Celebrex inhibits aspirin's action

The name of aspirin is not new to us; it is found across the globe, even though the majority of us are hardly conversant of its basic traits. In a nutshell, aspirin is in a group of drugs called salicylates, works through lessening substances in the body that bring about pain, fever, and inflammation. It, by and large, is used to take care of mild to moderate pain, and also to diminish fever or inflammation. It, at times, is used to treat or prevent heart attacks, strokes, and angina. Well, aspirin has to be used for cardiovascular conditions only under the supervision of a doctor.

Now, here is a breakthrough regarding aspirin. University of Michigan researchers, through meticulous laboratory studies, found that a number of coxibs, the drug class to which Celebrex belongs, slow down aspirin’s ability to discourage blood clots, on condition that the aspirin is taken in low doses. Celebrex is also known as celecoxib and is the only coxib at present on the market.

As already said aspirin is used to prevent heart attacks, doctors often advise daily low-dose aspirin (81 mg) for patients who have heart conditions, particularly a serious form of angina known as unstable angina, or for patients who are in danger of second heart attacks. In addition, arthritis patients who receive Celebrex on a regular basis are frequently put on low-dose aspirin. The only reason is that this is thought to cancel out Celebrex’s own potential clot-promoting effect.

Speaking on this, Dr. William L. Smith, the study’s senior author, stated, there are, in fact, many people who take low-dose aspirin, possibly as many as half of men over 50. If they are also prescribed Celebrex for arthritis or other pain, the results put forward that the Celebrex will probably inhibit the aspirin’s action. "The greatest risk is having people take Celebrex who are taking aspirin for cardiovascular problems that are known to be mitigated by aspirin, including patients with unstable angina or those at risk for a second heart attack," he said.

The results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Top Stories this week