Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Has anyone stopped taking Celebrex?

Just wondering. With all this hype about the supposed link between Celebrex and increased cardiovascular risk, has anyone out there stopped taking Celebrex?

Has anyone who's been on it long-term experienced any C/V issues?

This is unnerving stuff, but Celebrex provides such relief for me...

Ken.

Sorry I can't really help as I onnly took Celebrex for three weeks due to allergy. On CNN last night they had a long segment on this and Pfizer has now stopped running ads on Celebrex. Apparently, these Cox-2's block a certain type of fat that causes inflammation and this fat is good for the heart (according to CNN doctor they interviewed). tHus, the heart problems. In my opionion it is only a matter of time till they pull both Celebrex and Bextra from the market. Stock has already plummetted for both.
I know they really help you. MAybe some of the older non-Cox-2's would help you? Although, on CNN last night they talked about a study in which Aleve (Naproxen) also created a 50% increase in heart attacks. Looks like we can't win with the NSAIDS.
Good luck

Julie


Kodi

I wonder then, if as this doctor says, COX-2's inhibit a certain type of fat that's good for the heart, if taking a supplement such as Flax seed oil or fish oil helps replenish that "good fat"?

I, too, have a feeling the decision to stop taking Celebrex will be made for me...we can never win indeed....

Funny, isn't it, that drugs that cause a slight increase in heart risk are recalled, when another which when rolled into a cigarette causes, what, a 10-fold, 15-fold, 100-fold? increase in heart risk can be purchased freely...without a prescription, no less.

Yep, the rheumy took me off of it Monday and onto Mobic (haven't got the script filled, yet).

My father died of a massive heart attack a year and a half ago, my mom has high blood pressure and I have been on 400mg since March of 2002. I have had palpitations but didn't think much of them. Now, I am not so sure. Just scared. Can you imagine the pain of a heart-attack with AS....eeew!!

Anyway, I hope when I see my rheumy in a couple of weeks, he will check out the old ticker.

Take care!
Holly

Hello I was on celebrex for about 3 yrs ,and stoped taking it about a month and a half ago since improvements from the nsd i wanted to drop one of the meds I was on .This was before all the new news but now I guess im glad I have stoped taking it .hopefully none of us who have taken celebrex will have any probs...It tryly is scary!.Steve

You havent lived until you ride a wave .The best medication of all SURFING.

Hi Ken
I was taking Celebrex for 3yrs until I started having upper GI problems two or three months ago. I have to have a gastroscopy to see whether they caused a hernia or ulcers etc.
I have started with a lot of joint and eye problems since stopping taking them and I am going to take them for a week or two, just to get me over Christmas. I haven't had any CV problems that I know of, but I wouldn't advise anyone to copy me. I just can't wait any longer for a dr. appt. until after the new year. I'm really struggling just to get out of bed in the morning. Take care.
Love
Sue

Hey Ken,

I have been on Celebrex for nearly three years at 400mg per day. I can not stop it. If they pull it from the market I just won't know what to do. I ran out of Celebrex a couple of times and I can tell you that I become a royal heaping lump of pain and agony. Well, maybe not that bad but I can really feel the difference. Celebrex helps to make the pain managable. Good thing though is that I do not get withdraw from Celebrex like I get from Tramadol (Heebie Jeebies). So if they go and pull it from the market, I really hope my Dr will have a good replacement in mind. Vioxx did nothing for me and of course it got pulled last month. I have had no CV events though I know my pressure is up a tad or two. I can only wish you the best of luck and say that I am weighing the risks, I will continue to take Celebrex until they rip that last pill away from me or I have any heart problems. Then I will stop using Celebrex, and drop back and punt.

Best of luck


Doug

May Pain Freeness be with you!!

Still risking it for now. I think it will be withdrawn soon anyway. My BP is still high and my BP med dosage is on the up. Maybe the only way to combat trhe BP will be to stop the celebrex. Hope not, 'cos I can't seem to tollerate any other NSAID that actually helps. We'll see.

    Loz

"Loving what is right is different from hating what is wrong and feeling right about it"- Roy Masters

Thanks for all your responses...I feel a little more comfortable in taking Celebrex than I did yesterday.

I thought I'd share this with you...stop or keep taking it...depends on who you believe:

From the US Food and Drug Administration Dec. 17 statement:

"Patients in the clinical trial taking 400 mg. of Celebrex twice daily had a 3.4 times greater risk of CV events compared to placebo. For patients in the trial taking 200 mg. of Celebrex twice daily, the risk was 2.5 times greater. The average duration of treatment in the trial was 33 months."

This I got from Can West News Services (Calgary Herald) in their article regarding Naproxen:

"But the Alzheimer's trial found no significant increased risk of heart attack or stroke in patients taking Celebrex in doses of 200 mg twice daily."

Let's see what tomorrow brings....

Ken

Shug had a GP's appointment today that left me a bit confused. He asked to come off the Celebrex and switch to the NSAID he was on previoulsy. His GP said that at the moment there was no need for Shug to come off the Celebrex as really the only danger was for people with previous heart problems. For me, I thought with Shugs mum having many heart problems, with Shug being overweight and not exercising he'd be a prime target for heart problems anyway. Anyway the GP still feels it's ok for Shug to be on it. When again, Shug told him he wanted to change from Celebrex his GP's answer was this. " Well you will have to contact your Rheumy as I can't put you on a different NSAID incase it doesn't go well with the Iron tablets you are on"...NOW forgive me but do GP's not sit with a rather large book in front of them where they can look up each med prescribed and see what it reacts with???? So it's up to me, again, I guess to sit on the internet and find which drug would be suitable for Shug, for him to call his Rheumy to have it ok'd, for Shug to then go back to the GP and tell him the Rheumy says "this drug".......geeeez......I don't know.!

Take care