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NSAIDs cause ulcers and proton pump inhibitors help prevent them. Why not combine them? Novel thought, but how wise is this? A clinical trial was done over a 30 day period that showed that GI bleeding was substantially reduced by this combination. There are many problems with this kind of reasoning. First, most people aren't on NSAIDs for only 30 days...

New drugs are problematic because they are not fully tested. Post marketing studies should be required. It is wiser to use old time-tested drugs because they've been around for decades and we know their complications. Vioxx is an interesting example. Cox 1 and Cox 2 inhibitors are explained.

  Even a few NSAIDs may be unsafe if you have heart disease. Shockingly data on 83,000 patients shows that even a week of treatment led to another heart attack or dying 45% more often if they had a prior heart attack. The percentage rose to 60% if treatment was for 30 days. There is no safe window for NSAIDs in people with a prior heart attack. There...

NSAIDs have now been linked to an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation and flutter. The association was strongest for new users. The risk is increased by 40% for COX-1 inhibitors and 70% for COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex. This translates to 1 in 250 taking COX-1 drugs and 1 in 140 taking Celebrex. The risk is highest for the elderly, those with rheumatoid...

Washington University School of Medicine published an article in the journal, Gut, showing that taking a probiotic before radiation can protect the intestine from damage in mice. There is no reason that this would be different in humans. This suggests that taking a probiotic with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and other strains protects the gut when taken prior to...

Sayer Ji from GreenMedInfo put together fascinating literature revealing that Tylenol, or acetaminophen, does more than relieve pain; it also dulls emotions! This drug has been on the market since 1953 and we're still learning more about its effects. Is this some kind of clue that the drugs we use in clinical practice are for the most part studied for their...