CONSUMER ALERT - VIOXX
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive October 2004:
CONSUMER ALERT - VIOXX
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. is pulling
its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx from the market worldwide
because new data from a clinical trial found an increased risk of
heart attack and stroke. Its stock price plunged more than 25
percent as the company said the recall will hurt its earnings.
Merck said Thursday that data from the trial showed the
increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular
complications began 18 months after patients started taking Vioxx.
The data comes from a three-year study aimed at showing that
Vioxx at a 25 milligram dose prevents recurrence of polyps in the
colon and rectum. Such polyps can turn cancerous. The trial was
stopped after Merck discovered the higher heart risk compared to
patients taking dummy pills.
I'm only 25, and I had to take this med, get this....for CHEST PAIN!!! Ugh! How ironic! After I found out about the investigation several months ago, I weaned myself off of it and stopped taking it on my own. I was taking NO chances. But I had already been on it quite a while. Don't remember exactly how long. I'll have my drs. check their chart to see how long I was on it.
My dad takes this, and it helps him so much, he will have a difficult time not being able to take it anymore. He knew I stopped taking it, and why, but he said at the time, the benefits outweighed the risks...
Thanks for the info!
Okay, I am confused.
My MIL was just diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in her knee. (I just posted about our visit on Gen Disc.)We came home from the orthopaedic doctor Tuesday. The dr gave her samples of Vioxx. She took one dose of the Vioxx and she got the poops that night! She hasn't taked it since. Half of the samples had expired in July of this year.
I was concerned about the interactions with the other drugs she is taking, so I got on the internet and did a bunch of research on arthritis and treatments. I read some articles on WebMD.com about Vioxx and the concern that it lead to heart problems. BUT, I ALSO read an article that refuted that claim, also on WebMD. It said that it has been proven safe. Now, we here that it's not, and I can't find the article again on WebMD. It says there are "technical difficulties".
What's going on here?
I've taken it, and Jeff and Jen both have scripts for it. I took their bottles of it today and flushed it.
It's been on the TV and all over the internet the last couple of days.
I used to take it for my feet, I never had any side effects. I cant believe all that they are saying. Pretty crazy!
Luvn29--there is still Celebrex and Bextra on the market that are similar to Vioxx. I read today that the maker of Celebrex still stands behind its product and does not believe it to have the cardiovascular problems. Time will tell.
My orthopedic doctor offered Vioxx but my arthritis is not such that I need anything really powerful - I do just fine with over the counter Motrin, so that is what I use.
My general rule of thumb is that I don't want to take a drug that hasn't been on the market at least 5 years and preferably 10 years unless my doctor tells me why this is the only drug that will work on whatever condition s/he is treating. I think the FDA does a shoddy job of reviewing new drugs and drug tests, and lots of investigations show that manufacturers conceal unfavorable test results, unfavorable side effects, etc., and it takes 5-10 years for these things to show up in the media.
My youngest son took part in a study for a drug to help him quit smoking, and within two weeks of starting he was non-smoking but practically psychotic. The doctor who was supervising his participation in the test tried really hard, my son says, to persuade him to continue taking the drug, but my son's psychiatrist stepped in and got him off it.
A former MV member with whom I've kept in touch wanted to take part in a trial of a medication for psoriasis, as she has a serious chronic case. I suggested she not participate and gave my reasons - a couple of years later she emailed me that she had read that the medication which was the subject of the trial was found to have fairly bad side effects on a lot of test participants.
JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and some other highly respected medical publications are now considering a rule that before any article can be published the writer/doctor must reveal all funding sources and provide the results (including raw data) of ALL tests, not just the ones that look good.
I think that if you are taking Vioxx or any other drug and it works for you and there is no alternative that works well enough to keep you functioning - by all means, as long as you are fully informed of the risks, make up your own mind about taking it. But "fully informed" is the key phrase, to my mind.
Imamommy! Sorry for not replying sooner, I haven't been on in a few days.
Thanks for the info about the Celebrex. I was wondering if the company was standing behind it, or if it had the same problems as Vioxx.
My dad's dr. took him off of the Vioxx immediately and switched him to the Celebrex. I just hope it works as well for him.
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