Re: Celebrex in same boat with Vioxx

[Guest guest]

> Pfizer Finds Celebrex Heart Attack Risk

> http://tinyurl.com/5r6h7

Bextra too...

<snip>

By Kim Dixon CHICAGO (Reuters) - Doctors writing in a prominent

medical journal on Friday recommended that physicians stop

prescribing Pfizer Inc.'s Bextra painkiller, just as a large study

found the drugmaker's sister drug, Celebrex, doubled risk of heart

attacks.

Both drugs are members of the so-called COX-2 inhibitor class of

painkillers, which recently gained notoriety when Merck Inc. withdrew

Vioxx in September after a study found it doubled the risk of heart

attack and stroke.

A letter by doctors published in The New England Journal of

Medicine's Dec. 23 edition said in light of Vioxx and negative signs

on Bextra, Bextra should be avoided.</snip>

regards,

Duncan Crow

Duncan Crow (copyright waived)

http://profiles.yahoo.com/duncancrow/

--- live and help live... ---

[Guest guest]

Like yourself I have tried to take as little as possible for my psoriatic

arthritis since I had a major bleeding problem in surgery in 1985 that was

attributed to the prescribed medication I had been taking for 7 years

(Indocid). But at times I need something and the current standby is

Celebrex. However, I am curious about the amount of turmeric - how much and

how often do you take it, and in what form?

My understanding is that having diabetes - albeit fairly well contriled -

puts one at risk for cardiovascular disease and so I assume that it would be

sensible to make even greater efforts to bring all my blood tests into the

normal range (or nearly normal), and to avoid the likes of Celebrex.

Bea

wrote

I take Celebrex and I don't intend to stop. I'm not in any of the risk

groups for heart problems, and I don't need to take Celebrex every day. For

someone like me, though, with rheumatoid arthritis, Celebrex is really a

godsend. And, you also have to consider the harmful effects of the -1

drugs, the NSAIDS (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.). I just finished some GI and

esophogal testing and imaging today and I have lots of damage from back when

I was on an HMO that didn't pay for Celebrex.

I control inflammation with natural anti-inflammatories (turmeric, ginger)

and use the Celebrex only if I have inflammation beyond what the natural

remedies can control. Turmeric is almost as good as Celebrex, though.

[Guest guest]

Nettleleaf tea can raise bgs. If you try it, you might want to do some

testing.

Carol

wrote:

> Bea,

>

> I don't have the bottle with me at work, but I was taking the standard

" Nature's Way " turmeric capsules along with some ginger capsules. I was taking

4 of the turmeric capsules daily with 2 of the ginger. I also use nettle tea,

something I learned about from Carol R in Huntington Beach. It kept my Celebrex

use way down.

>

> I also find that my rheumatoid arthritis responds to stress, so I also tried

meditation and stress relief, such as exercise.

[Guest guest]

I was taking Vioxx (12.5 mg BID for osteoarthritis of my knee) when it

was pulled off the market. My lovely new insurance plan really only

pays for generic or formulary drugs (you can buy others, but have to pay

almost all of the cost yourself!). I went onto their website, and

checked what they recommended in place of Vioxx. After going over the

list of 6 or 7 NSAIDS with my doctor, we decided to try etodolac

(generic for Lodine), since it was listed as not having as severe GI

complications as the others.

I started taking etodolac 400 mg BID, and had no GI problems. Only

problem was, it didn't last long enough. So my doctor OK'd TID (which I

only do occasionally when I feel I really need it). So far, I have had

no GI problems. I had chronic gastritis when I was on Rx ibuprofen in

large doses in the 80's.

Of course, YMMV, but it could be worth trying if you're looking for a

-2 inhibitor replacement. And it's dirt cheap ;@)

--

el (andreafrankel at sbcglobal dot net)

" wake now! Discover that YOU are the song that the morning brings... "