A new study shows that many patients take dangerously high doses of Vioxx -- double the usual recommended level. The higher 50 mg doses of Vioxx are more likely to cause high blood pressure, swelling and heart problems, the recently released Vanderbilt University Medical Center study showed.

This misuse of Vioxx is not always a result of the arthritis patients taking more than the doctors prescribe for better pain relief. Researchers found that doctors are going against manufacturer recommendations and prescribing the highest 50 mg dose for chronic conditions.

The 50mg is intended only for short-term use; namely one or two for severe flare ups. This study found that many people are taking the Vioxx 50 mg for everyday problems.

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There is a large body of evidence that shows that higher doses, Vioxx 50mg, can be harmful and there is no proof that larger doses of Vioxx 50 mg are more effective for chronic pain than the recommended 25 mg for chronic pain.

Anti-inflammatory drugs, both old and new, are known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). About 10 percent of the population takes some type of NSAID.

Vioxx, along with newer NSAIDs like Celebrex and Bextra, is a Cox-2 inhibitor. Cox-2 inhibitors, a group of anti-inflammatory medications developed as alternatives to traditional anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, generally cause less stomach irritation and ulcers.

All NSAIDs have potentially harmful side effects. However, there are a number of studies showing that Vioxx seems to do more harm than other NSAIDs, especially at 50mg.

In a study appearing in the June 2004 issue of “Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety,” prescription records of 40,000 people taking any type of NSAID were tracked. This study found that about one in six patients getting Vioxx were prescribed a monthly course at a dose higher than the recommended 25 mg. About 15 percent of Vioxx users were taking at least 50 mg a day, a dose recommended only for short-term use.

Pre-licensing studies performed on Vioxx compared the effects of various doses of Vioxx to other NSAIDs. About twice as many patients taking 50 mg doses of Vioxx developed high blood pressure during the first six months of use compared with lower doses of Vioxx or other NSAIDs. They were also about one and a half times more likely to develop leg swelling caused by fluid retention.

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Several 2004 studies suggest Vioxx causes a number of health problems, even when taken at the recommended doses lower than 50mg.

Canadian researchers in May reported an increased risk for heart failure among elderly people using Vioxx that wasn't noted in those taking its rival, Celebrex. This study, published in “The Lancet,” compared Vioxx to Celebrex users. Those taking Vioxx were 80 percent more likely to be admitted to the hospital with heart failure.

Researchers at the Arthritis Research Center Foundation examined data on 8,500 patients. Patients taking Vioxx were 21 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure and 23 percent more likely to develop leg swelling than those taking Celebrex. Most of the patients examined in this study were on the lower 25 mg dose of Vioxx. This study was published in the June 2004 issue of the “Journal of Rheumatology.”

Many doctors believe that there is no reason for anyone to take the Vioxx 50 mg dose for chronic pain. Patients do not receive any additional benefit for the risk incurred by taking a the 50mg dose Vioxx. Many doctors also believe that a 50 mg dose of Vioxx is worse for health and usually unnecessary.

Still, there are some doctors over-prescribing Vioxx and placing their patients at risk. If your doctor is one of them, talk to him or her about prescribing the correct Vioxx dose. Or, better yet, use Arthritin as a healthy complement or an alternative to the arthritis medication currently taken.
 

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