The blockbuster drug Vioxx was pulled from the market in the fall of 2004 after research showed that the painkiller doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke and that its use may have contributed to thousands of deaths in North America.
Now, a new Canadian study shows that the risk was even more dramatic because one in four of the heart attacks that occurred were within two weeks of the start of treatment.
“This demonstrates that cardiovascular risks from taking Vioxx may occur much earlier than previously believed,” said Linda Lévesque, an assistant professor in the department of community health and epidemiology at Queen’s University in Kingston.
At the same time, however, the research shows that additional risk virtually disappears within a month, meaning it is likely safe for long-term use.
The earlier data had suggested that the risk remained elevated for up to 18 months.
The research was published yesterday in the on-line edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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Tags: assistant professor in the department, Canada, Celebrex, Cox, digestive chemicals, director of the institute, heart attack, heart attacks, ibuprofen, Kingston, McGill University, Merck & Co. Inc., north America, on-line edition, Peter Liu, Quebec, Queen's University in Kingston, scientific director, stroke, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, United States, vioxx

My wife at 32 has arthritis in her back and over the years has done almost everything to get rid of the pain. Michelle thinks that the arthritis stems from a car accident sh was in when she was a kid and never had it heal properly, but the pain is still there. These are the things Michelle has done over the years to get rid of the pain:

Lose Weight to ease back pain – this has helped her health overall and you would expect it to stop the back pain but it has not.

Massage to help back pain – Michelle had massage on and off for about two years and although it helped her feel better overall it did not seem to help her back very much.

Exercise to improve back problems – both cardio and weight lifting have been a part of Michelles life for years, over time the pain has come and gone and then come back but the exercise has definitely helped some.
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Tags: arthritis, back pain, car accident, Celebrex, Massage, pain, pain in her back, vioxx