today i saw on tv that celebrex is just like vioxx in that it doubles your risk for heart attack. my mom died last year and was taking celebrex for a pinched nerve. in fact, she fill the celebrex prescription two weeks before she died. i cried today and was wondering whether to file a lawsuit. she was high risk for heart attack and stroke. it makes me angry that this could have caused her death. what would you guys do. so angry and sad. thanks, jason.

If it were me i would definately get in touch with a lawyer maybe one that is doing a class action suit im sure if you do an internet search you should be able to find one

If you're up to it, I'd file a class action suit. Don't expect a lot of money; it's the principle of the thing. If enough people do this, they'll stop approving so many dangerous drugs. Sorry about your Mom. :confused:

So sorry about your Mom. If you truly feel Celebrex contributed towards her passing, then by all means seek justice. However, your Mom was only on the medication a couple of weeks. In my non-medical opinion, that's not long enough for any damage to be done. I feel very badly for you, you must be so angry and sad right now. Remember that your anger is all a part of the process of grieving and healing; give it a little time before you decide what to do. In the end, your decision should be based on what is best for you, in your journey towards acceptance. God bless you, my heart goes out to you.

My condolences regarding your mother. When a tragedy such as this occurs, one always asks: Why? and How could it have been prevented?

I have mixed feelings about these lawsuits. The study that resulted in the withdrawal of Vioxx from the market consisted of about 2600 patients. Just under 2% of the patients not taking Vioxx had heart attacks, about 3.8% of those taking Vioxx had heart attacks. Of course, Merck withdrew the medicine because of the certainty of lawsuits. Yes, the risk of heart attack "nearly doubled", but the risk was still quite low. The information "almost doubled your risk of heart attack" is not enough information to make an intelligent decision regarding a treatment. Is your cup 96% full, or 4% empty? Do you count on the benefits that Cox-2 nsaids give for those 96%. I know that this is hard to hear when your mother was part of that 4%.

Apparently, there are no studies with other Cox-2 nsaids with as large a sample, or that covered as long a time period as the Vioxx study. Researchers are trying to combine several smaller studies to glean information related to the other Cox-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex. Analysis of these combined studies is the source of the possibility that Celebrex might also be a problem.

I'm not involved with the pharma industry, but I am a chemist who certainly has been involved with analysis of statistical data. And I am of the age (64) where I am thinking more about cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other degenerative health issues. Figures don't lie, but liars sure as hell figure. I am strongly in favor of the FDA changing the rules so that ALL studies are made public and that all adverse effects are reported, not just those "in support" of a treatment. But those additional data must be analyzed carefully. We have to look at population statistics.

Anything that we put in or on our bodies can have any combination of good, bad, and/or no effects. Absolutely nothing that we do is without risk of injury or even death. We are always trying to balance the good effects versus the bad. Unfortunately, we sometimes end up on the wrong side of the statistics.

My husband has been taking Celebrex for 4 years. We have asked several heart doctors about the problems Celebrex has been with the hearts of people. All the doctors tell us it was with the people who have been taking 800 mg of celebrex a day. My husband is taking only 200 mg a day. He was born with a bad heart and already has 5 stents in there. Celebrex is only a problem when people don't take the correct dosage. Same thing happens with Tylenol. People die from taking to many pills of the stuff. I would think hard before doing a lawsuit. They drag on and on and on. Unless you have an enormous amount of time and money, I'd probably forget about it. Sorry for your loss.

My husband has been taking Celebrex for 4 years. We have asked several heart doctors about the problems Celebrex has been with the hearts of people. All the doctors tell us it was with the people who have been taking 800 mg of celebrex a day. My husband is taking only 200 mg a day. He was born with a bad heart and already has 5 stents in there. Celebrex is only a problem when people don't take the correct dosage. Same thing happens with Tylenol. People die from taking to many pills of the stuff. I would think hard before doing a lawsuit. They drag on and on and on. Unless you have an enormous amount of time and money, I'd probably forget about it. Sorry for your loss.

I have to agree with the last post. Information from 2 recent studies was released: the ONE study showed that if you OVERDOSE (800mg) by 4X the recommended dosage (200mg) on Celebrex for YEARS (I think 3 years in the study), then you MIGHT have a problem. Another similar study showed NO increase in risk. Additionally, multiple other studies have shown that if you take the drug at normal dosages for years, there is no increase in heart disease at all. The benefits of this drug far outweigh this minute risk, as opposed to Vioxx which had a considerably higher risk factor. People have to be honest with themselves, too: overdosing 4X the amount you are supposed to be taking of MANY THINGS can cause DEATH, not just a POSSIBLE increase in heart disease. Vitamins, for example, are good for the most part...take 4X the amount you are supposed to, and you could die.

I am truly sorry for your loss...I lost my mother years ago when I was very young before Celebrex was around. But I wish it had been...many doctors have told me it would have made her last years much more comfortable. In other words, be glad that your mother was probably in much less pain than she could have been.

Good luck during this hard time.

I'd think a bit longer on a lawsuit to,(hey the Lawyers are looking for all reasons to fill their pockets)it seems the problem was mostly with "larger" doses just like the people having kidney problems from tylenol, it isn't the tylenol, it's the dosage they are taking. Besides, I find these lawyers are just pushing it for all the gold in the world and it will go on for a long time, they are still advertising it 10times a day(big money there to)on just one channel so they haven't even started, their still recruiting for anything!!!I find them similar to "blood suckers" looking for the vulnerable!

thanks for your responses and encouraging remarks. i talked with several lawyers who want to take the case of course. i will leave it in Gods (Jesus) hands. thanks again, jayboy

I am sorry to hear about your mom. If you think this drug did this, then by all means, I would persue a lawyer. It is not your moms fault that she took this drug. It is the people who put it on the market for innocent people to take.

No one is jamming those pills down a person's mouth. It is the responsibility of the patient to get as much information as possible, and the responsibility of the doctor and the pharmacist to supply that information. We all expect modern medicine to be that series of magic bullets that makes us better. But sometimes those magic bullets do strange and unpredictable things. As I said in an earlier post, no substance is without risk. It doesn't matter whether it is Vioxx, Celebrex, or McDonalds hamburgers. :nono:

runner, i think you have to be in the families situation before you make a comment like that. his mother trusted the doctors and manufacturers. they should have at least advised of the risk especially if you have high blood pressure and cholesterol like my mother. i feel there is some blame. thanks, just my opinion. you have yours as well.