NSAID news

Taking certain painkillers daily for several years carries a small increased risk of heart attack and stroke, research has suggested.  This information was already released to the public awhile back with the news of Vioxx and eventual withdrawal from the market, so it should really be no surprised that other NSAIDs:  naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib, etoricoxib, rofecoxib, and meloxicam (among others) pose the same risk. The researchers found the medicine increased the risk of death from stroke or heart attack by between two and four times, compared with placebo.  The report, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at more than 100,000 patients in 31 clinical trials.

Specifically:  31 trials in 116 429 patients with more than 115 000 patient years of follow-up were included. Patients were allocated to naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib, etoricoxib, rofecoxib, lumiracoxib, or placebo. Compared with placebo, rofecoxib was associated with the highest risk of myocardial infarction (rate ratio 2.12, 95% credibility interval 1.26 to 3.56), followed by lumiracoxib (2.00, 0.71 to 6.21). Ibuprofen was associated with the highest risk of stroke (3.36, 1.00 to 11.6), followed by diclofenac (2.86, 1.09 to 8.36). Etoricoxib (4.07, 1.23 to 15.7) and diclofenac (3.98, 1.48 to 12.7) were associated with the highest risk of cardiovascular death.

Taking NSAIDs on a regular daily basis can increase heart risk... add that to the widely known turmoil on the GI system itself.  Risk vs. benefit... the usual see-saw game for most medications on the market.