celebrex

[Guest guest]

Ok what about Celebrex????

How many of you are on or have taken it?? The last two times I have seen my

rheumy I have suggested I not take it, but she says I have no other heart risks

so it is ok, I am the first to admit I am extremely over weight, so I would

count that as a risk, my mum has had two heart attacks in as many months

recently so I would count that as a risk. So am I paranoyed or what???

I take it three times a day so that equates to 600mg a day.

a <a54@...> wrote:

Pain Relievers Don't Increase Risk of Heart Attacks, Study Shows

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

on Monday, November 28, 2005

Nov. 28, 2005 - Long-term use of two popular over-the-counter pain

relievers does not appear to increase a person's risk of having a

heart attack, a study from the U.K. shows.

Researchers reported no increase in risk among people who took either

ibuprofen or naproxen for a year or longer in moderate doses.

Ibuprofen and naproxen are among the best-selling nonsteroidal anti-

inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ibuprofen-based pain relievers include

Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin. Naproxen-based products include Aleve and

Naprosyn.

A slight, but significant, increase in risk for nonfatal heart

attacks was seen among people who took the prescription NSAID

diclofenac, known by the brand name Voltaren, for more than a year.

Voltaren is one of the most popular pain relievers in Europe, but it

is not as widely prescribed in the U.S.

The findings suggest that when it comes to cardiovascular risk, not

all NSAIDs are created equal, the study's researcher tells WebMD.

" It appears that there is a small increase in risk for certain NSAIDs

under certain circumstances, " says A , MD. " But

it is definitely not what we would call a major effect. "

It has been just over a year since the popular prescription pain

reliever Vioxx was pulled from the market amid concerns about an

increase in heart attack and stroke risk among users. The pain

reliever Bextra, which is chemically similar to Vioxx, was withdrawn

from the market for the same reason in April of this year.

Measuring NSAID Risk

Measuring NSAID Risk

Concerns have been raised about the long-term safety of more

traditional anti-inflammatory pain relievers. In an effort to better

understand the risks, and colleague -

of the Spanish Center for Pharmacoepidemiological Research

assessed the short- and long-term use of NSAIDs as a class and also

looked specifically at three of the most commonly used NSAIDs.

Their findings are published in the Nov. 28 issue of the journal BMC

Medicine.

Close to 5,000 heart attack patients and 20,000 people who had not

had heart attacks were included in the study.

No increase in heart attack risk was seen among people who took

moderate doses of ibuprofen, naproxen, or diclofenac for less than a

year.

Although the overall longer use (over a year) of all traditional

NSAIDs was associated with a 20% increase in the risk for nonfatal

heart attacks, the longer use of ibuprofen specifically appeared to

have no impact on risk.

Use of diclofenac demonstrated a small increased risk for heart

attack with longer use.

Use of naproxen for longer than a year was associated with a slight

decrease in heart attack risk, but it was not clear if the

association was real.

" Our study suggests either no effect or a small reduction of

cardiovascular risk during sustained treatment with naproxen, a small

increased risk with diclofenac, and an undetectable risk with

ibuprofen, " and - wrote.

Ask Your Doctor

The new findings may help to allay the fears of regular ibuprofen or

naproxen users. But American Heart Association (AHA) spokesman

Herrington, MD, MHS, says patients should still discuss the long-term

use of these drugs with their doctor.

The Wake Forest University cardiology professor co-authored a recent

AHA advisory on the use of pain medications.

" We said that people should try to use the simplest and safest

medications first in the recommended dosages for the shortest

possible period of time, " he tells WebMD.

For most people that means aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol), which

have the longest and most well-established safety records, he adds.

Ibuprofen, naproxen, and other NSAIDs should be used for chronic pain

under a doctor's supervision by people who can't take aspirin or

acetaminophen or by those who do not get adequate pain relief with

the drugs, the AHA recommends.

" Every treatment decision is a balance of safety and efficacy, and

this is certainly no different, " Herrington says. " People shouldn't

suffer unnecessarily, but it is important that people who take these

drugs long term get guidance from a physician. "

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/115/111788.htm