FDA issues warning about Naproxen.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration Monday issued a warning to patients taking the painkiller naproxen after a government study showed the over-the-counter medicine can cause an increased risk of heart problems.

Patients taking naproxen, which is sold as a generic drug and under the brand names Alleve, Naprosyn and others, should not exceed the recommended dose and should not take it for more than 10 days unless directed by their doctor, the FDA said in a statement.

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2004/12/20/fda_issues_caution_for_naproxen_painkiller/

[lifeisbeautiful]

All of this is really making me even more nervous regarding the way that chronic pain will be managed in patients. To me, it seemed as though Vioxx, Celebrex and many of the other anti-inflammatory medications were a 'safe' way for MDs to provide something for a person's c/o pain without having to write a script for a narcotic. Many MDs get so paranoid about narcotics. Now that these analgesics will be limited due to their adverse side effects, I can't imagine MDs writing more prescriptions for narcotics as an alternative for pain relief. I only say this because I see patients and family members continually under medicated for pain and having to practically beg for relief. It is so wrong.

[curleysue]

I was surprised to hear about the Aleeve causing heart problems. I wonder what kind of problems they are talking about. Aleeve is my savior almost everyday. I take the max amount everyday for fibromyalgia and a current infection in my toe and have been taking it like that for about a month. I guess I should stop now.

It is too bad about the medications cause a lot of people had really good relief from Vioxx and Celebrex plus Naproxen. So, I too, am worried doctors will run out of choices and switch patients to narcotics.

Interesting. Curleysue

[CHATSDALE]

DO THEY MEAN CLOTS...HEART ARRHTHYMIAS...SPASMS

I too take a lot of aleeve, how much aleeve caused the problems?? i know that on the celebrex they were giving the patients about 800 mg daily...that is a whole lot of celevrex

[MryRose]

I also take it for Fibro .... 440 mg twice a day. I think that the FDA should state the complications involved instead of blanket warnings.

Without all the information it's very difficult to make decisions on what to do.

[Roland]

What? Live without Naproxin? Last year when I had a herniated Lumbar disc I was in so much pain (the worst of my life) that I actually took two of my mother's morphine sulfate (who had just died of cancer). The point is that the morphine didn't get rid of the pain. However, four hour later I took two Aleve and the pain all but went away. For the next two weeks Naproxin kept me sane (the back pain went away, but I still cannot feel my left little toe). In my experience Naproxin works much better than Ibruprofin at controlling pain. Also, I seem to remember reading a study last year on Pub Med/Medline concerning a study which showed Naproxin to have 500% fewer coronary events than did Vioxx in a study involving the two agents.