Are you a painkiller user? If yes, the U.S Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) wants you to be wary of some dangerous pain relievers. On Thursday, the agency boosted the labels for commonly used pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen as they can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, KSDK.com revealed.

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The FDA recently updated its warnings for prescription and over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) because of increasing chances of heart attack or stroke. According to Today, these drugs include ibuprofen, which are sold under brand names Advil, Motrin and Midol; naproxen (Aleve) and the prescription arthritis drug Celebrex.

Even though they're in the same class as aspirin, aspirin does not raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, it can prevent them.

Moreover, the agency warned through a consumer update on the agency's website that people, especially those who have already experience heart attack, should avoid taking multiple products that contain NSAIDs. And aside from common over-the-counter drugs, NSAIDs can also show up in combination medicines like multi-symptom cold products, U.S. News has learned.

Aside from a consumer update, FDA will require drug manufacturers to include the updated warning on both prescription and over-the-counter brands of NSAIDs. As per Daily News, over-the-counter NSAIDS are generally used to treat pain, inflammation, flu, headaches, menstrual cramps and fever. The stronger prescription brands, on the other hand, are reserved for chronic and debilitating conditions like arthritis.

The agency added people with heart disease or high blood pressure should consult a doctor before using an NSAID. However, the agency noted that the cardiovascular risk is also present in people without heart and/or health problems.

"Everyone may be at risk -- even people without an underlying risk for cardiovascular disease," FDA's Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Addiction Products deputy director Dr. Judy Racoosin stated.

The medicine labels currently warn that they can increase the risk of heart-connected complications in long-term usage. Nevertheless, heart attacks and strokes can still occur in the very first handful of weeks of taking the drugs and the dangers increase when drugs are taken in high doses.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies such as Bayer, manufacturer of Aleve, and Pfizer (manufacturer of Advil) have both released a statement saying they will work with the FDA to ensure consumers' safety through incorporating the new and appropriate label information on their products, CNN reported.  

TagsFDA, painkillers, Pain Relievers, Health Risks, Drugs, NSAIDs