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Aspirin, acetaminophen may prolong the flu Anti-fever drugs such as aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol) may prolong symptoms of the flu, Baltimore researchers report. In a review of several studies, flu sufferers who took one of the anti-fever medications were sick an average of 3.5 days longer than people who did not take either of the drugs. However, more study is needed to confirm the findings, because sicker patients were more likely to be given anti-fever drugs--and may have been ill longer because they were more ill in the first place. Even if more study confirms the findings, it does not mean that people with the flu should not take aspirin or acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol and other pain relievers), the study's lead author said. For some people, the extra sick days may be an acceptable trade-off for the relief they get from such medications, according to Dr. Karen I. Plaisance, an associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Maryland. The anti-fever drugs may also make the flu more bearable by relieving aches and pains, she said. "Depending on what it is you have to get done...you may be willing to take that," Plaisance said. Some busy people would rather be somewhat sick for a longer time than be nearly wiped out for a shorter period, she noted. Plaisance and her colleagues based the findings on several vaccine trials conducted in the 1970s and 1980s. In the studies, patients were injected with one of three disease-causing bacteria or viruses, including the type A influenza virus, which causes some cases of the flu. Depending on their symptoms, some of the participants were given acetaminophen or aspirin, while others were not. According to a report in the December issue of the journal Pharmacotherapy, the investigators found that anti-fever drugs prolonged the duration of the flu, but not of the other infections. On average, flu symptoms lasted 5.3 days in participants who did not take aspirin or acetaminophen, compared with 8.8 days in people who took the anti-fever drugs. Since study participants who took anti-fever drugs tended to have higher maximum temperatures and more symptoms, the researchers considered the possibility that more severe cases of the flu caused symptoms to last longer. But in an analysis that took into account the severity of illness and other factors, the use of anti-fever drugs was still linked to longer-lasting illness. Exactly why the drugs are linked to prolonged flu symptoms is unclear, the report indicates. One possibility is that reducing fever may interfere with the immune system's response to an infection, the authors note. In her comments, Plaisance noted that similar findings have been reported in studies of chickenpox. In the studies, shedding of the chickenpox virus increased in children who were treated with anti-fever drugs she said. Plaisance noted that the findings are based on studies conducted in the past. The researchers hope to conduct studies in the future in which people with flu symptoms are randomly assigned to receive anti-fever medication or an inactive placebo. Dr. Cinque’s comments: I think it is unwise to suppress symptoms of cold or flu with drugs. Acute disease is a process, one that generally is headed toward resolution and recovery. So why suppress it? It’s one thing to take an antibiotic for a bacterial infection if that is deemed necessary, but to take aspirin and Tylenol just to get comfortable is to suppress your own body’s healing activity. It is much better to rest and conserve, stay warm, and drink fluids, but to avoid taking drugs of any kind during cold and flu. Not only will you get well quicker by so doing, but the quality and thoroughness of your recovery will be more sound. E-mail to a friend Next Article |
