Loss of Vioxx Leads to Increased Pain For Arthritis Sufferers :: Interviews Prescription Drugs Papers

Loss of Vioxx Leads to Increased Pain For Arthritis SufferersThe consequences of Kevin Swearingens two-story fall in 1988 were more diverse and long term than expected. The 41-year-old construction prole sustained a spinal injury that left him with arthritis on the inside of his spinal column ca development him disoblige, frustration, and depression.After I recovered from the fall I had to bread and butter working, but at a much lower pay scale since going back to construction work was impossible, Swearingen said. Dealing with the pain, inability to work and sportswoman with his kids, he fell into a depression.I was an emotional mess. I was drinking to kill the pain and I was contemplating suicide, he said. It wasnt until Swearingen began taking Vioxx that things began to step up. It gave me much of my life back. I could play with the kids on better pain days and it greatly reduced the pain on the bad days.Vioxx is a Cox-2 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that cuts do wn on pain, stiffness and swelling by reducing the production of prostaglandins which help the brain read messages of pain from the body. Other popular cox-2 inhibitors include Celebrex and Bextra.Vioxx and Celebrex were developed for those who had stomach problems like ulcers and bleeding, Dr. Bukowski from Bostons Brigham and Womens hospital said. Swearingen having suffered an ulcer at age twelve was put on Vioxx after being diagnosed with Osteoarthritis at age 26.Merck, the drug manufacturer, took Vioxx off the commercialise last September after studies revealed the drug caused complications of heart problems in users. When taken off the market, some 80 million patients who have used it were affected. According to the clean England Journal of Medicine, it was the largest prescription-drug withdrawal in history. Many arthritis sufferers such as Swearingen were distressed with Mercks decision.The trial revealing heart risks associated with Vioxx was conducted by an independent se lective information safety monitoring board (DSMB). The Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on Vioxx (APPROV) trial revealed that Vioxx did in fact pose heart risks. 3.5 percent of the 2600 patients using the Vioxx had suffered myocardial infractions or strokes compared to the 1.9 percent who took a placebo pill. The trials goal was not to testify Vioxxs safety, but rather to test its effectiveness in preventing colorectal polyps in patients with a history of colorectal adenomas. The trial was stopped prematurely once these statistics were discovered.