ANDRÉ PICARD, "Old, 'safe' painkillers found to cause same heart ills
as new", Globe and Mail, September 13, 2006,
Link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...andHealth/home
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.
"Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD" <love2@thetruth.com> wrote in message
news:1158280623.063743.234290@i3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...
Roman Bystrianyk wrote:
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.
Prayerfully in Christ's amazing love,
Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung
Cardiologist, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://HeartMDPhD.com/HolySpirit
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).
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.m...7b57d0fbf89ed?
God Bless you, Andrew!
Jan
