Ibuprofen Linked to Reduced Male Fertility

By Pat Anson, Editor

If you’re a man who uses ibuprofen regularly for muscle pain or  headache, you could be compromising your ability to have children, according to a small new study.

French and Danish researchers enrolled 31 young male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35 in the study, and gave about half of them 600 milligrams of ibuprofen twice a day -- the highest recommended dose. The other participants were given a placebo.

After just 14 days, the researchers noted signs of hormonal dysfunction in the men who took ibuprofen, who had high levels of luteinizing hormone, which the pituitary gland produces to stimulate testosterone production in the testicles. 

That condition -- known as hypogonadism -- is usually seen in older men who have low testosterone levels. Hypogonadism is associated with reduced fertility, lower sex drive, depression, fatigue and an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

“We normally see this condition in elderly men, so it raises an alarm,” study co-author Bernard Jégou, PhD, of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, told The Guardian. “We are concerned about it, particularly for healthy people who don’t need to take these drugs. The risk is greater than the benefit.” 

Researchers say the disorder was mild in the ibuprofen group and went away when the men stopped taking ibuprofen. But they worry what would happen to men who take the pain reliever for longer periods. Many professional athletes regularly take high doses of ibuprofen.

“Our immediate concern is for the fertility of men who use these drugs for a long time,” said co-author David Møbjerg Kristensen, PhD, a professor of biology at the University of Copenhagen. “These compounds are good painkillers, but a certain amount of people in society use them without thinking of them as proper medicines.”

The study was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

“Ibuprofen appears to be the preferred pharmaceutical analgesic for long-term chronic pain and arthritis. Therefore it is also of concern that men with compensated hypogonadism may eventually progress to overt primary hypogonadism, which is characterized by low circulating testosterone and prevalent symptoms including reduced libido, reduced muscle mass and strength, and depressed mood and fatigue,“ the researchers warned.

The same team of researchers reported in earlier studies that aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen affected the testicles of male babies born to mothers who took the drugs during pregnancy.

Ibuprofen is a widely used over-the-counter pain reliever found in brand name products such as Motrin and Advil.   

FDA: 'Everyone May Be at Risk' from NSAIDs

By Pat Anson, Editor

Warning that "everyone may be at risk," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered warning labels for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) to be strengthened to indicate they increase the risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke.

The warning applies to ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin and other popular pain relievers sold over-the-counter, as well as prescriptions drugs containing NSAIDs. Many multi-symptom cold and flu products also contain NSAIDs.

The agency said studies have shown the risk of serious side effects can occur in the first few weeks of using NSAIDs and could increase the longer people use the drugs. The revised warning does not apply to aspirin.

“There is no period of use shown to be without risk,” says Judy Racoosin, MD, deputy director of FDA’s Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Addiction Products.

The FDA said people who have a history of heart disease, particularly those who recently had a heart attack or cardiac bypass surgery, are at the greatest risk for a serious cardiovascular event associated with NSAIDs. But the risk is also present for people who don't have heart problems.

“Everyone may be at risk – even people without an underlying risk for cardiovascular disease,” Racoosin said.

NSAIDs are widely used to treat everything from fever and headache to low back pain and arthritis. They are in so many different pain relieving products that health officials believe many consumers may not be aware how often they use NSAIDs. 

“Be careful not to take more than one product that contains an NSAID at a time,” said Karen Mahoney, MD, deputy director of FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products.

The labels for both prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs already have information warning of heart attack and stroke risk. In the coming months, FDA will require drug manufacturers to update their labels with more specific information warning that the risk is heightened even in the first few weeks of use.

“Consumers must carefully read the Drug Facts label for all nonprescription drugs. Consumers should carefully consider whether the drug is right for them, and use the medicine only as directed. Take the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time possible," Mahoney said.

Several recent studies have found that NSAIDs increase the risk or heart attack and other health problems. The exact cause is unclear, but researchers believe NSAIDs may raise blood pressure and fluid retention, which can affect how the heart functions.  

A 2013 study published in The Lancet warned that high doses of NSAIDs may increase the risk of heart problems by about a third. In a review of over 600 clinical trials involving more than 353,000 patients, researchers found that NSAIDs doubled the risk for heart failure. People on high doses of the drugs also had up to four times greater risk for bleeding ulcers or gastrointestinal problems.

Another large study at the University of Florida in 2014 found that the over-the counter pain reliever naproxen raises the risk of a heart attack, stroke and death in postmenopausal women. Naproxen is a NSAID and the active ingredient in Aleve and other pain relievers commonly used to treat arthritis.

Studying data from over 160,000 postmenopausal women participating in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers estimated that using naproxen just twice a week raises the risk of cardiovascular problems by about 10 percent. The same study did not find a higher risk of a heart attack, stroke and death associated with ibuprofen, another type of NSAID.