| Even though Bextra might be safe for most adults to take, there are many unforeseen circumstances that even doctors cannot predict. COX-2 Inhibitors, like Bextra, Celebrex, and Vioxx, are so relatively new that many long term side effects of their use are unknown.
• Because it is not known whether Bextra passes into breast milk, breast-feeding while using Bextra is not recommended
• Bextra should not be used during the final trimester of pregnancy.
• Like all other NSAIDs, Bextra may increase the chances of stomach bleeding. Drinking alcohol and using Bextra may increase this risk.
• If you have kidney disease or severe liver disease, use of Bextra may exacerbate these conditions.
• Related drugs such as Vioxx and Celebrex have on occasion formed blood clots which result in heart attacks and strokes. Bextra has caused similar problems in patients after heart bypass patients surgery, but not in other patients studied to date.
• Long-term use of NSAIDs such as Bextra can cause severe injury to the kidneys, particularly in people with a history of heart failure, poor kidney function, or liver problems.
• Very serious allergic reactions of the skin have been experienced with Bextra. Patients who experience a rash after beginning therapy with Bextra should discontinue it immediately. Although Bextra is not a sulfonamide itself, it is recommended that patients with an allergy to sulfonamides ("sulfas") should not take Bextra.
• Certain drugs such as Fluconazole (Diflucan), ketoconazole (Nizoral), and lithium (Eskalith) may increase the concentration of Bextra in the body by decreasing chemical breakdown in the liver.
• Because Bextra reduces swelling, inflammation, and fever, it may hide the symptoms of potentially dangerous infections.
• Bextra and other NSAIDs have caused liver problems in clinical trials. Liver problems are characterized by nausea, itching, rash, fatigue, upper stomach pain, flu-like symptoms, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
• Bextra sometimes causes fluid retention, which can aggravate swelling, high blood pressure, and heart failure.
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