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Celebrex Side Effects

Generic Name: Celecoxib

Please note - some side effects for Celebrex may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/ or 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).


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For the professional

Side Effects of Celebrex - for the consumer


Celebrex

All medicines can cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Celebrex:

Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; gas; headache; heartburn; nausea; sore throat; stomach upset; stuffy nose.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Celebrex:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; trouble breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody or black, tarry stools; change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; confusion; dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hearing loss; mental or mood changes; numbness of an arm or leg; one-sided weakness; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; ringing in the ears; seizures; severe headache or dizziness; severe or persistent stomach pain or nausea; severe vomiting; shortness of breath; sudden or unexplained weight gain; swelling of hands, legs, or feet; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual joint or muscle pain; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision or speech changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

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For the professional


Celebrex

Of the Celebrex treated patients in the premarketing controlled clinical trials, approximately 4,250 were patients with OA, approximately 2,100 were patients with RA, and approximately 1,050 were patients with post-surgical pain. More than 8,500 patients have received a total daily dose of Celebrex of 200 mg (100 mg BID or 200 mg QD) or more, including more than 400 treated at 800 mg (400 mg BID). Approximately 3,900 patients have received Celebrex at these doses for 6 months or more; approximately 2,300 of these have received it for 1 year or more and 124 of these have received it for 2 years or more.

Adverse events from Celebrex premarketing controlled arthritis trials

Table 3 lists all adverse events, regardless of causality, occurring in ≥2% of patients receiving Celebrex from 12 controlled studies conducted in patients with OA or RA that included a placebo and/or a positive control group. Since these 12 trials were of different durations, and patients in the trials may not have been exposed for the same duration of time, these percentages do not capture cumulative rates of occurrence.

Table 3
Adverse Events Occurring in ≥2% of Celebrex Patients From Celebrex Premarketing Controlled Arthritis Trials
Celebrex
(100–200 mg BID or 200 mg QD)
Placebo Naproxen
500 mg BID
Diclofenac
75 mg BID
Ibuprofen
800 mg TID
(n=4146) (n=1864) (n=1366) (n=387) (n=345)
Gastrointestinal
Abdominal pain 4.1% 2.8% 7.7% 9.0% 9.0%
Diarrhea 5.6% 3.8% 5.3% 9.3% 5.8%
Dyspepsia 8.8% 6.2% 12.2%   10.9%   12.8%  
Flatulence 2.2% 1.0% 3.6% 4.1% 3.5%
Nausea 3.5% 4.2% 6.0% 3.4% 6.7%
Body as a whole
Back pain 2.8% 3.6% 2.2% 2.6% 0.9%
Peripheral edema 2.1% 1.1% 2.1% 1.0% 3.5%
Injury-accidental 2.9% 2.3% 3.0% 2.6% 3.2%
Central and peripheral nervous system
Dizziness 2.0% 1.7% 2.6% 1.3% 2.3%
Headache 15.8%   20.2%   14.5%   15.5%   15.4%  
Psychiatric
Insomnia 2.3% 2.3% 2.9% 1.3% 1.4%
Respiratory
Pharyngitis 2.3% 1.1% 1.7% 1.6% 2.6%
Rhinitis 2.0% 1.3% 2.4% 2.3% 0.6%
Sinusitis 5.0% 4.3% 4.0% 5.4% 5.8%
Upper respiratory tract infection 8.1% 6.7% 9.9% 9.8% 9.9%
Skin
Rash 2.2% 2.1% 2.1% 1.3% 1.2%

In placebo- or active-controlled clinical trials, the discontinuation rate due to adverse events was 7.1% for patients receiving Celebrex and 6.1% for patients receiving placebo. Among the most common reasons for discontinuation due to adverse events in the Celebrex treatment groups were dyspepsia and abdominal pain (cited as reasons for discontinuation in 0.8% and 0.7% of Celebrex patients, respectively). Among patients receiving placebo, 0.6% discontinued due to dyspepsia and 0.6% withdrew due to abdominal pain.

The following adverse events occurred in 0.1 – 1.9% of patients regardless of causality.

Celebrex
(100 – 200 mg BID or 200 mg QD)
Gastrointestinal: Constipation, diverticulitis, dysphagia, eructation, esophagitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia, melena, dry mouth, stomatitis, tenesmus, tooth disorder, vomiting
Cardiovascular: Aggravated hypertension, angina pectoris, coronary artery disorder, myocardial infarction
General: Allergy aggravated, allergic reaction, asthenia, chest pain, cyst NOS, edema generalized, face edema, fatigue, fever, hot flushes, influenza-like symptoms, pain, peripheral pain
Resistance mechanism disorders: Herpes simplex, herpes zoster, infection bacterial, infection fungal, infection soft tissue, infection viral, moniliasis, moniliasis genital, otitis media
Central, peripheral nervous system: Leg cramps, hypertonia, hypoesthesia, migraine, neuralgia, neuropathy, paresthesia, vertigo
Female reproductive: Breast fibroadenosis, breast neoplasm, breast pain, dysmenorrhea, menstrual disorder, vaginal hemorrhage, vaginitis
Male reproductive: Prostatic disorder
Hearing and vestibular: Deafness, ear abnormality, earache, tinnitus
Heart rate and rhythm: Palpitation, tachycardia
Liver and biliary system: Hepatic function abnormal, SGOT increased, SGPT increased
Metabolic and nutritional: BUN increased, CPK increased, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, hypokalemia, NPN increase, creatinine increased, alkaline phosphatase increased, weight increase
Musculoskeletal: Arthralgia, arthrosis, bone disorder, fracture accidental, myalgia, neck stiffness, synovitis, tendinitis
Platelets (bleeding or clotting): Ecchymosis, epistaxis, thrombocythemia
Psychiatric: Anorexia, anxiety, appetite increased, depression, nervousness, somnolence
Hemic: Anemia
Respiratory: Bronchitis, bronchospasm, bronchospasm aggravated, coughing, dyspnea, laryngitis, pneumonia
Skin and appendages: Alopecia, dermatitis, nail disorder, photosensitivity reaction, pruritus, rash erythematous, rash maculopapular, skin disorder, skin dry, sweating increased, urticaria
Application site disorders: Cellulitis, dermatitis contact, injection site reaction, skin nodule
Special senses: Taste perversion
Urinary system: Albuminuria, cystitis, dysuria, hematuria, micturition frequency, renal calculus, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infection
Vision: Blurred vision, cataract, conjunctivitis, eye pain, glaucoma

Other serious adverse reactions which occur rarely (estimated <0.1%), regardless of causality

The following serious adverse events have occurred rarely in patients taking Celebrex. Cases reported only in the post-marketing experience are indicated in italics.

Cardiovascular: Syncope, congestive heart failure, ventricular fibrillation, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, peripheral gangrene, thrombophlebitis, vasculitis, deep venous thrombosis
Gastrointestinal: Intestinal obstruction, intestinal perforation, gastrointestinal bleeding, colitis with bleeding, esophageal perforation, pancreatitis, ileus
Liver and biliary system: Cholelithiasis, hepatitis, jaundice, liver failure
Hemic and lymphatic: Thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, pancytopenia, leukopenia
Metabolic: Hypoglycemia, hyponatremia
Nervous system: Ataxia, suicide, aseptic meningitis, ageusia, anosmia, fatal intracranial hemorrhage
Renal: Acute renal failure, interstitial nephritis
Skin: Erythema multiforme, exfoliative dermatitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis
General: Sepsis, sudden death, anaphylactoid reaction, angioedema

Safety Data from CLASS Study

Hematological Events

During this study, the incidence of clinically significant decreases in hemoglobin (>2 g/dL) confirmed by repeat testing was lower in patients on Celebrex 400 mg BID (4-fold and 2-fold the recommended OA and RA doses, respectively, and the approved dose for FAP) compared to patients on either diclofenac 75 mg BID or ibuprofen 800 mg TID: 0.5%, 1.3% and 1.9%, respectively. The lower incidence of events with Celebrex was maintained with or without ASA use.

Withdrawals/Serious Adverse Events

Kaplan-Meier cumulative rates at 9 months for withdrawals due to adverse events for Celebrex, diclofenac and ibuprofen were 24%, 29%, and 26%, respectively. Rates for serious adverse events (i.e. those causing hospitalization or felt to be life threatening or otherwise medically significant) regardless of causality were not different across treatment groups, respectively, 8%, 7%, and 8%.

Adverse events from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis study

In a 12-week, double-blind, active-controlled study, 242 JRA patients 2 years to 17 years of age were treated with celecoxib or naproxen; 77 JRA patients were treated with celecoxib 3 mg/kg BID, 82 patients were treated with celecoxib 6 mg/kg BID, and 83 patients were treated with naproxen 7.5 mg/kg BID. The most commonly occurring (≥5%) adverse events in celecoxib treated patients were headache, fever (pyrexia), upper abdominal pain, cough, nasopharyngitis, abdominal pain, nausea, arthralgia, diarrhea and vomiting. The most commonly occurring (≥5%) adverse experiences for naproxen treated patients were headache, nausea, vomiting, fever, upper abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough, abdominal pain, and dizziness (Table 4). Compared with naproxen, celecoxib at doses of 3 and 6 mg/kg BID had no observable deleterious effect on growth and development during the course of the 12-week double-blind study. There was no substantial difference in the number of clinical exacerbations of uveitis or systemic features of JRA among treatment groups.

In a 12-week, open-label extension of the double-blind study described above, 202 JRA patients were treated with celecoxib 6 mg/kg BID. The incidence of adverse events was similar to that observed during the double-blind study; no unexpected adverse events of clinical importance emerged.

Table 4: Incidence of Adverse Events Occurring in ≥5% of JRA Patients in the Clinical Trial in Any Treatment Group by System Organ Class
System Organ Class/
  Adverse Event Preferred Term
Celecoxib

3 mg/kg BID
N=77
Celecoxib

6 mg/kg BID
N=82
Naproxen

7.5 mg/kg BID
N=83
*
Abnormal laboratory tests, which include: Prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, Bacteriuria NOS present, Blood creatine phosphokinase increased, Blood culture positive, Blood glucose increased, Blood pressure increased, Blood uric acid increased, Hematocrit decreased, Hematuria present, Hemoglobin decreased, Liver function tests NOS abnormal, Proteinuria present, Transaminase NOS increased, Urine analysis abnormal NOS
Any Event, % 64 70 72
Eye Disorders 5 5 5
Gastrointestinal Disorders 26 24 36
  Abdominal pain NOS 4 7 7
  Abdominal pain upper 8 6 10
  Vomiting NOS 3 6 11
  Diarrhea NOS 5 4 8
  Nausea 7 4 11
General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions 13 11 18
  Pyrexia 8 9 11
Infections and Infestations 25 20 27
  Nasopharyngitis 5 6 5
Injury and Poisoning 4 6 5
Investigations* 3 11 7
Musculoskeletal, Connective Tissue and Bone Disorders 8 10 17
  Arthralgia 3 7 4
Nervous System Disorders 17 11 21
  Headache NOS 13 10 16
  Dizziness (excluding vertigo) 1 1 7
Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders 8 15 15
  Cough 7 7 8
Skin & Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders 10 7 18

Adverse events from ankylosing spondylitis studies

A total of 378 patients were treated with Celebrex in placebo- and active- controlled ankylosing spondylitis studies. Doses up to 400 mg QD were studied. The types of adverse events reported in the ankylosing spondylitis studies were similar to those reported in the arthritis studies.

Adverse events from analgesia and dysmenorrhea studies

Approximately 1,700 patients were treated with Celebrex in analgesia and dysmenorrhea studies. All patients in post-oral surgery pain studies received a single dose of study medication. Doses up to 600 mg/day of Celebrex were studied in primary dysmenorrhea and post-orthopedic surgery pain studies. The types of adverse events in the analgesia and dysmenorrhea studies were similar to those reported in arthritis studies. The only additional adverse event reported was post-dental extraction alveolar osteitis (dry socket) in the post-oral surgery pain studies.

Adverse events from the controlled trial in familial adenomatous polyposis

The adverse event profile reported for the 83 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis enrolled in the randomized, controlled clinical trial was similar to that reported for patients in the arthritis controlled trials. Intestinal anastomotic ulceration was the only new adverse event reported in the FAP trial, regardless of causality, and was observed in 3 of 58 patients (one at 100 mg BID, and two at 400 mg BID) who had prior intestinal surgery.

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More resources:

Drugs.com Celebrex

PDR Celebrex

MedFacts Celebrex

Micromedex Celebrex - Includes detailed dosage instructions.

FDA Celebrex

Facts & Comparisons Celecoxib

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