Have you ever taken the drug Vioxx or celebrex? In September 2004 the drug manufacturer Merck decided to recall the product after long term data suggested a serious potential side effect.
This drug and others like it such as as 'Celebrex', 'Bextra' and 'Arcoxia' are part of a family of drugs known as "COX2 drugs" or "COX2 inhibitors"
They have been developed with, ironically, patient safety in mind.They are typically used in treatment of arthritis, though high dose vioxx was promoted for short term relief of acute muscular/skeletal pains.They were anti-inflammatory drugs.
The serious side effects were in connection with the heart suggesting risk of heart disease or heart attack.In medical circles it was referred to as "..adverse cardiovascular effects."
There are other drugs used to treat inflammation that have been around for many years.YOu may have heard of products such as Advil or Nurofen which contain the ingredient Ibuprofen.Other older anti-inflammatory drugs include such brands as Voltarol or Naprosyn.
What's the difference between these older drugs and the recent treatments know as "COX2 drugs"?
The newer drugs such as Arcoxia,Celebrex and Vioxx were designed to be much more specific in their mode action than old drugs like Ibuprofen.The idea was to limit the associated problems in long term treatment.
When we get older we all seem to get more sensitive to side effects of drugs.Often this is complicated even more by the fact that we may suffer from more than one problem or disease at the same time.
At this point we take more medication in the last five to ten years of our lives than in all the other years put together! Is it any wonder we might feel under the weather, a little off colour even?
You could have asthma and high blood pressure. Anxiety and lack of sleep every night. Panic attacks and depression.
If you take an anti-inflammatory drug for a given length of time, your doctor/physician will no doubt tell you about one major problem.
Ulceration of the stomach or intestines.....
It was hoped that the newer COX2 drugs would not cause this problem at all.Therefore it would avoid the risk of someone suffering internal bleeding which could become fatal.
The older you become the greater the risk of this occuring. It could be a slow blood loss or a sudden episode of an ulcer bleeding more profusely.
So when people got the signs of ulcers, they got treatment for an ulcer. Some would stop taking medication and others would take a maintenance dose to prevent ulcers coming back while continuing to take the old ibuprofen drugs for their arthritis.
It was hoped drugs like vioxx would stop this, but ulceration still remains a possibility. Doctors routinely consider offering anti ulcer drugs to reduce the probability of this happening.
So what is the all the recent fuss about ? Where did it all suddenly seem to unravel after all that hope and expectation ? A new long term study seemed to indicate some degree of risk to the heart some 18 months or so after starting treatment.
So if you took vioxx for a week or a couple of months, this potential problem did not appear.It has only been spotted after taking the medication for a longer period such as 18 months.
What can you do? Are there ways to reduce risks? This is something you need advice on as only your doctor will have your medical history.There is much to consider and such a problem can in some circumstances be minimised.
Of course if you smoke you increase the risk of stomach or intestinal ulceration if you also take anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen.Why not quit instead?
If you take other medication for depression or anxiety then these drugs can increase the risk of bleeding with any anti-inflammatory drug being taken at the same time.
For more related information visit
http://www.AnxietyAttacksCure.com - a site that offers advice for avoiding, coping with anxiety and panic attacks. Get professional knowledge on dealing with symptoms, drug side effects and improving your life!
If you are missing a tooth or a group of... Read More
High blood pressure is on the rise worldwide. But, doctors... Read More
Cold-Eeze is a homeopathic solution to the common cold. It... Read More
As pointed out by *Jack Shapiro, an internationally-known healthcare marketing... Read More
The Seven Steps to Successful Notification is an easy-to-use system... Read More
The Food and Drug administration urges people to stop taking... Read More
I am not sure where I'm at with this subject... Read More
Hi Rusty. A few days ago, I slightly injured a... Read More
Thalidomide is responsible for causing more than 10,000 children to... Read More
Over the past few years, stem cells have been getting... Read More
When Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, she was told... Read More
With more medical advantages, an adjustable bed finds more functions... Read More
Although you make a patient feel better, there isn't usually... Read More
Dizzy Dean, the great baseball pitcher of the 1930s-1940s, once... Read More
The drug Lorazepan is marketed under the names Alzapam, Ativan,... Read More
Zyprexa is an antipsychotic medication that works by changing the... Read More
Thimerosal is a preservative that is added to vaccines (has... Read More
Don't treat your migraines, prevent them. A life without migraines... Read More
This is a short overview of a questionnaire used for... Read More
Irritable bowel syndrome can be a nightmare?constant diarrhea and terrible... Read More
Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a... Read More
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). This... Read More
Pain and Stress. They seem almost to go hand in... Read More
Following the recall of Fen-Phen and Redux in 1999 (two... Read More
It is the reality of the 21st century medical practice... Read More
An estimated 85 million Americans have acquired the herpes simplex... Read More
Many natural changes in fingers and toenails come with age.... Read More
There's a whole group of drugs out there called benzodiazepines.They... Read More
Electronic Medical RecordAn Electronic Medical Record is a secured electronic... Read More
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration relaxed the rules... Read More
Have you been struggling to lose weight, but diet and... Read More
Recent controversy about the safety of pain medications for arthritis... Read More
The news has been full of the recent FDA findings... Read More
Q. Why is there so may uninsured people in America?A.... Read More
NAION is the latest side effect linked to Viagra and... Read More
Recent controversy about the safety of pain medications for arthritis... Read More
It just seemed too absurd to be true, but there... Read More
Alcohol rehabilitation centers in the United States offer a wide... Read More
On June17, 2005 Guidant Corporation recalled close to 50,000 heart... Read More
How does a mind contemplate itself? That's a philosophical question... Read More
This must be a mistake! How could his drug costs... Read More
Infant acid reflux is quite common. People of all ages,... Read More
When compared with the other prescription diet pills, Phentermine is... Read More
Serevent is an asthma inhalation medication, a bronchodilator, that relaxes... Read More
Recently once taboo subjects like plastic surgery have become acceptable... Read More
Online Pharmacy owners who haven't been working within moral and... Read More
Another Vioxx-like occurrence may be on the rise, as warnings... Read More
Monitoring your CRP level is vitally important because it is... Read More
When an unconscious patient arrives in the ED, every hospital... Read More
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition, but... Read More
How to find a doctor? There's no magical route to... Read More
Since the beginning of mankind, mental illness has played a... Read More
This is a short overview of a questionnaire used for... Read More
Thirty percent of human population has a high blood pressure... Read More
The FDA issued a warning in July of 2005 on... Read More
I couldn't resist the title's corny riff on the name... Read More
The Seven Steps to Successful Notification is an easy-to-use system... Read More
SJS is an allergic reaction to certain medications that can... Read More
There is a large amount of talk lately in regard... Read More
Sit down in a quiet place alone and take a... Read More
What is the role of steroid injection in carpal tunnel... Read More
One of the most prevalent and difficult health conditions to... Read More
High blood pressure is on the rise worldwide. But, doctors... Read More
I recently had a reader send me this comment:"As a... Read More
As a physician specializing in psychiatry, I know that many... Read More
Lamictal, or lamotrigine, is an anti-seizure medication that has been... Read More
Medicine |