Vioxx and Bextra cause increased risks of Heart Attacks and Strokes

There are presently 15,000 Vioxx cases pending in New Jersey. Many others are pending in the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in the Federal Court in New Orleans. There is no question that Vioxx and Bextra cause increased risks of heart attacks and strokes. Both of these drugs have been withdrawn from the market.

Celebrex, on the other hand, remains on the market, even though the FDA has required it to have a black box warning, the most serious warning. I feel that any doctor who prescribes Celebrex is gambling with his or her patient’s heath. There are safer alternatives. In a recent issue of Circulation, a new report from the American Heart Association [AHA] confirms this increased risk.

People with heart risks should take the pain drug Celebrex as a last resort and for the shortest possible time because of heart attack and stroke risk, says the American Heart Association (AHA).
For those patients, caution may also be warranted for the long-term use of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), notes the AHA.

The AHA’s advice: If you’ve got heart disease, a history of heart problems, or are at high risk for heart disease, try physical therapy, weight loss (if necessary), and other pain medications before NSAIDs, and consult your doctor before taking any NSAID for a long period of time.

That advice applies to prescription NSAIDs and the over-the-counter NSAIDs ibuprofen and naproxen, but not to aspirin.