The Commission on Human Medicines has cautioned doctors that daily high doses of common painkillers could increase the possibility of heart attack and stroke.

People by the millions take drugs called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to address conditions like chronic pain and arthritis

European regulators are taking inventory of common pain killers after researchers warned that some of them could increase the risk for a heart attack.

Data from 140,000 patients suggests that some drugs could even double the rate for a heart attack

A high dosage of two common painkillers increases the risk of a heart attack and stroke.

BBC reports that according to the British Medical Journal study, the risk is moderate, with only an extra three people in every thousand suffering from an adverse reaction

Mixing over-the-counter herbal medicines with prescribed medications can be very dangerous, especially for older adults.

Medical research reveals that most of these older adults are women who fail to report to their doctors that they are taking herbal medicines, because these patients fail to recognize them as real drugs

The latest study by researchers from the Spanish Center for Pharmacoepidemiological Studies, revealed that commonly used over-the-counter painkillers, such as ibuprofen, are linked with a 30 percent increased risk of first hospital admission for heart failure.

The researchers found that factors such as having a previous diagnosis of heart failure, obesity, being a smoker, and having a history of recent specialist appointments and inpatient stays were all associated with a greater chance of being admitted to hospital for heart failure for the first time