Is Tylenol Safe For High Blood Pressure

Always Read And Follow Your Pain Medication Label

NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium can produce several effects on your body that may further worsen high blood pressure. NSAIDs can:

Impact sodium and water retention in the kidneys ;

Increase resistance of blood vessels , which can raise blood pressure.

Additionally, NSAIDs have a clearly established mechanism of interaction between certain high blood pressure treatments, such as diuretics, and can reduce the effectiveness of previously prescribed high blood pressure treatments.

Similar effects have not been established for acetaminophen, the active ingredient in TYLENOL®.

Ibuprofen And High Blood Pressure

Q. My doctor prescribed 800 mg of ibuprofen a couple of times a day for the pain and inflammation of a severely twisted knee. When I took my blood pressure a few weeks later it was 180/96. Thats much higher than my usual 124/76.

That scared me, so I searched your website for answers. I discovered that ibuprofen and high blood pressure can go together. What else can I use for the pain?

Alternatives For Pain Relief

If you do not want to take pain medications for relief of headache or other mild aches and pains, there are other alternatives. Many people find that ice packs and heating pads can bring relief. Relaxation techniques like meditation, imagery, or yoga can be used to help manage pain. Physical activity may help with some kinds of pain, like that of arthritis. Finally, acupuncture and other nontraditional techniques can help some people with mild to moderate pain.

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What About Herbal And Dietary Supplements

You can read on the Internet or hear advice in health food stores from nonphysicians about dozens of unproven herbs, vitamins, minerals, homeopathic products, and other dietary supplements that promise to help you control your blood pressure. Taking advice from such sources is fraught with danger, as they are not medically licensed to make such recommendations, and there is no OTC product that is proven safe or effective in lowering high blood pressure. Rather, you should seek care from a legitimate health care professional .;

Remember, if you have questions, Consult Your Pharmacist.;

Advising Those Who Ignore Label Advice

Patients with hypertension may have purchased the above products at a nonpharmacy venue and failed to read or heed the warnings. Eventually, they may notice symptoms or read the label and become alarmed and call for advice. The pharmacist can tell these patients that they should measure their blood pressure immediately or go to an emergency room where an accurate reading can be made and effective countermeasures taken to remedy the situation. Possible signs of hypertension that patients should be made aware of include chest pain, confusion, ear noises or buzzing sounds, irregular heartbeat, nosebleeds, tiredness, and/or visual changes.3;

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Nonprescription Products To Avoid With Hypertension

W. Steven Pray, PhD, DPhBernhardt Professor, Nonprescription Products and DevicesCollege of Pharmacy, Southwestern Oklahoma State UniversityWeatherford, Oklahoma

US Pharm.

Researchers have charted an alarming rise in the number of persons with hypertension. For example, the number rose by 30% from 1994 to 2000.1 The CDC estimated the percentage of noninstitutionalized adults aged 20 years and above with hypertension to be 32%.2 The number of ambulatory visits that have hypertension as the primary diagnosis is estimated to be 40.5 million.2 In 2006, there were 23,855 deaths due to hypertension, or 8 per 100,000 population.2;

The National Institutes of Health has provided this hypertension advice for the lay public: Most of the time, high blood pressure can be controlled with medicine and lifestyle changes.3 Of course, this optimistic statement assumes that patients do not unknowingly take any action that would raise their blood pressure. For instance, some nonprescription medications may cause dangerous rises in blood pressure, and the labels reflect that danger by recommending that patients speak to a physician before using them. However, some patients ignore the labels completely. Others may choose to ask the pharmacist about the warning. For this reason, it is important for pharmacists to be aware of which products carry the warning and which alternative products may be recommended.;

Before Taking This Medicine

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to acetaminophen or phenylephrine.

Do not use this medicine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, and tranylcypromine.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medicine if you have other medical conditions, especially:

• liver disease, cirrhosis, a history of alcoholism, or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day;

• pheochromocytoma ; or

• if you take an anti-depressant.

It is not known whether acetaminophen and phenylephrine will harm an unborn baby. Do not use cough or cold medicine without a doctor’s advice if you are pregnant.

Acetaminophen and phenylephrine may pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. may also slow breast milk production. Do not use cough or cold medicine without a doctor’s advice if you are pregnant.

Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children.

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This Reader Wants To Know If Acetaminophen Will Raise Blood Pressure:

Q. I have taken NSAIDs for pain relief, but they bump up my blood pressure. When I had some dental work done, I took Advil for the throbbing pain. When I checked my blood pressure, it had spiked about 40 points over my usual number.

Is Tylenol less likely to be a problem? I try to avoid pain meds as much as possible, but occasionally I have to take something.

Sleeplessness & High Blood Pressure

If you are experiencing occasional sleeplessness and have high blood pressure or are taking medication to help manage high blood pressure, you may be wondering which over-the-counter nighttime sleep aid options may be right for you. TYLENOL® PM and SIMPLY SLEEP® both contain the active ingredient diphenhydramine. Read more about diphenhydramine and high blood pressure below. to buy a TYLENOL® PM product.

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Are There Any Other Precautions Or Warnings For This Medication

Before you begin using a medication, be sure to inform your doctor of any medical conditions or allergies you may have, any medications you are taking, whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding, and any other significant facts about your health. These factors may affect how you should use this medication.

Alcohol: Alcohol may add to the side effects of dimenhydrinate and should be avoided when using this medication.

Drowsiness: This medication can cause drowsiness, affecting your ability to drive or operate machinery. Avoid these and other hazardous tasks until you know how dimenhydrinate affects you.

Glaucoma: This medication may cause the symptoms of glaucoma to become worse. If you have glaucoma, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed. Report any changes in vision to your doctor as soon as possible while you are taking this medication.

Prostate Problems: This medication may cause the symptoms of an enlarged prostate to become worse. If you have an enlarged prostate, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.

Can Tylenol Acetaminophen Raise Blood Pressure

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. Thats because there is a lot of pain out there. Whether its from headaches, arthritis or backaches, tens of millions of people seek relief with OTC analgesics such as Advil, Aleve, Motrin IB, Excedrin or Tylenol. There are data suggesting that NSAIDs can raise blood pressure in susceptible people. Will a non-NSAID drug like acetaminophen raise blood pressure?

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Tylenol Linked To Blood Pressure

Women taking daily amounts of non-aspirin painkillers such as an extra-strength Tylenol are more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who don’t, a new study suggests.

While many popular over-the-counter painkillers have been linked before to high blood pressure, acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol, has generally been considered relatively free of such risk.

It is the only one that is not a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID, a class of medications the federal government just required to carry stricter warning labels because of the risk for heart-related problems. Those include ibuprofen and naproxen . Many had turned to those painkillers in the wake of problems with prescription drugs, such as Vioxx.

However, the new study found that women taking Tylenol were about twice as likely to develop blood pressure problems. Risk also rose for women taking NSAIDS other than aspirin.

“If you’re taking these over-the-counter medications at high dosages on a regular basis, make sure that you report it to your doctor and you’re checking your blood pressure,” said Dr. Christie Ballantyne, a cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston who had no role in the study.

The research found that aspirin still remains the safest medicine for pain relief. It has long been known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and was not included in the government’s requirement for stricter labels for NSAIDs.

Tylenol Linked To High Blood Pressure In Women

Women taking daily amounts of non-aspirin painkillers such as an extra-strength Tylenol are more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who dont, a new study suggests.

While many popular over-the-counter painkillers have been linked before to high blood pressure, acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol, has generally been considered relatively free of such risk.

It is the only one that is not a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID, a class of medications the federal government just required to carry stricter warning labels because of the risk for heart-related problems. Those include ibuprofen and naproxen . Many had turned to those painkillers in the wake of problems with prescription drugs, such as Vioxx.

However, the new study found that women taking Tylenol were about twice as likely to develop blood pressure problems. Risk also rose for women taking NSAIDS other than aspirin.

If youre taking these over-the-counter medications at high dosages on a regular basis, make sure that you report it to your doctor and youre checking your blood pressure, said Dr. Christie Ballantyne, a cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston who had no role in the study.

The research found that aspirin still remains the safest medicine for pain relief. It has long been known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and was not included in the governments requirement for stricter labels for NSAIDs.

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Be Careful About Using Over

If you take OTC or prescription medicines for headaches, pain, fever, or colds, you may be taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug . NSAIDs include popular pain relievers and cold medicines that can damage your kidneys if you take them for a long time, or lead to acute kidney injury if you take them when you are dehydrated or your blood pressure is low.

Ibuprofen and naproxen are NSAIDs. NSAIDs are sold under many different brand names, so ask your pharmacist or health care provider if the medicines you take are safe to use.

You also can look for NSAIDs on Drug Facts labels like the one below.

A Closer Look At Acetaminophen

The Swiss team set out to fill a surprising gap in medical knowledge: the effect of acetaminophen on blood pressure among people with coronary artery disease. This includes folks with angina along with anyone who has had bypass surgery or angioplasty or who has been diagnosed with cholesterol-clogged arteries.

The researchers asked 33 men and women with one or more of these problems to take either 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen or an identical placebo three times a day for two weeks. Then, after a two-week break, each volunteer took the other treatment. The amount of acetaminophen used in the study is a standard daily dose for pain.

When the participants took acetaminophen, average systolic blood pressure increased from 122.4 to 125.3, while the average diastolic pressure increased from 73.2 to 75.4. Blood pressure stayed steady when participants took the placebo. These increases aren’t large. But they indicate that acetaminophen, like NSAIDs, somehow affects the cardiovascular system.

A larger, longer trial would have given more reliable results. It would also have been unethical, since none of the participants were in pain. That means they couldn’t reap any benefit from acetaminophen, but could only be harmed by it.

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Million American Adults Have At Least One Type Of Cardiovascular Disease2

When recommending an analgesic, its important to consider patients heart risks. The combination of certain pain relievers with some medicinal therapies can interfere with cardiovascular treatment. Because of its safety and analgesic efficacy, the American Heart Association has identified acetaminophen as a first-line pain relief option for patients with, or at high risk for, cardiovascular disease.3*

• Hypertension

Pain And Blood Pressure:

Dentists have noted that dental checkups and treatment can be stressful for some patients :;

Local anesthesia and tooth extraction activate the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol. Changes in adrenaline or noradrenaline concentrations have been reported in plasma and urine after drilling and filling or extraction, and anticipation of a dental checkup increases blood pressure. Both diastolic and systolic blood pressure rise still further during restorative treatment without local anaesthesia and during extraction. In a study by the same authors, no significant changes in blood pressure were observed during restorative treatment with local anaesthesia, which suggests that the pain experienced by the patient contributes to the rise in blood pressure.

I am not at all surprised to learn that restorative treatment without local anesthesia and during extraction raised blood pressure. I am so old I can tell you that my first dentist used to drill my teeth with no local anesthesia. He also used a low-speed drill that vibrated my whole mouth. That was not a pleasant experience, but he was a kind and gentle man and I do not have a phobia about dental work.;

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Acetaminophen And Phenylephrine Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

In rare cases, acetaminophen may cause a severe skin reaction that can be fatal. This could occur even if you have taken acetaminophen in the past and had no reaction. Stop taking acetaminophen and phenylephrine and call your doctor right away if you have skin redness or a rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling. If you have this type of reaction, you should never again take any medicine that contains acetaminophen.

Stop using the medicine and call your doctor at once if you have:

• fast, slow, or uneven heart rate;

• confusion, hallucinations;

• tremor, seizure ;

• little or no urinating;

• nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice ; or

• dangerously high blood pressure .

Common side effects may include:

• sleep problems .

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Nsaid Risks For The Heart

Some studies have shown that people who take NSAIDs also have more heart attacks. The reason why is not fully understood, but the evidence is consistent enough to warrant extra caution. That is especially true for people with an above-average chance of heart problems because of older age, overweight, smoking, high cholesterol or blood pressure, or a previous heart attack or stroke.

If you are at above-average risk of heart problems and use NSAIDs, how much does your risk go up? An analysis comparing prior research of diclofenac, celecoxib or ibuprofen estimated that 7 to 8 extra cardiovascular events would occur each year among 1000 people taking these drugs; for those taking naproxen, no increased risk was observed.; This is considered a small added risk; if an NSAID provides a lot of benefit, this added risk may be worth taking.;

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Pain Medicines: What To Do If You Have Heart Problems Or Kidney Disease

When people have pain, they often take pain medicines called NSAIDs . These include:

• Advil and Motrin . Ibuprofen is also in other over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicines.
• Aleve .
• Celebrex .

NSAIDs help ease pain and inflammation. But if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney disease, you should not take an NSAID. And you should not take any drugs that have ibuprofen or another NSAID in them. Heres why:

NSAIDs are bad for your blood pressure.

NSAIDs can cause high blood pressure. And if you have high blood pressure, they can make it worse. This increases your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke.

NSAIDs can also keep some blood pressure drugs from working right. NSAIDs can interfere with:

• Diuretics, or water pills, such as apo-Hydro .
• Diuretics remove excess water from the blood vessels.
• ACE inhibitors, such as Altace and Coversyl .
• ACE inhibitors are drugs that relax the blood vessels.
• ARBs such as Cozaar . ARBs are another group of drugs that relax the blood vessels.

NSAIDs are bad for your heart and kidneys.

Long-term use of NSAIDs can make your body hold onto fluid. This can worsen the symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, swollen ankles, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat. NSAIDs can also keep the kidneys from working well. This makes taking NSAIDs risky for people who already have kidney disease.

Which painkillers can you use if you have heart or kidney disease?

Managing pain without taking drugs