… Do You Really Want to Increase Your Heart Attack RISK by 340%?
Every year, 70 million prescriptions for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are filled, making them one of the most commonly used class of medications in the United States. What many do not realize is that they are also among the worst pain relievers for your heart.
As noted on the official Celebrex Web site:[i]
“All prescription NSAIDs, like CELEBREX, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. They may all increase the chance of heart attack or stroke that can lead to death.”
Celebrex, in particular, has been linked to unacceptably high heart attack risks, so much so that you need to ask yourself if you’re willing to sacrifice your heart health by taking this drug.
What Can Increase Your Heart Attack Risk a Whopping 340%?
Taking 400 mg of Celebrex twice a day for about 33 months. This was the finding of a National Cancer Institute study, which was not looking for heart risks, but rather was evaluating the drug’s effect on colon polyps. But the cardiovascular risks were so high that it prompted researchers to stop giving Celebrex in the trial.
Researchers noted “an increase in risk by a factor of two or three” for myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, or cardiovascular-related death among people taking Celebrex, compared to placebo.[ii] As reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):[iii]
“There appeared to be a dose response relationship, with a hazard ratio of 2.5 for Celebrex 200 mg twice daily and 3.4 Celebrex 400 mg twice daily for the composite endpoint of death from CV causes, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke.”
In other words, those taking 400mg doses had a 250% greater risk of dying from heart attack or stroke… and those taking the 800mg doses had a 340% greater risk! In a separate analysis of the study, researchers again concluded:[iv]
“Celecoxib at 200 or 400 mg twice daily or 400 mg once daily showed a nearly 2-fold-increased cardiovascular risk.”
What’s more, this was not the first time a drug in this class was found to cause serious heart risks.
Other COX-2 Inhibitors Like Celebrex Pulled From Market Due to Deadly Heart Attacks
Celebrex is a type of NSAID known as a COX-2 inhibitor. As its name implies, this means it blocks the COX-2 enzymes, which your body produces in response to inflammation.
Celebrex is now the only COX-2 inhibitor left on the market — all the others have been pulled from the market because of their heart risks!
This includes Vioxx (rofecoxib), which was pulled from the market in 2004 after a study linked it to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and Bextra, which was pulled from the market in 2005 also due to serious heart risks.
Now even the FDA states that Celebrex should only be used in the lowest effective dose, for the shortest amount of time possible:[v]
“Physicians are encouraged to carefully weigh the potential benefits and risks of Celebrex and other treatment options for the condition to be treated before a decision is made to use Celebrex. If Celebrex is selected for an individual patient, FDA encourages use of the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals.”
Of course, heart attacks and strokes are not the only risks to Celebrex. There are others, too, some of which can also be deadly. The most common adverse reactions reported include abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, peripheral edema, indigestion, accidental injury, dizziness, sinusitis, upper respiratory infection, rash, sore throat. Elevated liver enzymes can also occur, as can fatal gastrointestinal events and skin reactions:
“Serious skin reactions, or stomach and intestine problems such as bleeding and ulcers, can occur without warning and may cause death.[vi]”
Why Risk It?
Back pain can be debilitating and it can ruin your quality of life, no doubt about it. So if Celebrex were the only option for pain relief, you might be willing to give it a try. But … it’s not. Far from it. So why take the risk?
You can relieve pain safely, naturally, without posing any risk to your heart or health, so why wouldn’t you? Tens of thousands of people have already realized there are better ways than drugs…
If you want to give your body a powerful one-two punch against inflammation and pain, try using some of these top 12 safest and most effective pain relievers known … better yet, try them all. Taken together, they work synergistically to relieve pain and inflammation … and they do it without harming your health…
