Memory loss ‘is not a side effect of taking Nurofen’

MEMORY loss is not listed as a possible side effect of taking painkiller Nurofen Plus and there are no issues around taking the tablets with alcohol, according to the makers of the drug.

96FM presenter Neil Prendeville said yesterday he had no memory of performing a sex act on a plane leaving Heathrow airport en route to Cork on October 19, as he had mixed the painkiller with alcohol.

Patient information issued with Nurofen Plus say side effects are minimal, with stomach pain, nausea, shortage of breath, headaches and drowsiness listed as possible in some circumstances.

A spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser, which manufacture Nurofen Plus, declined to comment on the incident but said although people should always be careful when mixing painkillers with alcohol, there were no particular issues around taking Nurofen Plus and alcohol.

The spokesperson said the side effects of taking the product were minimal and were listed in the leaflet accompanying the painkiller.

That leaflet does not identify concerns about taking the painkiller with alcohol. The leaflet also warns against taking too large a dose.

“If a large number of tablets are taken, breathing difficulties, excitability, convulsions, low blood pressure and lack of consciousness could occur,” it warns.

A statement from the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) urged caution when mixing alcohol with certain routine medication, herbal remedies, and hangover cures.

“Mixing even small amounts of alcohol with such products can lead to an increase in the affect of alcohol on the body.”