Indications

 

Celebrex 200 mg is licensed for use in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, pain, acute pain, menstrual symptoms, painful menstruation, ankylosing spondylitis and also to reduce number of colon and rectal polyps in patients with the familial adenomatous polyposis. Celecoxib was originally intended for pain relief and minimization of the gastrointestinal adverse effects usually seen with other NSAID drugs. In practice, its primary indication is long term and regular pain relief. Probably there is no advantage of using celebrex for short term or acute pain, except the case when other NSAID drugs or aspirin cause some cutaneous reactions.

 

Availability

 

Pfizer sells Celecoxib under the brand name Celebrex. It is available as oral capsules containing 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg and 400 mg with Celebrex 200 mg being the most popular dosage.

Celecoxib is not currently available as a generic medication in the USA. In other countries, e.g. India, Philippines, Vietnam Celebrex is legally available as a generic under other brand names such as Cobix, Celcoxx, Selecap etc.

 

Dosing

 

The usual adult dose of Celebrex is 200 mg or 100 mg once or twice a day.

Drug interactions

 

Celecoxib is predominantly metabolized by cytochrome P450 2D6. Caution must be exercised with concomitant use of 2D6 inhibitors, such as fluconazole. celecoxib may antagonize or increase the risk of renal failure with angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors and diuretics.

Risk of stroke and heart attack 

 

There has been much concern about the possibility of increased riskfor heart attack and stroke in patients using Celecoxib. Like all NSAID medications, celecoxib carries an FDA-mandated "black box warning" for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risk. The American Heart Association warned that celecoxib should be used "as a last resort on patients who have heart disease or a risk of developing it", and suggested that paracetamol, or certain older NSAIDs, may be safer choices for chronic pain relief in such patients.

The cardiovascular risks of celecoxib are controversial, with apparently contradictory data produced from different clinical trials.