I just read this article on BBC.com about the drug firm Merck & Co. agreeing to pay almost $1 billion to settle criminal and civil charges regarding the drug Vioxx – which was often prescribed for people with rheumatoid arthritis. I remember when Vioxx got pulled from the shelf but I had never taken the drug myself. I did take Celebrex for a while which also has major health risk warnings related to heart attack and stroke (like Vioxx), but it never really did anything for me so I stopped it. Has anybody else had any experiences with Vioxx? Or Celebrex? I’ve been really lucky over the years that I’ve never had any bad side effects from all of the different medications I’ve taken. *Knock on wood* that continues! It’s scary to think about, but a lot of these drugs for RA are very powerful and can be quite dangerous. However it can also be dangerous to not take the medications, which is frustrating.
Check out the article – “Merck & Co. agrees $1bn Vioxx settlement in US”
Inflamed: Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis 
I took Vioxx for a while back in the late 90s (I was 19 or 20 at the time) because my doctor thought it was “safer” than ibuprofen. I didn’t have any cardiovascular issues at the time, but lets hope they don’t show up later! The faustian bargain of immune-modulating drugs can be so difficult– what kinds of consequences are we willing to deal with in the future in order to be functional now?
Hi Megan,
Thanks for the comment! I also hope you don’t end up having any bad effects from the Vioxx. You’re exactly right – just what kinds of “deals” are we making with our lives by taking these medications now? It’s incredibly frightening to think about. But, I think I’d rather be functional now and try to worry about the future later. That’s all you can do, right? The best thing would be to go into remission of course. I keep praying I’ll get a chance at that someday soon!
Do you have RA, btw?
I took Vioxx for over a year until it was pulled from the market. I also took another pain med either before or afterwards until that also was pulled from the market. Both meds did relieve the pain in my feet so that I could walk again, which allowed me to get out to run errands those days when fatigue wasn’t incapacitating.
I never took vioxx but I am currently on Celebrex for my RA and also took it as a child with juvenile arthritis… It’s difficult to worry about future side effects now when I really feel it if I don’t take it, and it’s all my doctor will prescribe..waiting to see what my new rheumatologist says… My appointments not til April tho :(
I took Celebrex between 1999 and 2003, when the heart studies came out. The kicker? I always did better on that then anything else. This is pre-RA, but I have significant OA in my spine. On 200 mgs of Celebrex I could be on the nordic trak for 40 minutes at a pop.
Those days are long, long gone. So, for me, the trade offs have been interesting. If I can go back on it, I would in a, well, uhm, a heartbeat.