Celebrex for lumbar arthritis? Anyone else take it?
I went to my dr. (orthopedic dr./spine surgeon) yesterday to get results of my MRI. He said I have multilevel (3 disks involved) mild spondyloarthropathy. Basically, he said the disks in my back (lumbar area didn't give me any numbers) are wearing more than they should be for my age (32). He said those disks are bulging a little but not enough to cause concern. Anyway, he prescribed PT and Celebrex for me. Surgery is not warranted right now although it might be later. Has anyone taken Celebrex? If so, are there any side effects? Does it work? Also, he said I could also try the anti-inflammatory injections in my back (with an epidural) if I wanted but from what others say here, they don't usually help. Should I give them a try?
If anyone can help, I'd really appreciate it. I'm new to all of this.
Re: Celebrex for lumbar arthritis? Anyone else take it?
Hi There,
I was first diagnosed in 2000 with a spondylolisthesis L5S1, though it had most likely begun from a very young age.
Iinitally because they do not know the how's, when's why's of how your body is going to respond to various treatment options for your back they will initally begin you on anti inflammatories, pain medication and physio. This is a common prescription because often some spinal conditions can be managed fine with this combination.
After 3.5 years of trying this and 3 surgeons opinions we decided operating was the only chance i had before permanent damage would occur. So everyone will take celebrex, pain meds and do physio for a while and their progress will be monitored. It is from your body's reaction to this combination that it is then decided whether surgery is an option for you.
Re: Celebrex for lumbar arthritis? Anyone else take it?
I take Bextra which I believe is similar to Celebrex and Vioxx and they are all Cox-2 inhibitors. It reduced, but did not remove greatly my pain from DDD/annular tear. Also, it really bothered my stomach and I was taking Nexium which really didn't help. I'm taking a break as long as I can because I don't want an ulcer on top of my back problem. Many people are fine with these, I just had some GERD problems that this drug seemed to aggravate.
Re: Celebrex for lumbar arthritis? Anyone else take it?
Hi Lindsey, I also have taken Celebrex as an anti-inflam!! I believe all meds have side-effects, but your body's the only one that will know if you'll be affected by them!
You can type in Celebrex in the search engine and it will come up with many links to give you the info you're looking for.
I don't remember what the side effects were, except that if taken for long periods, it can cause ulcers/stomach bleeding!!
It's been over 6yrs for me now, and over those yrs, my dr gave me many different anti-inflams to find one to help and therefore gave me an ulcer! I would recommend though, if your dr plans on you being on Celebrex for a considerable amount of time....you should ask for a med that helps to coat your stomach!! The only reason I know of this, was 'cause my pharmacist called my dr and told him to put me on something to coat 'cause she was concerned about all the meds he'd been trying me on! Unfortunately, she was too late!!
I did get some relief from the Celebrex, over all the other ones I tried, but now I can't take it 'cause of the ulcer!! I hope it helps you, and that you can get something to protect your stomach!! Don't deter yourself from the possibility of relief, 'cause of some side-effects, 'cause all meds will have some! Take care!!
I'm new to all of this.
