All painkillers of the type known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) seem to increase the risk of having a heart attack, according to a population-based study conducted in Finland. This includes not only selective COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib but also to non-selective drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen. It was noted that while this is the largest population study yet (33,309 heart attack patients), and it showed a 40% increased risk, other smaller studies have shown that NSAIDs actually help prevent heart disease. A larger study is underway to attempt to resolve these contradictions.

Draw your own conclusions, but it would seem wise to avoid long term use of these anti-inflammatory drugs until more studies are completed.