> Some older, "safe" painkillers appear to cause the same heart problems > as the much-scrutinized and discredited painkiller Vioxx, according to > new research, which raises new concerns about the safety of treatments > for chronic painful conditions such as arthritis.
> At the same time, Vioxx itself appears to have even more side effects > than previously believed, according to research published on-line > yesterday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
> Three articles in JAMA feature some striking conclusions, including:
> Older painkillers such as diclofenac sharply increase the risk of heart > attacks in regular users.
> Other traditional painkillers including meloxicam, indomethacin and > perhaps even over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen may also > increase the risk of heart disease.
> Rofecobix (brand name Vioxx) -- already pulled from the market because > it increased the risk of heart attacks and stroke -- may also cause > kidney damage and heart arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm).
> Celecoxib (brand name Celebrex) -- which is still available -- may > cause heart problems, but only when taken at relatively high doses of > 200 milligrams or more daily.
> The painkiller naproxen does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular > problems, as previous research has suggested, but it does not cause > additional risk, either.
> More than 30 million people worldwide take these medications, known as > non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for the daily treatment of pain > and inflammation. So, the potential repercussions of the findings are > widespread.
> NSAIDs are already known to cause gastrointestinal problems, and adding > heart problems to the mix could deter patients from their use.
> "It's important not to get too alarmed by these findings," said David > Juurlink, a scientist at the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical > Evaluative Sciences.
> He said the news that taking diclofenac can increase risk by 40 per > cent may alarm some users, but that they need to bear in mind that > individual risk depends on dose and cardiovascular risk factors.
> "All drugs have risks and benefits and data like this force us to > scrutinize our behaviour," Dr. Juurlink said.
> One study, led by Jingjung Zhang of Harvard Medical School in Boston, > looked at the safety of cyclooxygenase 2 (cox-2) inhibitors such as > Vioxx, Celebrex and valdecoxib (brand name Bextra, it has also been > withdrawn from the market). The researchers combined the findings of > 114 studies involving more than 115,000 patients and found that those > taking Vioxx had markedly higher rates of kidney problems and > arrhythmia.
> Patients taking the other drugs did not have the same problems, leading > Dr. Zhang to conclude that there is "no cox-2 inhibitor class effect."
> The second study, led by Patricia McGettigan of the University of > Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, examined the cardiovascular > risks associated with a broad range of painkillers, new and old. The > review of 17 studies included more than 75,000 patients taking cox-2 > inhibitors and 375,000 taking traditional NSAIDs.
> Patients taking Vioxx saw their risk of heart attack double, while > those taking diclofenac saw their risk increase 40 per cent. Ibuprofen > increased risk by 7 per cent, a virtually negligible effect.
> David Graham of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (but who has > clashed publicly with his employer about its policies), said in an > editorial published by JAMA that, for patients with arthritis and other > chronic conditions that require pain relief "naproxen appears to be the > safest NSAID choice."
> He said that while the data on Celebrex look relatively good, it is no > better than traditional NSAIDs, so its use is not justified.
Thankfully, Limbrel remains available as an effective alternative that is less toxic than even naproxen with a side effect profile that is comparable to placebo.
May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neighbor Roman whom I love unconditionally.
As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies (Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
> Some older, "safe" painkillers appear to cause the same heart problems > as the much-scrutinized and discredited painkiller Vioxx, according to > new research, which raises new concerns about the safety of treatments > for chronic painful conditions such as arthritis.
> At the same time, Vioxx itself appears to have even more side effects > than previously believed, according to research published on-line > yesterday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
> Three articles in JAMA feature some striking conclusions, including:
> Older painkillers such as diclofenac sharply increase the risk of heart > attacks in regular users.
> Other traditional painkillers including meloxicam, indomethacin and > perhaps even over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen may also > increase the risk of heart disease.
> Rofecobix (brand name Vioxx) -- already pulled from the market because > it increased the risk of heart attacks and stroke -- may also cause > kidney damage and heart arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm).
> Celecoxib (brand name Celebrex) -- which is still available -- may > cause heart problems, but only when taken at relatively high doses of > 200 milligrams or more daily.
> The painkiller naproxen does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular > problems, as previous research has suggested, but it does not cause > additional risk, either.
> More than 30 million people worldwide take these medications, known as > non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for the daily treatment of pain > and inflammation. So, the potential repercussions of the findings are > widespread.
> NSAIDs are already known to cause gastrointestinal problems, and adding > heart problems to the mix could deter patients from their use.
> "It's important not to get too alarmed by these findings," said David > Juurlink, a scientist at the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical > Evaluative Sciences.
> He said the news that taking diclofenac can increase risk by 40 per > cent may alarm some users, but that they need to bear in mind that > individual risk depends on dose and cardiovascular risk factors.
> "All drugs have risks and benefits and data like this force us to > scrutinize our behaviour," Dr. Juurlink said.
> One study, led by Jingjung Zhang of Harvard Medical School in Boston, > looked at the safety of cyclooxygenase 2 (cox-2) inhibitors such as > Vioxx, Celebrex and valdecoxib (brand name Bextra, it has also been > withdrawn from the market). The researchers combined the findings of > 114 studies involving more than 115,000 patients and found that those > taking Vioxx had markedly higher rates of kidney problems and > arrhythmia.
> Patients taking the other drugs did not have the same problems, leading > Dr. Zhang to conclude that there is "no cox-2 inhibitor class effect."
> The second study, led by Patricia McGettigan of the University of > Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, examined the cardiovascular > risks associated with a broad range of painkillers, new and old. The > review of 17 studies included more than 75,000 patients taking cox-2 > inhibitors and 375,000 taking traditional NSAIDs.
> Patients taking Vioxx saw their risk of heart attack double, while > those taking diclofenac saw their risk increase 40 per cent. Ibuprofen > increased risk by 7 per cent, a virtually negligible effect.
> David Graham of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (but who has > clashed publicly with his employer about its policies), said in an > editorial published by JAMA that, for patients with arthritis and other > chronic conditions that require pain relief "naproxen appears to be the > safest NSAID choice."
> He said that while the data on Celebrex look relatively good, it is no > better than traditional NSAIDs, so its use is not justified.
Thankfully, Limbrel remains available as an effective alternative that is less toxic than even naproxen with a side effect profile that is comparable to placebo.
May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neighbor Roman whom I love unconditionally.
As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies (Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
> > Some older, "safe" painkillers appear to cause the same heart problems > > as the much-scrutinized and discredited painkiller Vioxx, according to > > new research, which raises new concerns about the safety of treatments > > for chronic painful conditions such as arthritis.
> > At the same time, Vioxx itself appears to have even more side effects > > than previously believed, according to research published on-line > > yesterday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
> > Three articles in JAMA feature some striking conclusions, including:
> > Older painkillers such as diclofenac sharply increase the risk of heart > > attacks in regular users.
> > Other traditional painkillers including meloxicam, indomethacin and > > perhaps even over-the-counter products such as ibuprofen may also > > increase the risk of heart disease.
> > Rofecobix (brand name Vioxx) -- already pulled from the market because > > it increased the risk of heart attacks and stroke -- may also cause > > kidney damage and heart arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm).
> > Celecoxib (brand name Celebrex) -- which is still available -- may > > cause heart problems, but only when taken at relatively high doses of > > 200 milligrams or more daily.
> > The painkiller naproxen does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular > > problems, as previous research has suggested, but it does not cause > > additional risk, either.
> > More than 30 million people worldwide take these medications, known as > > non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for the daily treatment of pain > > and inflammation. So, the potential repercussions of the findings are > > widespread.
> > NSAIDs are already known to cause gastrointestinal problems, and adding > > heart problems to the mix could deter patients from their use.
> > "It's important not to get too alarmed by these findings," said David > > Juurlink, a scientist at the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical > > Evaluative Sciences.
> > He said the news that taking diclofenac can increase risk by 40 per > > cent may alarm some users, but that they need to bear in mind that > > individual risk depends on dose and cardiovascular risk factors.
> > "All drugs have risks and benefits and data like this force us to > > scrutinize our behaviour," Dr. Juurlink said.
> > One study, led by Jingjung Zhang of Harvard Medical School in Boston, > > looked at the safety of cyclooxygenase 2 (cox-2) inhibitors such as > > Vioxx, Celebrex and valdecoxib (brand name Bextra, it has also been > > withdrawn from the market). The researchers combined the findings of > > 114 studies involving more than 115,000 patients and found that those > > taking Vioxx had markedly higher rates of kidney problems and > > arrhythmia.
> > Patients taking the other drugs did not have the same problems, leading > > Dr. Zhang to conclude that there is "no cox-2 inhibitor class effect."
> > The second study, led by Patricia McGettigan of the University of > > Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, examined the cardiovascular > > risks associated with a broad range of painkillers, new and old. The > > review of 17 studies included more than 75,000 patients taking cox-2 > > inhibitors and 375,000 taking traditional NSAIDs.
> > Patients taking Vioxx saw their risk of heart attack double, while > > those taking diclofenac saw their risk increase 40 per cent. Ibuprofen > > increased risk by 7 per cent, a virtually negligible effect.
> > David Graham of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (but who has > > clashed publicly with his employer about its policies), said in an > > editorial published by JAMA that, for patients with arthritis and other > > chronic conditions that require pain relief "naproxen appears to be the > > safest NSAID choice."
> > He said that while the data on Celebrex look relatively good, it is no > > better than traditional NSAIDs, so its use is not justified.
> Thankfully, Limbrel remains available as an effective alternative that > is less toxic than even naproxen with a side effect profile that is > comparable to placebo.
> May GOD continue to keep your heart beating, dear neighbor Roman whom I > love unconditionally.
> As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the > unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies > (Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
As for knowing who are the very elect, these you will know by the unconditional love they have for everyone including their enemies (Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Corinthians 13:3, James 2:14-17).
