The current research seems to say that COX-2 inhibitors (eg. Celebrex) are more likely to cause cardiovascular bad stuff than plain NSAIDs (eg. ibuprofen, diclofenac) however that does not necessarily mean that you have to avoid it.

The studies often used doses of 400-800mg/day of Celebrex - in Australia 200mg is the highest dose used for most people and it seems to be sufficient. The risk of adverse effects tends to increase with dose.

Also the increased risk is just that - if you are at very low risk of a heart attack (eg. if you are young, low blood pressure, normal cholesterol, no family history) then it's probably not something you need to worry about too much. Also if it's going to be a short term or occasional medication then it's less of an issue as well. However if you are at higher risk (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history, smoker... etc) and it's for long term use then worth discussing your concerns with your doctor.

Another thing to consider is if you have stomach problems - if you have stomach problems then the risks with Celebrex are less than with normal NSAIDs.

The mechanism of how it causes cardiovascular stuff is actually really interesting to med/pharm nerds like myself!