anti-inflammatory drugs can be bought without prescription in most pharmacies and stores, and their popular brands include Advil and Motrin.
Ibuprofen is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain, fever and inflammation. This includes dysmenorrhea, migraine and rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo used computer simulated drug trials to simulate the interaction of the three drugs and their effects on the kidney. They found that in people with certain medical characteristics, this combination can lead to acute kidney injury, which may be permanent in some cases.
"Not everyone who happens to take this combination of drugs will have problems," said Anita Leighton, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Waterloo and President of 150 mathematical biology and medical research in Canada. "But research shows that this is enough to cause physical problems, and patients should be cautious."
Computer simulated drug trials can quickly produce results that take longer in human clinical trials. Leighton and her team used mathematics and computer science to give medical practitioners cutting-edge Enlightenment on issues such as drug complications.
In this case, the study can also directly suggest that many people who are taking hypertension drugs may take ibuprofen without much consideration.
"Diuretics are a family of drugs that reduce the body's water holding capacity. Dehydration is a major factor in acute kidney injury, and RAS inhibitors and ibuprofen can combine to cause a triple blow to the kidney. If you happen to be taking these high blood pressure drugs and need painkillers, consider replacing them with acetaminophen," Leighton said
Leighton and co authors Jessica LITT, Caroline Wang and francisco-j-lopez Hernandez published a new research paper, "identifying risk factors for triple hit acute kidney injury", in the journal mathematical bioscience.