Anti-inflammatories and risk of heart problems

[cjsmith]

I keep hearing news of heart problems related to anti-inflammatories. Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, and now naproxen sodium (Aleve) have all been found to carry some risk. [Links plagiarized from sunnydale47 with thanks!]

I've never tried Vioxx and probably now never will, although I have an old outdated prescription for it lying around. It's been taken off the market entirely. Bextra and Celebrex do little or nothing for me. Naproxen works.

I can see getting worried about the dangers. I can understand this news being the reason for changing what one would do, if one's pain isn't all that bad to begin with.

My life without anti-inflammatories wouldn't be worth a mouse's fart. I'm going to keep taking Aleve. Of course, I am also going to hope that I'm lucky enough to escape the heart trouble. My life WITH anti-inflammatories is worth keeping.

I am also going to stock up in case the FDA decides for me what risks I can and cannot take.

Comments

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Tell your mother that the study which showed additional heart hazard from naproxen sodium showed no additional risk from Celebrex. Additional risk from Celebrex has only been seen in unusually high doses. If it works well for her, any slight additional risk would seem to be acceptable until there's some much more negative data.

And no one should be taking any pain reliever in extreme doses. I've known people to hurt themselves badly with ibuprofen, for example, eaten like candy -- blood thinning, organ damage, immune system suppression, etc.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

And no one should be taking any pain reliever in extreme doses.

Wow, spoken like someone who's never had serious pain issues. What would you suggest they do instead? (To put it another way: Raise your hand if you truly believe you would never break under torture.)

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

I think that depends on the definition of "extreme." Is that "extreme considering risk" or "extreme disregarding risk"?

I took fairly massive doses of tylenol, advil, aleve etc. while in high school because my migraines hadn't been diagnosed yet. I fear I have done myself unnecessary liver damage, because there were better alternatives, though I didn't know about yet. However, if there were no alternatives, and the doctor explained that I'd be doing the damage, I'd have the weigh the damage versus the pain.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to sound too absolutist, and as always these decisions should always be made by the person suffering after as much information as possible about the risks and alternatives is available. I don't think the FDA does a very good job as a "best practices" agency -- I'd rather see them police label claims and purity but otherwise butt out of people's decisions -- but the incidents I'm thinking of tended to be people who are self-medicating for athletic purposes who had been told that very high doses were just fine for keeping joints quiet.

Severe chronic pain sufferers should have every possible treatment available, including opiates, but the "drug war" restrictions on doctors and pharmacies make it really tough to get access to them.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't think the FDA does a very good job as a "best practices" agency -- I'd rather see them police label claims and purity but otherwise butt out of people's decisions...

Amen, brother. :-/ Or, heck, publish studies about risk, and THEN butt out of the final decision. I would want that decision to be between the doctor and patient... or between the patient and his or her own Deity.

self-medicating for athletic purposes who had been told that very high doses were just fine for keeping joints quiet.

Heh, yeah. Again, I'm for giving an adult a good risk assessment and then letting him decide, BUT taking high doses of a potentially damaging medication so you can win the track meet does seem a little less... necessary... than taking them so you'll stay away from the sharp knives. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've taken fairly massive doses of aspirin (before Advil came out), Advil (before Aleve came on the market), and Aleve. I'd call them "extreme" by comparison to the recommended dose on the side of the bottle.

But would I break under torture? Hell yeah.

For me, it wasn't even about the risk. It was about whether I should take enough to stop the pain NOW or enough to stop the pain PERMANENTLY by stopping my life. Seriously. The levels of pain I've had are, well, bad.

So far, there aren't any other (chemical) alternatives. I don't get to look back and say "if only", 'cause sadly, there is no if only. :-( But like yours, my problem was not diagnosed -- well, misdiagnosed for twenty-four years. I'm looking at surgery this spring.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

That's definitely where I'll start--unfortunately, grandma is a bit of a stickler for medical info to the point where it gets to be an obsession. We won't get into any of her dietary habits--let's just say she doesn't allow herself much pleasure there at all. She's on a pretty normal dose of Celebrex though, in fact, lower than I was when I tried to take it, so this should help. Thanks.