Q. I need a past article from you about Celebrex (celicoxib). Someone had complained that it made her nipples hard or something like that. I had a similar problem so I cut my dose from 200 to 100 and my nipples have not felt hard since.
Recently my orthopedic doctor wondered why I was still in pain. He asked me what dosage I was taking and wanted to know why it wasn’t 200 mg. I told him the story and he laughed his head off, brought his nurses in and we all had a good laugh.
That’s why I need the article–to prove I do not make up stories. My husband remembers me reading it out loud, but that’s not good enough for my doctor.
A. The original question was slightly different, but not so much that your doctor should have made fun of you:
“About two months ago I started taking Celebrex. It really helped, but while I was on it, my breasts and especially my nipples started to hurt so badly that I couldn’t touch them or even put on a bra.
“I didn’t connect this problem to Celebrex at the time. When the prescription ran out, I didn’t renew it right away. I wanted to find out if the pills were working.
“The pain in my hips returned, but the tenderness in my breasts lessened tremendously. Three days ago, I went back on the Celebrex and my breasts are once again screaming. What’s the connection?”
Although we could find nothing about breast pain in the official prescribing information, we have discovered other reports that breast pain has been reported as a side effect of Celebrex. Benign breast lumps have also been noted. This may be extremely rare, but we think your experience should be taken seriously. Sometimes it can take the FDA a long time to recognize an unusual symptom or side effect.
Other side effects of Celebrex (celicoxib) to be aware of include:
• Heartburn, digestive upset and diarrhea
• Headache
• Nausea
• Difficulty sleeping
• Gas
• Skin rash
• Fluid buildup (edema)
• High blood pressure
• Dizziness
• Liver enzyme elevation
• Kidney problems
• Sensitivity to sunlight leading to rash
• Bleeding ulcers
• Heart attacks/strokes
• Heart failure
• Breathing problems
• Blood problems including anemia
Anyone who would like to learn about non-drug approaches to dealing with hip pain or other arthritis or inflammatory conditions may find our Guide to Alternative Treatments for Arthritis or book The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies of interest. Some of the options we list like turmeric, tart cherries, Certo and grape juice and gin-soaked raisins are a lot less likely to cause so many serious side effects.
