💊Celebrex
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- Kien Dang
Disclaimer: This post is strictly for informational purpose and contains the contents of my personal experience, opinion and research I found on the internet and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare providers for any questions regarding your condition.
The nurse told me to take Celebrex along with Tylenol an hour before my surgery back in October and since I've never heard of it before, I figured to do some research to see what I was taking. This post is a little late but I wanted to post it anyway.
What is Celebrex?
Celebrex is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation[1].
How does it work?
It prevents the synthesis of a chemical called prostaglandin by inhibiting a specific enzyme called cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). It binds near the active binding site of COX-2 via the sulfonamide side chain, this inhibition prevents COX-2 from creating precursors that become converted to prostaglandin and thromboxane[1].
Prostaglandin accumulation causes inflammation, pain and swelling. They play an important role in pain perception by sensitizing peripheral nociceptors[2].
Therefore, by inhibiting its synthesis, it will provide the intended effect for pain management.
Celebrex with Tylenol (acetaminophen)
Acetaminophen can be combined with opioids or NSAIDs to improve pain relief because NSAIDs produce analgesia through a different mechanism (in the peripheral tissues) compared to acetaminophen (brain and spinal cord)[2].
The exact mechanism of acetaminopheon remains unknown but studies show that they have very weak inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 and therefore is a bad anti-inflammatory. However, by combining with Celebrex, we can enhance the analgesic effect through two different pathways and have anti-inflammatory effects that Tylenol lacks[2].
I always confuse myself with Tylenol and Advil (an NSAID) since they're both for pain-relief, but now I know that if I need an anti-inflammatory with pain relief, I should go with the latter👍.