ABSTRACT
The long-term tolerability and efficacy of indomethacin were evaluated in a retrospective study of 67 patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis who took the drug daily for periods ranging from three to 20 years. Only patients who had not experienced side effects during the first ten to 14 days of indomethacin therapy were included. No other anti-inflammatory agents were taken along with indomethacin. The average daily dosage ranged from 50 to 150 mg; for 81% of patients, the average daily dosage was 75 to 100 mg. Only nine (13%) of the 67 patients experienced side effects, all of which were transient and mild. Three patients had headache, five patients had gastrointestinal symptoms, and one patient had both gastrointestinal symptoms and headache. Repeated urinalyses did not reveal any significant abnormalities. There were no instances of leukopenia. A comparison of clinical and laboratory assessments at the initial and latest office visits indicated that signs of active inflammation had been well controlled by daily indomethacin therapy. Erythrocyte sedimentation rates were generally lower and hemoglobin values tended to be higher at the latest visit. Clinically, patients appeared to have benefited from the long-term administration of indomethacin with respect to both tolerability and efficacy.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Indomethacin/therapeutic use , Osteoarthritis/drug therapy , Spondylitis, Ankylosing/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Drug Evaluation , Female , Humans , Indomethacin/adverse effects , Male , Medical Records , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Time FactorsSubject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Gold Sodium Thiomalate/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/classification , Cheek/drug effects , Child , Digestive System/drug effects , Drug Eruptions/etiology , Drug Hypersensitivity/etiology , Female , Gold Sodium Thiomalate/adverse effects , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Proteinuria/chemically induced , Thrombocytopenia/chemically induced , Time FactorsSubject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy , Prednisone/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Cortisone/history , Female , Follow-Up Studies , History, 20th Century , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prednisone/administration & dosage , United StatesABSTRACT
In this double-blind crossover trial, naproxen (750 mg/day) was compared to placebo for the treatment of osteoarthrosis of the hip and knee. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either naproxen or placebo for 4 weeks and then to treatment with the alternate agent for a second 4-week period. 8 out of 9 objective and subjective measurements of drug efficacy clearly differentiated naproxen from placebo at highly significant levels (P = 0.0001 to 0.0004). Patient daily check lists of osteoarthrotic symptoms also showed a statistically significant difference between naproxen and placebo therapy. Both physicians and patients, when asked to give a 'final drug preference', showed a significant preference for naproxen over placebo. In general, the incidence of side effects was low and approximately the same for both naproxen and placebo. Laboratory assessments showed little difference between groups. The trial showed naproxen to be an effective and well tolerated drug for the treatment of osteoarthrosis of the hip and knee.
