Your favourite painkillers are making you fat, says
study
Commonly prescribed
painkillers need to be given for shorter periods of time to reduce the risk of
obesity and sleep deprivation, a new study has revealed. Over
the past 10 years, there has been a large increase in the prescription of
medications such as opioids and some antidepressants for chronic pain
management. Experts at Newcastle University have today published a study in the
academic journal, PLOS ONE,
which shows the serious impact of these medications and highlights the need to
reduce their use.
Findings show that medications commonly used to treat
pain, like gabapentinoids such as gabapentin, pregabilin and opiates, doubled
the risk of obesity and were associated with poor sleep.
Study’s findings
Scientists assessed the cardio-metabolic health – the
inter-relationship between metabolic and cardiovascular disease – in more than
133,000 participants from the UK Biobank. Body Mass Index, waist circumference
and blood pressure were compared between those taking painkillers for chronic,
non-cancer pain and cardio-metabolic drugs, compared to those prescribed
cardio-metabolic treatment only. Conditions that can require the use of this
treatment include migraine, diabetic neuropathy and chronic lower back pain.
In 2016, 24 million opiates prescriptions were issued
in the UK, exactly double the amount of 2006. Two years ago, 11,000 patients
were admitted to hospital due to an opiate overdose. Findings of the new study
show people on opiates and cardio-metabolic drugs reported 95% rates of
obesity, 82% ‘very high’ waist circumference and 63% hypertension, as opposed
to those on cardio-metabolic drugs only. Results suggest that chronic pain
medications should be prescribed for shorter periods of time to limit serious
health complications. Dr Sophie Cassidy, Research Associate at the Institute of
Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, is lead author of the study.
She said: “In the last two decades there has been a
significant increase in the number of people being prescribed both opioid and
non-opioid medications to treat chronic pain. “However, this is the largest
study looking at the links between commonly prescribed painkillers and
cardio-metabolic health”.
13.12.2017
Learning is a gift, even when pain is your
teacher
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