Sciatique
SOS Pdf An increasing number of Americans are relieved to learn
there are non-drug ways to ease pain now that safety questions have
been raised about another well-known and widely used painkiller,
Bextra. Recent meetings of the FDA were preceded by a petition from a
leading consumer group, Public Citizen, asking that the drug be taken
off the market. Both the FDA and Public Citizen raised concerns about
the safety of Bextra, one of the so-called Cox-2 inhibitors. The
Cox-2 drugs Vioxx and Bextra were once viewed as “wonder drugs”
for arthritis and painful menstrual cycles.
Bextra
has moved into the spotlight while the maker of Vioxx is being
investigated. Vioxx was one of the nation’s most popular ways to
treat pain and arthritis and was taken by an estimated 20 million
people before it was withdrawn from the market. That happened after
studies linked it to a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke –
information that may not have been fully understood when the drugs
received FDA approval. Researchers released information indicating
that the chances for heart attack following prolonged use of Vioxx
were four times greater than with older over-the-counter pain
relievers. It has also been linked to angina and stroke. A University
of Pennsylvania study released at a meeting of the American
Cardiology Association indicated that those taking Bextra had a 2.19
times greater chance of heart attack, stroke, sudden death and
Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a life threatening disorder in which
blisters occur on the patient’s body.