recall on vioxx

RE: recall on vioxx

Hello cazwix

I am not a doctor and I cannot give you any medical advice, nor can I say whether or not you should stop taking it. However, I think it is very sensible of you to check out whether or not you should continue to take this drug in view of your web findings, and the best person to advise you is your doctor.

Best thing is to telephone the surgery and either ask for an appointment to see a doctor, or ask when is a good time for you to call back and speak to him/her on the telephone. I am sure this will put your mind at rest, and not everyone gets side effects anyway.

I hope this helps a bit.

Holistic

RE: recall on vioxx

400,000 in alert over painkiller

A prescription painkiller used by an estimated 400,000 people in Britain has been withdrawn worldwide by its makers after it was found to double the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Health officials said the news of the withdrawal of Vioxx, or rofecoxib, should be made public "without delay". The patients at risk are those who have taken the drug for 18 months or more.

Vioxx was launched five years ago when it was heralded as a safer alternative to established drugs, such as aspirin, for pain and inflammation. It is the most widely used drug in its class in Britain.

It is used for the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and for acute pain. It has been a boon to people, particularly the elderly, who found it hard to tolerate aspirin and similar drugs.

The use of the drug in the National Health Service was approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in July 2001.

About two million people are taking the drug across the world and since its launch about 84 million have used it.

Patients taking Vioxx were advised to make an early appointment with their GP to seek an alternative prescription as health officials sought to avoid a panic.

By Celia Hall, Medical Editor - Daily Telegraph
(Filed: 01/10/2004) Full Article Here -

You will need to register to read it.

NB Vioxx is classed as a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and not a pain killer as stated in this article. [sm=banghead.gif]

Also, please note that a study out last year demonstrated that longterm use of NSAID's acutually increases the amount of degeneration to arthritic joints. I think it was a 5 years study - grateful if anyone can find it again. 😉

The findings make complete sense, bearing in mind that their sole aim is to block the inflammatory process, which is an essential part of the healing process. As you can imagine, with the millions of folks taking anti-inflammatory drugs - it was only muted quietly in the national Press. Had it been front page news, then there would have been public outcry and with little else that modern medicine can provide, what would people do that have been reliant on these. [:o]

Also worth noting that thousands of people die every year from longterm use of NSAID's - also not front page news. Mostly from gastro-intestinal problems, ulcers, bleeds, etc, which was the very problems that the 'new generation' of NSAID's were aimed at reducing. [:'(]

Nice try drug companies - treat the only the symptoms and you have a customer for life! Treat the underlying cause & you've just lost a life time of sales. Hmmm - think there may be an ethical dilemma there, but then what's ethics, when there's millions to be made, eh? [8D]

I'll get off my soap box now. [sm=soapbox.gif]

And relax. [&:]

Seriously - if you have widespread arthritis, then I suggest you look into food & environmental sensitivities & allergies and NAET treatment to clear them.

If it's localised, then osteopathy may well do the trick.

Good luck - Andrew. 😉

PS Various other approaches of course - horses for courses & all that. Their just the ones that did it for me. 🙂

RE: recall on vioxx

Hiya

I also used to take these but found they didnt help and after a year moved onto more medication. I agree with Holistic, I would give your doctor a call or go and see him, explaining your worries and get all of your questions answered 🙂

Personally i would never just stop taking medication myself anymore
*been there, done that.... not always wise, esp with arthritis*

Good luck,
Let us know how you get on

Fiona

RE: recall on vioxx

Personally - I would try and get to the root of the problem, rather than taking something that only treats the symptoms, blocks what is an essential part of the healing process and undermines general health.

Call me fickle, but setting myself up for a health crisis in the future is not my idea of fun.

For short term relief - yes, but long term, then absolutely not.

Our health is our responsibility and no-one else's. If they little or no understanding of your problem, or a constructive way forward, toward health, then see someone else. 😉

Andrew.

RE: recall on vioxx

HI WENT TO SEE THE DOCTOR AND HE TOOK ME OFF THEM AND UP THE COCODAMOL UN TILL SOME THINK ELSE CAN HELP ME OUT SO THANKS FOR THE ADVICE GUYS LOVE AND HUGS[sm=grouphug.gif]CAZWIX

RE: recall on vioxx

Well we did try. I can't say that I would agree that that is any sort of solution other than to get you through a particularly bad phase, but it's certainly not going to address the underlying issue and at your age - this is very unlikely to be something that is going to go away on it's own.

If you mean what you say -

i am a great beliver in all and im will to listen and learn all to do with our loved ones

and consider yourself a loved one, then I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to hear that you are actively doing something to help yourself.

After suffering from arthritis for most of my life (I'm 39) - having found a solution for my chronic inflammation, I'm not assuming that it's the same answer for everyone.

There is a wealth of information & advice on these boards if you look and try different therapies & approaches, and I can only hope that it doesn't take as long as it did for me.

In the meantime it's worth looking into a herb called Cat's Claw & taking a strong antioxidant formula. Also be on the look out for foods that you feel worse after, but this can be a nightmare, because some, like grains (especially wheat) can take a day or so to actually trigger a reaction. Often the very thing we crave can be a sign of food sensitivity i.e. chocolate, bread or sugar, but I assure you that it's nothing that can not be sorted out. 🙂

When prone to inflammation, then it doesn't usually just affect the joints - there are implications throughout our bodies, that are more insideous. At least with the muscles & joints we know that there is a problem, because we have lots of pain sensing nerves there which alert our brain to the fact that there is a problem. But it's different when the inflammation is in our circulatory system or the gut, as we don't get the same warnings. They just generally make us feel unwell, irritable, tense, tired and a whole range of other s:(ymptoms.

Namaste - Andrew.