Pseudoephedrine (OTC Drug) Tied to Heart Attack in Young Man

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Pseudoephedrine Tied to Heart Attack in Young Man

Wed Nov 24, 2:20 PM ET Health - Reuters

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If a recently reported case is a reliable indicator,

the over-the-counter medication pseudoephedrine can cause a heart attack -- even

in healthy young adults.

 

Dr. Alex F. Manini and colleagues at Harvard Medical School (news - web sites)

in Boston treated a 32-year-old man who experienced severe chest pain 45 minutes

after taking two tablets of an over-the-counter cold remedy containing

pseudoephedrine and acetaminophen.

 

 

The diagnosis of an acute heart attack was made based on laboratory testing, the

team reports in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Further tests showed that the heart muscle had been damaged by the event.

 

 

Prior to this episode, the man had been in good health except for a cold,

Manini's group explains.

 

Cardiac catheterization showed that his coronary arteries were normal, and there

was no history of heart disease or sudden death in his family.

 

 

" This case highlights a potential danger of pseudoephedrine even when used by

otherwise healthy people, " the researchers note.

 

They say doctors should advise their patients to be cautious when they take

pseudoephedrine or similar drugs.

 

 

Drug-related adverse reactions are a common cause of illness and are among the

top ten causes of death, Dr. E. Martin Caravati, of the University of Utah in

Salt Lake City, points out in an accompanying editorial.

 

In a recent study, pseudoephedrine was found to be the fourth most commonly used

over-the-counter drug, surpassed only by pain medications.

 

 

Therefore, he says, doctors should perform complete medication reviews with

their patients -- including dietary supplements, over-the counter medications

and herbal remedies.

 

 

SOURCE: Annals of Emergency Medicine, November 22nd online edition, 2004.

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Wed Nov 24, 2:20 PM ET Health - Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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