Everything You Need To Know About The Drug Celecoxib

The drug celecoxib has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, similar to non-selective NSAIDs. However, it causes less acute gastric lesions.

The drug celecoxib belongs to a group of selective COX-2 inhibitors. It has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects similar to non-selective NSAIDs. However, it causes less acute gastric lesions.

Celecoxib is prescribed to relieve the pain, inflammation, and also stiffness that can result from joint disorders. These include arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

It’s also useful in treating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and even painful menstrual cramps. In addition, patients who experience short-term pain can also take this drug. For example after an operation or other (dental) medical interventions.

How do I take the drug celecoxib?

This medication is presented as a capsule for oral consumption. Typically, patients can eat it once or twice a day, with or without food.

So that you don’t forget to take celecoxib, try to take it around the same time each day. Do not increase or decrease the dose or take it more often than your doctor has prescribed.

If you cannot swallow the capsules, or if you want to treat a child with them, you can open the capsule and sprinkle the contents over some food.

Since the cardiovascular risk can increase with increasing dosage and length of treatment, you should only take the smallest possible effective daily dose of celecoxib. In addition, the duration of treatment should be as short as possible.

Periodically, a doctor should reassess the response to treatment to assess its effectiveness and safety. This is especially true for patients with osteoarthritis.

The right dosage depending on the disease

For the treatment of osteoarthritis, the recommended daily dose is 200 mg once a day or in two divided doses. For some patients, doctors may increase the dose to 200 mg twice a day to make it more effective. If after two weeks there is no significant therapeutic benefit, then it is time to consider other therapeutic alternatives.

When starting treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, the recommended daily dose of the drug celecoxib is 200 mg given in two doses. As with osteoarthritis, doctors may increase the dose to 200 mg twice a day if necessary.

However, if the patients do not notice any greater therapeutic success after 2 weeks, other therapeutic alternatives must also be considered here. The maximum recommended dose in both cases is 400 mg per day.

Celecoxib contraindications

The use of this drug is not recommended in case of hypersensitivity to the active ingredient, to any of the auxiliary substances or to sulfonamides.

It is also not recommended if the patient has a current gastric ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding, or if the patient in question has experienced asthma, acute rhinitis, edema, hives or other allergic reactions after taking acetylsalicylic acid or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should also not take celecoxib. Although there is no evidence of a possible risk of malformations during pregnancy, it cannot be ruled out.

Likewise, patients with the following conditions should avoid celecoxib:

• Severe liver dysfunction
• Kidney disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Peripheral artery disease
• Cerebrovascular disease

Possible side effects of celecoxib

Like all drugs, celecoxib can have undesirable side effects. They are classified as follows based on their estimated frequency:

Often

• Stomach pain, diarrhea, and gas
• Dizziness and insomnia
• Nasal congestion, sinusitis, and pharyngitis
• Fluid build-up with edema
• skin rash

Rare

• Anxiety, depression, tiredness, blurred vision,
• Muscle stiffness and tingling sensation
• Anemia, kidney or liver problems
• High or worsening blood pressure, palpitations
• Urinary tract and mouth infections
• Skin reactions such as hives

Rare

This section includes unwanted side effects such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, bowel perforation, inflammation of the esophagus, or difficulty swallowing. It can also cause acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), inflammation of the colon (colitis), confusion, hallucinations, hearing loss, or aseptic meningitis.

Make sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist if you experience any of these symptoms.

Conclusion

Currently, despite the possible side effects, celecoxib is prescribed in certain cases. This is because the benefits of taking outweigh the benefits.