Celebrex TV ad -- Too much yet?

The issue of big pharma using consumer-targeted advertising has come up here before.

I think this long one from Celebrex I captured tonight must be the absolutely worst, most stereotypical of them all!

I love how "it's never been taken off the market" is the best they can say about its safety!



Yeah, I really want to run out and get a prescription for this...

I used to take celebrex and I believe it WAS taken off the market because people were dieing...thats why I stopped taking it.

I just went to the doctor a week ago (after a year or two of stopping) and she said they fixed the problem or something like that and it was safe to take them again.

So whats with the add saying it hasn't ever been taken off the market?

Merck's VIOXX was taken off the market, but Celebrex (a very similar drug) I don't think ever was.

As I recall the VIOXX recall was voluntary though, and the FDA would allow it back onto the market if Merck wanted to start selling it again.

I'm in trouble. I have arthritis in my knees which flareup (like right now) and I dont trust anything they are marketing out there. The safer ones dont work.
My doctor gave me Mobic and i'm still in pain. I asked for vicodan and he gave me 15 of them and made it clear that he doesnt give pain killers.

I made it clear that he could shove the 15 pills of Vicodan where the sun dont shine. I'm very stubborn. The last thing i want is for a doctor to think i'm a junkie even if i am suffering horrible pain.

Djohn, do you know of anything that is good but wont kill me? I cant take Percosets, i get violently ill.

Thanks.

dg,

Have you tried Tramadol (Ultram)? That's somewhat similar to the opioids but is generally not addictive, but also has a much milder effect so might not be enough for really bad chronic pain.

Other than that, I think the best choice is to go with the narcotics. Go to a pain specialist, they're experts at finding the right type/mix of both narcotic and non-narcotic medications for long-term pain relief. If you need the narcotics, they're not afraid to prescribe them.

Some non-narcotic medications I've been put on for chronic pain include amitriptylin and gabapentin, but I found both of these to be somewhere between useless and weak, although your mileage mary very.

Anyway good luck. I know how horrible chronic pain is and how uncaring some of these doctors can be!

It's clear many would rather prescribe this Celebrex poison rather than tried-and-true narcotic medications that have been used for centuries...

[edit on 6/15/2007 by djohnsto77]

Dj,

There is a pain center in Hyannis and i will give them a call. Thank you for your advice. I am working on my feet all day and i am literally crippled when i get home from work.

Thank you so much.

Hi dg - Have you tried Glucosimine Condroitin (spelling?). My father has arthritis in his knees and he takes this and it helps him very well! You can get it over the counter at drug stores or health stores. My dad doesn't like taking drugs and would much rather take natural stuff. He said that he had to try several different brands though - not all are created equal. Once he found the brand that worked for him, he's been pain-free!

Originally posted by dgtempe
I asked for vicodan and he gave me 15 of them and made it clear that he doesnt give pain killers.

Doctors like that can go suck themselves as far as I'm concerned. My doctor's the same way. The funny thing is they won't prescribe it in the first place, then you ask them specifically for it and they treat you like an addict. As much as I pay for health insurance, I want what I want damnit!!!!

Peace

How dare the company address problems with their medication!

I don't see the problem with it.

Originally posted by Johnmike
How dare the company address problems with their medication!

I don't see the problem with it.

I just find it funny that their selling point is a somewhat neutral element! "never taken off the market" means "not horribly dangerous enough that it becomes a case of national safety." It's like saying a car, "was just able to make the lot" or buying grade "C" Beef. It's like saying,"Eh, It won't kill you..."

Yeah, it's a little scary. But what I like about the commercial is that they don't hide or downplay the risks at all - it's a pretty straight shooting ad.

Originally posted by Johnmike
Yeah, it's a little scary. But what I like about the commercial is that they don't hide or downplay the risks at all - it's a pretty straight shooting ad.

Maybe they realize that society wants the truth?

Originally posted by Ironside
It's like saying,"Eh, It won't kill you..."

Actually they're saying it might kill you, in one of two different ways.

Omega 3(Fish Oil) works good for me. I don't have arthrtis, but I had a horrible grinding noise in my knees whenever I bent them(went to the doctor and he told me it was nothing, and to come back when it hurt... needless to say I didn't go back to him...) and my Aunt told me to try that stuff... and it works like a charm... grinding is not as bad(almost gone) and no more slight pain in my knees. Only doctor I really liked was my Ped growing up, and my OB/GYN... I had a doctor ask me if I liked the size of my breasts and they could make them bigger... I was 16 years old! I stopped seeing her. I think they got a lot of complaints about her cuz she was gone within 6 months of being there. Then I had one doctor who all he was was a pill pusher. I have depression... and am on Prozac and when I started seeing him(no insurance and it was through Econmic Support with Health & Human Services...) all he wanted to do was medicate me. He put me on Seroquel(hated that stuff... made me like a zombie and sleepy all the time, and my thoughts were all screwed up.) Then I was on Remeron(similar drug)... and the same happened... I was off the Prozac and starting all over with trying to find something that helped keep me balanced... I ended up in 1k and my old doctor got me(he was the doc on call that weekend, thank god) and took me off that crap and put me back on the prozac... I said f**k them and went back to my old doc.. screw the medical bills. I'd rather not be on anything but, I know I need it cuz I'm not crying all the time anymore, I can go outside without having panic attacks, I'm up awake and alert during the day and not sleeping all the time, and I can actully work a semi-part time job without any problems. Ok, I think I've rambled on too much.. way too much... so I am going to stop talking now and go to bed in a bit. Sorry...

Originally posted by Dr Love


Doctors like that can go suck themselves as far as I'm concerned. My doctor's the same way. The funny thing is they won't prescribe it in the first place, then you ask them specifically for it and they treat you like an addict. As much as I pay for health insurance, I want what I want damnit!!!!

Peace

That's just it. I felt like a first class druggie asking for help. While its true some people abuse them, at least he could look at my medical record and see for himself i am not a user of these drugs.

Mac- I'm going to buy Omega fish oil and see if that lubricates the kneees- i have the grinding noise on my knees also.

Originally posted by dgtempe
Djohn, do you know of anything that is good but wont kill me? I cant take Percosets, i get violently ill.

Thanks.

You should review some of the arthritis articles on NewsTarget. There are quite a few articles that discuss natural remedies for arthritis. Here is the link to the arthritis articles:

www.newstarget.com...

Here is a link to one article in particular:

Revealed: which fruit and vegetable juices alleviate arthritis pain without drugs or surgery

That's strange that you can take Vicodin but Percocet makes you sick. They're almost the same thing.

Oxycodone (in percocet) I find to be better for pain and actually seems to have fewer side effects in me. Hydrocodone (in Vicodin) tends to really make me high!

Funny you guys talk about doctors treating you like addicts. I just hurt my back BAD the other day ( I thought I cracked a rib) finally went to the doctor today because I cant even roll over in bed. After xrays showed I didn't crack my rib his attitude towards me changed completely and I could immediately tell he thought I was an abuser.

He even asked me directly if I was a "drug addict". His words exactly. I wanted to throw something at his face. Im in such horrible pain every time I even cough it brings me to my knees and this guy refuses to prescribe me pain medication.

I really have a love/hate relationship with doctors.

/end rant

Originally posted by djohnsto77
That's strange that you can take Vicodin but Percocet makes you sick. They're almost the same thing.

Oxycodone (in percocet) I find to be better for pain and actually seems to have fewer side effects in me. Hydrocodone (in Vicodin) tends to really make me high!

I'm in the UK, and get a little confused by the use of all the brand names. Over here everyone just seems to use the active ingredient rather than the brand name, thus oxycontin is usually referred as oxycodone. Thanks for including both.

I don't think I've tried hydrocodone. I've tried di-hydrocodeine, but found it pretty ineffective. Is it similar? I'm still looking for a stronger opiate than codeine phosphate that I can tolerate. Every other opiate they've tried me on (as well as some opium a friend gave me to try) has made me projectile vomit. Not ideal with generalised CRPS and 9/9 hybermobile joints.

DGtempe: have you tried TENS (transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation)? No drugs, and for localised pain it can be very effective. I used it on my knees, which were the most painful part of my body initially, but as the pain spread I gave up on it. Ran out of places to put electrodes and kept getting tangled up with everything.

What I want for christmas is a TENS equipped catsuit in Superman colours and a CamelBak filled with Oramorph.

I have a prescription for Tramadol that's been languishing for the better part of a year. It's fairly effective against pain, but, damn!: the side effects. Projectile vomit. And the weirdest, creepiest nightmares I've ever had.

Hydrocodone was nice. No side effects. But of course, you can get eventually get addicted, and I hear that's really nasty. Never happened to me, but much better to avoid the theoretical horror of opiate addiction than the real horror of tramadol's normal effects. . huh? Oh, yeah, I get it: the dangerous side effects are GOOD--keeps you from becoming an addict!

Sorry, just pissed at U.S. drug policy. If you can get tramadol, it works, but use it sparingly, and you CAN'T use it long-term. It's miserable.

I would recommend hydrocodone (Vicodin), though, as a full-fledged opiate, it obviously has its own issues with long-term use. In the interim, hopefully, you--and everyone else--can have the CAUSES of their pain addressed. Sigh. . .
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