Celebrex Side Effects: Rewrite of Commercial Noting Accurate Side Effects…
Celebrex side effects are not new….the fact is that NSAID drugs are a serious public health concern and there seems to be no shortage of research papers illustrating this risk. Last night while watching TV with the kids, a Celebrex commercial came on TV. An older gentleman who looks like a senior VP of marketing is shown. What’s interesting is that if you pay attention to the visual branding, the man who goes from unable to do much to dancing with his wife. Since the Celebrex logo is seen throughout, you would think Celebrex is the best thing since sliced bread. While the FDA requires serious warnings on NSAIDs and these have been upped in recent years, there is no requirement on visuals. I thought I’d rewrite the commercial so that it is consummate with the real published Celebrex risk. The original is below and my annotations in parenthesis and italics:
It’s simple physics (although the “take a pill because you hurt” approach ignores physics)….A body at rest tends to stay at rest while a body in motion tends to stay in motion…staying active can actually relieve arthritis symptoms, but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. Prescription Celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion (unless you die of a fatal heart attack, in that case don’t count on much motion), because just one 200 mg Celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief (and up to 5 years of increased heart attack risk for heart patients) for many people with arthritis pain and inflammation.
You and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks (and pay attention to the American Heart Association push to limit this drug class). All prescription NSAIDs like Celebrex, Ibruprofen, Naproxen, and Meloxicam…they all may increase (double to triple) the chance of heart attack or stroke which can lead to death (man dancing with wife clutches chest and collapses) …NSAIDs including Celebrex increase the chance of serious…stomach problems fatal stomach bleeding such as bleeding and ulcers which can occur without warning and may cause death (man spits up blood while on floor, wife shrieks).
The upshot? You get the picture…
Is this being very hard and perhaps a bit unfair to Celebrex? Perhaps. However, the medical literature in study after study continues to demonstrate that this drug class carries significant risks. As the American Heart Association recently opined, docs and patients aren’t getting the message, so maybe the message needs to hit harder.
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