What is Vioxx Prescribed For?

Vioxx is intended to reduce inflammation, reduce acute pain, and treat agonizing menstrual periods. In years past doctors prescribed older drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen for the same conditions, but these drugs aggravated the stomach and long term use revealed some patients could develop potentially fatal bleeding stomach ulcers.

The potential applications for Vioxx seemed boundless until studies revealed that it was linked to an increase in dangerous cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attack. Vioxx affected the way the kidneys regulate blood pressure which lead to between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks in people who used Vioxx to treat chronic ailments such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

If you were one of the two million people prescribed Vioxx, your life may be in danger. After checking with your doctor, you should immediately contact a Vioxx litigation attorney. 4,200 other people just like you have already taken action against a company who decided to ignore reports and sell a dangerous and deadly drug. Stand up for your rights today. A Vioxx lawyer is ready to help you on your road to justice. Contact one today.

Joint Pain

Humans are fragile creatures. The joints we use every day are taken for granted until agonizing pain begins to inhibit our active lifestyles. Over an average lifetime the weight of our bodies and constant, repetitive motions wreak extreme havoc on structures that cannot cope with such stress. Vioxx was intended to treat joint pain by reducing inflammation, but it interferes with the chemicals in the kidneys that regulate blood pressure which can the cause fatal heart attacks and strokes.

Ostearthritis

As the human body ages, the protective cushions around the joints begin to degrade. Some people experience only marginal pain, as genetics or lifestyle permitted them to retain more of the cartilage and other protective tissues. However, others must endure constant agony and immobilization because their body can no longer support itself.

Traditional treatments for osteoarthritis included a regimen of powerful Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen, but long term use of these drugs often caused the patients to develop painful gastrointestinal discomfort and occasionally fatal stomach ulcers. Often osteoarthritis sufferers were faced with the difficult decision of taking dangerous drugs or living a life of pain.

Merck Pharmaceuticals developed a chemical called rofecoxib that promised to alleviate the suffering of osteoarthritis without causing severe gastrointestinal problems. Marketed as Vioxx, it quickly became one of the widest prescribed drugs in the world, with profits of almost $2.5 billion. Unfortunately Vioxx disrupted the natural way kidneys regulate blood pressure, so many people who used it developed cardiovascular problems. The Food and Drug Administration believes that between 88,000 and 139,000 people may be in danger of suffering circulatory trauma because of Vioxx.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an agonizing condition that results from an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack the joints. In addition to painfully disabling the joints, rheumatoid arthritis can attack tissues around the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles.

Until the development of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) a century ago, most people with RA were consigned to live their days in agony and suffering. These drugs reduced the swelling caused by RA, and allowed people to reclaim their lost lives. Unfortunately, these drugs also caused severe stomach and intestinal problems and were even fatal in a few situations. Clearly there had to be a better way.

In the early 1990s, Merck Pharmaceuticals researched a medication called rofecoxib. This drug reduced the inflammation caused by RA without gastrointestinal distress. Almost a decade later it unveiled Vioxx to great fanfare and even greater sales. While all seemed well, disturbing reports indicated many patients developed cardiovascular problems because Vioxx affected the same chemicals that the kidneys use to regulate blood pressure. Merck continued to market Vioxx as a safe alternative to traditional NSAIDs, but in 2004 the FDA requested a recall of all Vioxx in American and European markets.

Over 4,200 people are now suing Merck for selling them a product which they knew was dangerous. If you or someone you love took Vioxx to treat rheumatoid arthritis, you need to contact a lawyer immediately. You may be entitled to financial reparations for your profound physical and emotional suffering. Consult a Vioxx attorney today.

Sports Injuries

Playing sports is recreation for millions of people across the country and around the world, but one of the unfortunate consequences is that many people suffer injury because of their love for the game. Often times these injuries produce long-term, chronic pain and inflammation which greatly interferes with quality of life. Sprains, tears, twists, and sprains more often result in agony that many medical procedures cannot adequately treat.

Fortunately medical science has developed a variety of avenues to reduce both the pain and inflammation of soft tissue injuries in order to promote overall healing. These drugs are called Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories and work by blocking a chemical that occurs in tissue when it is damaged or inflamed, reducing pain and swelling. Unfortunately these drugs also blocked the same chemical that prevents stomach acid from destroying the gastrointestinal tract; so many users suffered bleeding ulcers and other severe trauma.

Then, in 1999, Merck offered Vioxx as a way to reduce the inflammation and pain of sports injuries without causing major stomach discomfort. Unfortunately studies began to show that Vioxx affected the way that the kidneys regulate blood pressure, causing some patients to unknowingly develop cardiovascular problems. Until it was recalled in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration speculated that 88,000-139,000 people experienced heart problems because of Vioxx, and between 30-40% of those people died.