Super? No. Okay? Yes. The new aspirins, like ibuprofen, naproxen, sulindac, prioxicam, etc., before them, all are basically spin-offs of aspirin. Their developers may point out the advantages (often quite subtle) but one could say that their existence could be traced to the drug companies desire to develop items that yield a much higher profit margin than aspirin.

They all have their place, including these new so-called super aspirins, Celebrex and Vioxx, for those who suffer stomach irritation from regular aspirin. Actually, some 20% of aspirin users suffer from some form of stomach distress, and a smaller number (forget the hype, nobody knows how many) can and do get ulcers from frequent use. And it even can be fatal.

However, if you are not sensitive to aspirin, why pay $2.10 per pill for Celebrex or Vioxx vs. maybe 2 cents for a non-brand (generic) plain old vanilla-style aspirin?

Assuming if we may, that aspirin does not give you side effects and you are not taking a diuretic, an ACE inhibitor, do not have an ulcer, are not taking corticosteroids and don't abuse alcohol, are there any GOOD reasons for taking the new aspirins?

Yes there are, sort of. Your doctor would never prescribe aspirin. Why should he (or she)? If the physician can write a prescription for a fancier sounding drug you may be obliged to visit him again the next time you get, say, a sore arm. If you were told to merely take an aspirin, the next time you had a minor problem you might go to the drug store instead.

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