What Have DPMs Experienced When Using Valdecoxib?
How does valdecoxib compare to other drugs as far as analgesic effect? Although Jeffrey Boberg, DPM, has used valdecoxib in the past, he says it would be difficult to gauge the drug’s effectiveness, noting that some patients have a lot of post-op pain and some have little pain. He also notes difficulty in comparing valdecoxib to other drugs because most patients undergo different or multiple procedures. “Aside from QD or BID dosage, I am not sure that Bextra has much of an advantage over any other NSAID,” opines Dr. Boberg, the Director of Residency Training at the Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis. Dr. Boberg believes there was a push to create a niche for Bextra as a post-op analgesic. He says it would have been interesting for a study to compare valdecoxib to naprosyn rather than to a placebo. However, Dr. Boberg does note the well-documented effects of antiinflammatory medicines in reducing post-op pain. He notes the documented positive effects of injected cortisone, ketorolac trom
