A client with osteoarthritis has a prescription for celebrex (Celecoxib). Which instruction should be included in the discharge teaching?
A. Take the medication with milk.
B. Report chest pain.
C. Remain upright after taking for 30 minutes.
D. Allow 6 weeks for optimal effects.
Correct Answer: B. Report chest pain.
Cox II inhibitors have been associated with heart attacks and strokes. Any changes in cardiac status or signs of a stroke should be reported immediately, along with any changes in bowel or bladder habits because bleeding has been linked to use of Cox II inhibitors. Like all NSAIDs, celecoxib carries an FDA boxed warning for cardiovascular risk, including the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. As a selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib also faces scrutiny for increased cardiovascular risk, since another selective COX-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib, was withdrawn from production in 2004 due to cardiovascular risk concerns.
Options A: The medication can be taken with water. Celecoxib is a medication that is taken orally and comes in 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg doses. In rare cases, celecoxib can also be added to customized compounds for topical administration with or without the use of iontophoresis or other topical delivery mechanisms. It is not available via any other route of administration.
Option C: The client may remain upright but not necessarily for 30 minutes. Symptoms of celecoxib overdose would likely be similar to overdoses of other NSAIDs, which include lethargy, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain. Activated charcoal may be administered for overdose treatment at the discretion of emergency medical providers if the patient presents within 4 hours of known or suspected ingestion of significant amounts of celecoxib.
Option D: Allow 6 weeks for optimal effect. In the inpatient setting, as mentioned above, celecoxib is increasingly being used as part of pre-operative and post-operative multimodal pain management algorithms. Research has shown in several small randomized trials that administering celecoxib peri-operatively for elective procedures such as total hip arthroplasties, total knee arthroplasties, and other procedures with some success in reducing pain and improving functionality such as early ambulation.