I'm sorry to hear that, mate.
Definitely check it out with your GP. I'm no doctor, but I did work for Johnson & Johnson Medical/Janssen-Cilag for four years, so I know a *little* bit about intitutional medicine and pharmacology.
If you don't mind my asking, when did you start taking Vioxx, what are you taking it for and how long is the course for it? It's an anti-arthritis drug, isn't it? Are you taking it as a pain-reliever? It's really more for osteoarthritis. There may be other pharmacological alternatives out there if you are taking it purely for pain relief - but I don't want to say anything until I fully understand your situation.
The pain you described sounds a bit like what's called a duodenal ulcer (that's the first part of the small intestine into which the stomach empties). Duodenal ulcers typically cause a gnawing pain in the stomach, BEFORE meals and in the middle of the night. DON'T WORRY, they're not a major stomach ulcer which causes bleeding or anything, they're quite common and very easily treatable with a wide range of reliable histamine-blockers (about 1 in 5 people will have some form of peptic ulcer in their lifetime). Of course if you don't do anything about them, they have the potential to get worse.
Serious stomach ulcer complications (bleeding etc) are not a known side effect of ranitidine, which is the major ingredient of Vioxx. The likelihood of stomach problems does increase the longer you take it. Medications are always a managed risk
you've got to look at your net gain in taking them. However, even short-term treatment is not without risk. These problems can happen without any warning, but in some people may cause symptoms such as gnawing or burning stomach pain, black or tarry stools, or vomiting - which are exactly the symptoms that you mentioned.
Keep in mind that the environment you're in right now is not exactly stress-free
and so this can influence your susceptibility to stress-related side-effects like ulcers etc.
Let me know some more details if you can, mate! But DEFINITELY see your GP and get him to check it out. Good luck! [img]smile.gif[/img]
By the way - I smoke too. Not a good thing. [img]redface.gif[/img] You may also need to just have another look at your diet.
[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Memnoch ]