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I've never tried Vioxx and probably now never will, although I have an old outdated prescription for it lying around.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

[firecat]

My life without anti-inflammatories wouldn't be worth a mouse's fart. I'm going to keep taking Aleve.

I'm going to continue taking Aleve too.

Statistics are fun.

The study on Aleve was only on Alzheimer's patients, who are mostly elderly and therefore already at greater risk of heart attack and stroke than young/middle-aged people. The full story said "about 70 patients of the 2,500 suffered stroke or heart attack, including 23 deaths, and that there were about 50 percent more such events in the naproxen arm of the study than in the placebo division." That means 2.8 percent of these patients had heart attacks and strokes. If there were "50 percent more events" among patients who were taking Aleve, I think that means something like 4 percent of these patients suffered heart attacks and strokes.

So - we're talking about a less than 1.5 percent increase in absolute risk (as opposed to a 50 percent increase in relative risk), among a fairly small number (about 830) of elderly Alzheimer's patients. This isn't what I would call a definitive study of the safety of Aleve, especially given that this is a drug that's been out for 30 years and that means there is a lot of data about what it does to the body.

I think the increased risk is sufficient for them to stop the study. But I definitely don't think the data is sufficient to consider taking Aleve off the market.

nodnod

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I agree that the increased risk does not seem large to me. (But then, "large" is a subjective judgment, and me, I'm already heavily biased in favor of using the stuff.) I also agree that this study is not at all a full picture.

I don't know much about the Celebrex study. 3.4 times (or 2.5 times) WHAT risk? The FDA did consider taking that one off the market. Fortunately for several people I know, they haven't taken that step.