Britons warned of 'dangerous blind spot' with painkillers as a third rely on them weekly

Taking painkillers can help with minor aches and pains in day-to-day life.

They can be picked up in shops and are most commonly taken for headaches, toothache and back pain, according to the 2023 STADA Health Report.

The recent report shares a warning about potentially dangerous ingredients in some painkillers.

It states: "A significant, and frankly, dangerous blind spot about painkillers concerns Acetylsalicylic acid (ASS), an ingredient often used to treat headaches."

The report stated nearly half of those studied were unaware of the blood thinning properties of the ingredient and many wrongly believe paracetamol has anti-inflammatory attributes.

This means some people may not be using them correctly.

The report did, however, praise that many people correctly know paracetamol is fever-reducing and that ibuprofen is anti-inflammatory and has fever-reducing qualities.

Painkillers are important for treating a number of minor problems.

However, the report warned against misunderstanding and called for more information to be available when buying painkillers.

It said: "Increased point-of-sale education could be a valid approach to increasing awareness of the correct scopes of application of different types of painkillers, thus empowering everyone to pick the correct one for their individual purpose."

The report found many Britons are living with potentially life-threatening medical issues.

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This is because a high percentage of those in the UK put off getting issues seen or avoid going for routine checkups.

It found only 31 per cent of those in the UK will attend all of the free checkups they are invited to.

Less than half of women attended a smear test when they were invited.

Britons have also been living a less healthy lifestyle, according to the findings of the reports.