For example, your doctor may recommend that you take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) for general pain relief, which doesn't increase the risk of heart attacks.If you need to take an NSAID, take the lowest dose possible for the shortest time needed. “However, if one is concerned, then they may want to avoid those drugs or drug families.”Rohde explained that ibuprofen is known to diminish the response of the body’s immune system. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. The increase in risk was higher for some drugs such as diclofenac, and lower for ibuprofen Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations.Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.Yes.

On the flip side, patients who have worse symptoms may be more likely to take ibuprofen, and their outcome may have nothing to do with the medication itself. “But that may be meaningless in a person if that increase is small, or if there is already so much receptor that adding more doesn’t matter,” Yang explained.There’s not enough evidence to show that ibuprofen could make COVID-19 worse, “I do not believe there is enough evidence due to a small sample size of patients,” he said.

But keep in mind that there may be an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.

For now, Rohde said there’s “no hard evidence” not to take over-the-counter or prescription pain medications. There is also no conclusive evidence that taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is harmful for other respiratory infections.”© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. “These interleukin 6 inhibitors target one specific cell where we think much of the harm happens in patients with COVID-19,” Chopra says. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Taking NSAIDs once in a while or for a short time, such as to help with pain due to an injury, generally has only a small risk.NSAIDs are available over-the-counter or with a prescription and include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox, others), diclofenac sodium (Voltaren, Solaraze, others) and celecoxib (Celebrex).

Also, read the label instructions carefully before taking NSAIDs, and use NSAIDs as directed. But even people without cardiovascular disease who take NSAIDs may be at increased risk of heart attack or stroke.To help ease muscle or joint pain, consider trying other therapies — such as hot or cold packs or physical therapy — before taking NSAIDs. Those drugs are commonly taken by those with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. All rights reserved. Some NSAIDs may interact with aspirin and affect its ability to help prevent a heart attack.If you're taking an NSAID and you notice any signs or symptoms of a heart attack or stroke — such as chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness in one part of the body or side of the body, or sudden slurred speech — get medical attention right away.Many people can generally take NSAIDs to treat pain, fever and inflammation. “There are some clinical observations of small numbers of patients that suggest ibuprofen could “Other publications have even argued that ibuprofen can be helpful in One thing specific to COVID-19 is that some lab experiments are showing that ibuprofen may boost the amount of ACE2 receptors that the virus uses to infect cells and could make the virus spread faster. Nearly all heart patients take it every day because it prevents the clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. This large study looked at the health records of more than 8 million patients, with an average age of 77, and whether they had used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac. But be aware that serious side effects can occur as early as the first weeks of using an NSAID, and the risk may increase the longer you are taking an NSAID.

© 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Medical experts debate whether or not reducing the inflammation that causes fever and muscle ache actually lowers the effectiveness of the immune response.