{"id":94083,"date":"2025-08-26T14:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T14:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/94083\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T14:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T14:11:13","slug":"common-over-the-counter-painkillers-quietly-fuelling-terrifying-condition-study-reveals-thousands-of-deaths-every-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/94083\/","title":{"rendered":"Common over-the-counter painkillers ‘quietly fuelling’ terrifying condition, study reveals – thousands of deaths every year"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ZOE HARDY, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 06:58 EDT, 26 August 2025 | Updated: 07:05 EDT, 26 August 2025 <\/p>\n

Taking common painkillers together could be fueling antibiotic resistance, amid concerns over deaths, experts warned today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ibuprofen and paracetamol\u2014known as acetaminophen and often sold under the brand name Tylenol in the US\u2014are widely used to treat aches and pains and reduce fevers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Australian scientists, who analysed how different painkillers interact with a common bacteria, found that the two drugs could amplify antibiotic resistance when taken together.<\/p>\n

In the first-of-its-kind study, they discovered that using ibuprofen and paracetamol alongside the antibiotic ciprofloxacin to treat E. coli<\/a> led to significantly increased bacterial mutations.<\/p>\n

That made the E. coli highly resistant to the antibiotic.<\/p>\n

Experts today warned that people should think twice before using multiple medications at once, but cautioned against stopping using the two drugs completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It comes as latest figures show the number of antibiotic resistant infections and\u00a0people dying of infections resistant to antibiotics increased last year\u2014surpassing pre-pandemic levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the UK Health Security Agency, 66,730 people in England had an antibiotic-resistant infection in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"Ibuprofen <\/p>\n

Ibuprofen and paracetamol\u2014known as acetaminophen and often sold under the brand name Tylenol in the US\u2014are widely used to treat aches and pains and reduce fevers\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

Professor Rietie Venter, expert in microbiology at the University of South Australia and study lead author, said: ‘Antibiotic resistance isn’t just about antibiotics anymore.<\/p>\n

‘This study is a clear reminder that we need to carefully consider the risks of using multiple medications\u2014particularly in aged care where residents are often prescribed a mix of long-term treatments.<\/p>\n

‘This doesn’t mean we should stop using these medications.<\/p>\n

‘But we do need to be more mindful about how they interact with antibiotics and that includes looking beyond just two-drug combinations.’<\/p>\n

In the study, published in the journal Antimicrobials and Resistance<\/a>, the scientists looked at the effects of nine types of\u00a0medications commonly used in care homes alongside E. Coli drug ciprofloxacin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Professor Venter said: ‘When bacteria were exposed to ciprofloxacin alongside ibuprofen and acetaminophen, they developed more genetic mutations than with the antibiotic alone, helping them grow faster and become highly resistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Worryingly, the bacteria were not only resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, but increased resistance was also observed to multiple other antibiotics from different classes.<\/p>\n

‘We also uncovered the genetic mechanisms behind this resistance, with ibuprofen and paracetamol both activating the bacteria’s defences to expel antibiotics and render them less effective.’<\/p>\n

\"Symptoms <\/p>\n

Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli include severe diarrhoea and vomiting, according to the UK Health Security Agency\u00a0<\/p>\n

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that bacterial antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for 1.27million global deaths in 2019, and contributed to 4.95million deaths.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Researchers expect this trend to continue in the coming decades, with antimicrobial resistance deaths among people over the age of 70 to more than double.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scientists are particularly worried about Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) infections\u2014a rare strain of the diarrhoea causing bug.<\/p>\n

This can cause haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening condition that is becoming increasingly difficult to treat, leading to kidney failure, sepsis and eventually death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE?\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for decades, fueling once harmless bacteria to become superbugs.<\/p>\n

The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned if nothing is done the world is heading for a ‘post-antibiotic’ era.<\/p>\n

It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate solutions to the growing crisis.<\/p>\n

Bacteria can become drug resistant when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics or if they are given out unnecessarily.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism.<\/p>\n

Figures estimate that superbugs will kill 10 million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs.<\/p>\n

Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Concerns have repeatedly been raised that medicine will be taken back to the ‘dark ages’ if antibiotics are rendered ineffective in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Without antibiotics, C-sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements will become incredibly ‘risky’, it was said at the time.<\/p>\n

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