Celebrex is an effective non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drug in that group of anti-inflammatories known as COX-2
inhibitor2, which were introduced to the market about 2 decades ago with great fanfare
because the older non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS such as Naprosyn
and ibuprofen) were (still are) linked many potential complications, such as
(very prominently), gastro-intestinal problems including pain, ulcers, and
bleeding.
The COX-2s, however, were said to produce
far fewer such problems so they quickly garnered a huge share of the market.
Their popularity plunged, though, when the
most popular Cox-2, Vioxx, was removed from the market because it was linked to
a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular complications.
Celebrex, though, has continued to stay on
the market and is still used by many people in large part because it’s reputed
to produce fewer GI problems than the older anti-inflammatories.
However, the bottom line is that even if
Celebrex does produce fewer GI
problems than say naprosyn, it still produces some GI problems, so for most people who end up taking Celebrex,
it’s recommended that they take a GI-protective agent at the same time such as
a PPI like Nexium or Pariet, but as always, many people stop taking the
GI-protective drug very quickly after going on it.
So, if you are taking Celebrex, a new study
from Europe has just determined that COX-2
users who stop taking their GI-protective agent are at significantly higher
risk of suffering a GI complication – primarily bleeding and/or ulcers – than
those who continue to take their PPI.
