The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7466 p208
25 August 2007

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• The Society (4)
• Retention fees (12)
• Venous thromboembolism
• Social capital
• Pharmacist attire

Letters to the Editor

Venous thromboembolism

NSAIDs should not be taken 24 hours before travelling

From Mr M. Levy, MRPharmS

I am writing in response to the article about risks of venous thromboembolism when travelling (PJ, 14 July, p35). The article does not mention medicines.

Since many travellers probably take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs I would have thought that the drugs would carry a large warning on them that they are not to be taken for at least 24 hours before travelling.^1–4

This leads us to another problem — what to suggest for travellers as a pain killer. The options left would be for paracetamol-based analgesics or aspirin, both with their own unwanted side effects.

A question that springs to mind is, while aspirin in low doses is cardioprotective, could it in high doses have adverse cardiovascular effects for travellers?

Morris Levy
Jerusalem, Israel

References

1. Goldenberg NA, Jacobson L, Manco-Johnson MJ. Brief communication: duration of platelet dysfunction after a 7-day course of ibuprofen. Annals of Internal Medicine 2005;142:506–9.

2. MacDonald TM, Wei L. Effect of ibuprofen on cardioprotective effect of aspirin. Lancet 2003;361:573–4.

3. “Cyclooxygenase inhibitors and the antiplatelet effects of aspirin”. The New England Journal of Medicine (2001;345:1809)

4. Kearney PM, Baigent C, Godwin J, Halls H, Emberson JR, Patrono C. Do selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of atherothrombosis? Meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ 2006;332:1302–8.

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