Feb 23, 2012 (Started May 24, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for lupus and fibromyalgia pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for arthritis pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for pain)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 200 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Update, 2023: When Celebrex went generic I was thrilled. But the first generic I tried did not work. The second generic I tried did not work. Finally I called Pfizer, manufacture of brand name Celebrex about this. They gave me a tip I've been using ever since : Pfizer owns Greenstone, one of the best generic manufacturers. If you order celecoxib from Greenstone specifically you will actually receive brand name Celebrex. Pfizer saw no point in making a whole new med when they already were making that med. They didn't even change the capsule color and printing. You have to ask your doctor to specify "Greenstone brand generic" on the Rx. You receive a bottle of true Celebrex labeled as celecoxib. It made all the difference to my budget! $10 a month, or $20 for a three month supply via mail order. ******************************************* Because of the high expense, I recently tried reducing my dose of Celebrex to 200 mg. every other day. It was a disaster. Felt like someone was running sewing needles through my thumb joints. I had NO idea how well it had been working until I tried stopping or reducing the dose. Then... my doc and I did a trial of NSAIDS, first Aleve, then Ibuprofen. In the past, they'd caused major stomach pain, so this time the he had me take Prilosec one hour before any other morning meds. Then I took one Aleve. I was fine for 8 days, it worked really well for joint pain... but on day 9, my stomach rebelled. It was SO painful. So back to Celebrex. I waited a week, taking Celebrex, then stopped it again for a trial of Ibuprofen, using the same Prilosec routine as above. This time, the stomach pain started after only 36 hours. I was really bummed. So... back on Celebrex, trying to scrape the money together. I'm an illustrator... I NEED my thumbs and fingers to be as pain-free as possible.
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Nov 14, 2011 (Started May 24, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for lupus and fibromyalgia pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for inflammation in joints)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 200 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I've had excellent results with Celebrex. It minimized my pain, was moderately helpful with inflammation, and I never, ever had any stomach problems with it... even after taking it for 10 years daily. Unfortunately, my income at present is too low to pay the $65/month copay. My insurance only pays 50% on name brands. Hope a generic comes soon. I'm curious to see what happens to me pain and inflammation-wise after it clears my system. I've wondered if morning Celebrex is why my blood inflammatory markers have been fairly low - borderline to normal usually, even when in great pain. All other NSAIDs have caused stomach irritation at some point. For now I'll use ibuprofen or indocin as needed, taking it with a full meal and generic Prilosec. Hope my stomach will be ok.
Cost: $50-99 monthly

Sep 15, 2011 (Started May 24, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for lupus and fibromyalgia pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for pain)
  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for inflammation in joints)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 200 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Occasionally I miss a dose w/o realizing it. Around 3 pm I start hurting all over. Have to think back...did I miss it? Yes. Take it now! So... Celebrex is an essential treatment for pain for me. It costs SO much though... my insurance only pays 50% for name brands. This is a true burden for me.
Cost: $50-99 monthly

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