Make a quick survey of any clinic and you will almost invariably find that pain is one of the most common reasons for people to visit a doctor. It is a subjective matter and doctors depend on patients to tell them whether they experience pain, how severe it may be and if it is gets better with time. Doctors can make independent judgments and objective measures of how tall we are our weight, blood pressure and so on, but they are helpless when it comes to managing pain! Doctors know that all pain killers carry degrees of risk, and would be happy not to be forced to deal with such complaints. Doctors do not prescribe any medicine for pain unless a patient complains of severe and persistent debility.
The Role of Vioxx
Most patients try pain killers off the shelf before they ask a doctor for help. Analgesics and NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents) form first lines of defense and the common brands that we can buy on our own for pain relief, use active ingredients based on these classes. It is standard practice to try Cox-2 Inhibitors such as Vioxx in patients who report inadequate relief from products that they can buy and try on their own for pain relief. However not even the President can buy a Cox-Inhibitor tablet without a prescription. Doctors assess the risks of side-effects before prescribing medicines such as Vioxx. Osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and heavy menstruation are the main medical conditions in which pain reported by patients is severe enough to justify use of a Cox-2 Inhibitor.
Side-effects of Vioxx
Allergic reaction, gastric irritation, heart, kidney and liver damage are some of the serious side-effects that were known to be possible with Vioxx treatment when the FDA first permitted Merck to market the medicine in 1999. Doctors consider patient history before they decide to prescribe any Cox-2 Inhibitor including Vioxx. Patients on medicines such as Vioxx should be monitored regularly, so that dosage can be adjusted or treatment changed if early signs of side-effects come to light. The prevalence of such side-effects is rare: most patients can take medicines such as Vioxx safely.