Read on...

Celebrex (Celecoxib) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 31, 1998 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteo-arthritis. Also, on December 23, 1999 the FDA approved Celebrex as a drug treatment aimed at reducing the number of intestinal polyps in patients with a rare genetic disorder called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Celebrex is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and is in a class of drugs commonly referred to as a "Cox-2 inhibitor".

Health concerns have been raised in recent months regarding the use of Celebrex. An article published in August, 2001 in the medical journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) raised concerns over the possible impact on cadiovascualar health. In September, 2001 the American Heart Association, the National Stroke Association and the Arthritis Foundation asked Celebrex' manufacturer (Pharmacia Corp.) to test whether Celebrex increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

In addition, the US Food and Drug Administration sent Celebrex' manufacturer (Pharmacia Corp.) a "Warning Letter" on February 1, 2001, which, among its contents, required Pharmacia Corp. to cease certain promotional activities for Celebrex.

Here's the link, PDF, of what the FDA sent to the makers of Celebrex:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/2001/DD8432.pdf

And, if you have problems taking asprin, then you should NOT take Celebrex.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mathias:
I was just prescribed an NSAID (Vioxx) by my LLMD.

Good/Bad experiences with NSAID's?

---

Be careful with vioxx. I just finished reading that high doses of Vioxx can cause sudden cardiac death from electrical disturbances.

The article stated that some Dr's prescribe high doses for significant arthritic pain for short periods (like 5-6 days). The article said NOT to take that dose....it can be life threatening.