It isn't that simple. My father-in-law had been taking Vioxx and Celebrex for a about a year for pain, both at different times. Since his pain threshold was so high (he also took valium for pain at times that did not touch it) he was instructed to take higher doses by his doctors. He was a Marine who was a radio operator in Vietnam and who had endured more medical issues since then than most can imagine. He never complained, just did what the doctors told him to.
He passed away on December 2 from a massive heart attack. As painful as that has been, hearing about the dangers of these drugs after we had just buried this proud Marine hurt worse. Of course, he was doing just what the doctors told him to do. They were advising him based on the manufacturer's recommendations, which said higher doses were safe. Now we know differently.
BTW - The ONLY over the counter medication he ever took for anything pain related was Aleve, since his son, my brother-in-law, worked at Bayer where it was made.
Oh yeah, my father-in-law was 59 years old. He was an athlete in his younger days, though with only one leg he was confined to a wheelchair the last 6 years. Overall, however, he was relatively healthy and his family has no history of heart problems.