Advil Multi-Symptom Cold and GI toxicity

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause gastrointestinal mucosal damage, the risk of which appears to be related to both dosage and duration of therapy. Serious GI toxicity such as bleeding, ulceration and perforation can develop at any time, with or without warning symptoms, and occurs in approximately 1% of patients treated for 3 to 6 months and 2% to 4% of patients treated for one year. These trends continue with longer duration of use, although short-term therapy is not without risk. While agents that selectively inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (i.e., COX-2 inhibitors) are generally thought to be associated with a reduced risk of GI toxicity compared to conventional NSAIDs, they have not been proven risk-free. In addition, there is evidence that COX-2 inhibitors may delay healing of gastric ulcers, and likely to the same extent as traditional NSAIDs. Thus, therapy with all NSAIDs, including COX-2 inhibitors, should be prescribed cautiously in patients with a history of peptic ulcer disease and/or gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients with such a history who use NSAIDs have a greater than 10-fold increased risk for developing a GI bleed compared to patients with neither of these risk factors. Caution is also advised if NSAIDs are prescribed to patients with other risk factors such as oral corticosteroid or anticoagulant use, alcohol use, smoking, older age, and poor general health status. Particular vigilance is necessary when treating elderly (i.e., age 60 years or more) and/or debilitated patients, since they are often more susceptible to the GI toxicity of these drugs and seem to tolerate ulceration and bleeding less well than younger, healthier individuals. Whenever possible, especially if prolonged use is anticipated, treatment with non-ulcerogenic agents should be attempted first. If NSAIDS are used, patients should be treated with the lowest effective dosage for the shortest duration possible, and prophylactic therapy with a cytoprotective agent (e.g., misoprostol), histamine H2-receptor antagonist, or a proton pump inhibitor should be administered as necessary. Patients should be counseled to avoid or minimize consumption of alcohol during NSAID therapy. Three or more alcoholic drinks per day during NSAID use may increase the risk of gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding. Patients should also be advised to promptly seek medical attention if they experience symptoms that could indicate serious GI tract ulceration or bleeding such as epigastric pain, dyspepsia, melena, and hematemesis.