Dear Kiki:

I have had the same concerns myself...but I wonder if your doctor has taken
into consideration your other risk factors for heart attack/stroke such as
age, high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure...perhaps he/she weighs
the risk probability for you against the benefit..relief from pain.

For a long time my insurance company would not reimburse for Vioxx...maybe
they were on to something...then...All best wishes...Poochini

news:alt.support.arhtritis       is a good place to talk to people that take
the same items you are thinking about.

Here are some sites where you can find out almost anything about the
subject.  I suggest that you print out this post if you can.   I have given
you wayyyy too much information for a person to understand or go through
before you get tired and say    what the heck and stop.
Harv

Ps    Please notice that none of the below is commercial and none of it is
going to tell you what the best thing to do is.    You are going to have to
do that for yourself and it is best done with the help of a Rheumatologist
(arthritis doctor).

http://www.arthritis.com/
http://www.arthritisinsight.com/living/family/letter.html
http://home.gci.net/~cushman4/oa-gcs.htm
http://www.arthritis.co.za/         More information about anything to do
with arthritis.

http://www.med-help.com/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hinfo.html

<http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/checker/checker.jsp?js
pLetter=A>

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual_home2/home.jsp

http://www.hhs.gov/

http://www.pennhealth.com/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

http://www.rheumatology.org/

http://www.npadnews.com/

http://www.gimpgirl.com/

http://www.asresearch.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

http://www.phc-online.com/

http://mentalhelp.net/

http://www.neurologychannel.com/

http://www.fepblue.org/

http://www.redreef.com/index.html

http://www.psychiatrymatters.md/authfiles/index.asp?fl=-1

http://pdweb.mgh.harvard.edu/

http://www.eatonhand.com/

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

http://www.aarp.org/index.html