Anti-Depressants Painkillers May Cause Internal Bleeding.

This was written by Jenny Thompson of the Health Sciences Institute.

Can you guess how many people die each year due to gastrointestinal bleeding associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)?

Keep in mind, NSAIDs are mostly non-prescription pain killers that include aspirin and ibuprofen. According to Reuters news service, about 16,000 deaths are attributed to GI bleeding linked with NSAID use yearly.

This is a familiar refrain, but I have to repeat it: If a dietary supplement were to cause more than 300 deaths every WEEK, it would be outlawed in a heartbeat. It would vanish. But aspirin? Ibuprofen? No problem. They're produced by giant drug companies. A few deaths? Well shucks, you have to break a few eggs to make omelets, right?

I came across this NSAID statistic in a Reuters article with a surprising headline: "Anti-Depressants May Cause Internal Bleeding." Researchers at Northwestern University Medical School reviewed medical records for nearly 550 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. They found that ongoing use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) posed approximately the same risk for GI bleeding as NSAID use.

But guess what? This isn't news. Not to an Eli Lilly spokesperson who told Reuters that GI bleeding is already noted in packaging for Prozac (the popular SSRI made by Lilly). And while that may be true, I believe that this is the first indication that SSRIs may create a bleeding risk similar to NSAID use. (No specific SSRI brands were singled out by the Northwestern report.)

In yesterday's e-Alert ("Red Threads" 5/23/05) we saw how saffron may be as effective as Prozac in treating mild to moderate depression. Just one little difference: SSRIs may cause GI bleeding, while saffron has been used for centuries to TREAT digestive problems and inflammation.

SSRIs also don't give Spanish paella a savory, exotic flavor.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
"Anti-Depressants May Cause Internal Bleeding" Reuters, 5/16/05, reuters.com

Hope for your health