What Is A COX-2 Inhibitor And When Might I Need One?

Dr. Griffin answers the question: 'What Is A COX-2 Inhibitor?'

By
Marie Griffin, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
November 11, 2008, 4:10 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: What Is A COX-2 Inhibitor And When Might I Need One?

Answer: Well, COX-2 inhibitors are NSAIDs, but they're newer NSAIDs that were developed to avoid some of the stomach problems that the older NSAIDs caused.

So, NSAIDs increase the risk of stomach ulcers and bleeding. And so the COX-2 inhibitors were developed to be safer on the stomach. The only one currently available in the United States is Celebrex, or celecoxib.

And so, for people who are at high risk of having a stomach ulcer, people who are elderly or who have had stomach ulcers before, this is one option, is using Celebrex that is safer than some of the older NSAIDs. However, another option is to use the older NSAIDs with a proton pump inhibitor, or a misoprostol, drugs that help prevent NSAID-associated ulcers.

Next: What About COX-2 Inhibitors And Reported Risk Of Stroke/Heart Attack?

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