Bextra side effects include a number of effects that are common in other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The less serious Bextra side effects include but are not limited to the following, in no particular order:
These symptoms are all found in other NSAIDs, in higher frequencies in some cases.
However, the major Bextra side effects which caused its recall are associated more highly and exclusively with the drug itself, Bextra. Heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular (CV) events showed with higher frequency in Bextra and other COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx than in other NSAIDs. The increased risk for CV events was shown in two short-term trials of Bextra. Strokes and heart attacks were among the events with which Bextra was linked. Skin reactions associated were also found to be significantly greater in association with Bextra than with any other NSAID through the FDA’s automatic serious skin reaction reporting system. These reactions include toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and erythema multiforme.
The FDA sent out warnings about Bextra’s side effects in November 2002 and required a label change to reflect the new safety information. This was only a year after it approved the drug as a NSAID. Subsequently the FDA received numerous reports of the various serious side effects. The FDA also advised health professionals of this warning and encouraged them to limit their prescriptions and report any serious Bextra side effects observed.