Arcoxia

Generic name: Etoricoxib

Usage of Arcoxia

Arcoxia is used for the following:

acute and chronic treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

management of ankylosing spondylitis

relief of chronic musculoskeletal pain

relief of acute pain

to treat acute gouty arthritis

Your doctor will prescribe Arcoxia for you only after you have used other medicines for your condition and they have not been suitable for you.

Your doctor will want discuss your treatment with Arcoxia from time to time. It is important that you use the lowest dose that controls your pain and you should not take Arcoxia for longer than necessary. This is because the risk of heart attacks and strokes might increase after prolonged treatment, especially with high doses.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease. It results from the gradual breakdown of the cartilage that covers the joints and cushions the ends of bones.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain, tenderness, stiffness of one or more joints, and physical disability. The hips and knees are the most commonly affected joints, but other joints such as those of the hands and spine may also be affected.

Osteoarthritis is more common in women than in men. Many factors can lead to the development of osteoarthritis including obesity and joint injury (eg. from sport).

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling and loss of function in the joints and inflammation in other body organs.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease of the spine and large joints.

Gout

Gout is a disorder characterised by sudden, recurring attacks of pain and inflammation in one or more joints.

Before taking Arcoxia

Note: Arcoxia has not been approved by the FDA for the U.S. market.

Do not take Arcoxia if:

you have an allergy to Arcoxia or any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet

the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering

the expiry date on the pack has passed.

If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work.

You have had heart failure, a heart attack, bypass surgery, chest pain (angina), narrow or blocked arteries of the extremities (peripheral arterial disease), a stroke or mini stroke (TIA or transient ischaemic attack).

You have high blood pressure that is not well controlled on blood pressure medication.

You are having major surgery and have conditions which increase your risk of coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or smoking.

You are having major surgery on you heart or arteries.

If you are not sure whether you should start taking Arcoxia, talk to your doctor.

Arcoxia has not been adequately studied in children. Therefore, Arcoxia should not be given to children.

Arcoxia works equally well in older and younger adult patients. Adverse experiences may occur at a higher incidence in older patients compared to younger patients. If you are elderly (ie over 65 years of age), your doctor will want to appropriately keep a check on you. No dosage adjustment is necessary for older patients.

Before you start to taking Arcoxia tell your doctor if:

you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Arcoxia is not recommended for use during late pregnancy. If there is a need to consider using Arcoxia during your pregnancy, your doctor will discuss with you the benefits and risks of using it.

you are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. It is not known if Arcoxia passes into breast milk. You and your doctor should discuss whether you should stop breast-feeding or not take Arcoxia.

you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:

history of angina

heart attack or a blocked artery in your heart

narrow or blocked arteries of the extremities

kidney disease

liver disease

heart failure

high blood pressure

you have had an allergic reaction to aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medicines (commonly known as NSAIDs) Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include asthma, pinkish itchy swellings on the skin (hives), runny or blocked nose.

you have an infection If you take Arcoxia while you have an infection, it may hide fever and may make you think, mistakenly, that you are better or that your infection is less serious than it might be.

you have any allergies to any other medicines or any other substances, such as foods, preservatives or dyes.

you have a history of stroke or mini stroke

you have conditions which increase your risk of coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or smoking.

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you take any Arcoxia.

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines and Arcoxia may interfere with each other. These include:

warfarin, a medicine used to prevent blood clots

rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis and other infections

water pills (diuretics)

ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, medicines used to lower high blood pressure or treat heart failure

lithium, a medicine used to treat a certain type of depression

birth control pills

hormone replacement therapy

methotrexate, a medicine used to suppress the immune system

These medicines may be affected by Arcoxia or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines.

Your doctor or pharmacist has more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking Arcoxia.

Arcoxia can be taken with low dose aspirin. If you are currently taking low dose aspirin for the prevention of a heart attack or stroke, you should continue to do so unless specified by your Doctor. Arcoxia cannot replace aspirin for this purpose.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.