The FDA is advising patients taking nonprescription naproxen products to follow instructions on the label carefully, and not exceed the recommended dosage of 220 mg twice daily or take naproxen longer than 10 days unless otherwise instructed by a healthcare provider.

The recommendation follows the release of preliminary information from a National Institute of Aging (NIA) study of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, which showed some evidence of increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients taking naproxen. The NIA halted the NSAID study, and the FDA is currently working with the National Institutes of Health to review available evidence on naproxen.