A rare side effect, aseptic meningitis, has developed in people taking the painkiller Vioxx, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported March 25.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Aseptic meningitis is not considered as severe as meningitis caused by a bacterial infection, but it is serious and required hospitalization in all five of the Vioxx-associated cases.
Vioxx is prescribed for osteoarthritis pain, acute pain and menstrual pain. It was approved by the FDA in May 1999. Between then and February 2001, the FDA received seven reports of aseptic meningitis in patients taking Vioxx. In two cases not enough information was included for FDA investigators to assess whether the meningitis was related to use of the drug.
The other cases are believed to be associated with Vioxx because the patients developed two or more symptoms of aseptic meningitis 1 to 12 days after they began using the drug. These included headache, fever, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness and confusion.
Another fact that suggests a link to Vioxx use was that the patients recovered completely once they stopped taking the drug. One patient was restarted on Vioxx twice, and both times the symptoms of meningitis reappeared.
The five patients, ages 16 to 67, were on dosages ranging from 12.5 to 50 milligrams per day. The FDA's report does not go so far as to state that Vioxx caused aseptic meningitis in these patients.
Archives of Internal Medicine March 25, 2002;162:713-715
Folks, I announced a warning about Vioxx in January 1999, over three years ago when it was first published by the National Academy of Sciences. That is one of the benefits you receive by reading this newsletter. You will find out the medical facts that will be making headlines in the future.
The market for analgesics is about TEN BILLION dollars per year. That is one big number and that is why these are important drugs to watch. It is important to remember that anytime you are dealing with numbers that large there will inevitably be corruption, greed and negative influences that are a part of the story.
Originally, these drugs were thought to decrease the risk of ulcers. However, an FDA Advisory Panel has since found that these drugs do NOT decrease one's risk of developing ulcers.
They also appear to be associated with an increase in damage to the kidneys.
Now we find more evidence that, as I said in 1999, these drugs also increase one's risk of heart disease. I do want to put the increased heart attack risk in its proper perspective. Although they appear to double the risk of heart disease, the overall risk is still quite low.
The drugs can likely still be used as a temporary measure while one is working on the cause of the problem. If one is following the proper eating plan, it is likely that the small increase in heart disease will not occur due to the other changes that occur in one's biochemistry due to eating properly. This is primarily related to normalization of insulin levels that corrects thousands of chemical pathways that would affect heart disease risk.
However, this story does demonstrate the dangers of using these drug band-aids as a permanent "fix" for the problem. They may actually seem to work, but they work at a huge price, both economically and physically. Does one really want to trade joint pain for a heart attack?
Having stated that, the pain in many conditions can be quite severe. Fortunately there are simple basic solutions for over 95% of the conditions that you would be taking these drugs for.
The first step, of course, is to follow the eating plan.
Next would be NST which works incredibly well for both osteoarthritis (DJD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
For severe rheumatoid arthritis I have found my revision of Dr. Brown's protocol useful in producing remission in over 2,000 patients with RA that I have cared for in the last 13 years.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection is a new book written by Dr. Poehlmann. It summarizes quite nicely the state of the art today in treating RA. I consulted with her in putting the book together so you can be sure I consider it first rate. I highly recommend obtaining a copy if you or someone you know has rheumatoid arthritis.
Related Articles:
Celebrex Not Shown to Lower Ulcer Risk Celebrex and Vioxx Increase Heart Disease Risk Physicians' Protocol for Using Antibiotics in Rheumatic Disease
Celebrex Not Shown to Lower Ulcer Risk
Celebrex and Vioxx Increase Heart Disease Risk
Physicians' Protocol for Using Antibiotics in Rheumatic Disease