Today’s topic is heart disease and statins such as Lipitor. Business Week has run some very fine and pointed articles about the practice of prescribing these in every increasing numbers. I am including some dates and article titles you will find interesting. From the glowing results touted in the Lipitor ads you would think that this drug is beyond criticism. Let’s take a closer look.
The January 17, 2008 article states that the incidence of heart attacks is 3% for the placebo group vs 2% for control group or those taking Lipitor. This is a 1% difference meaning that you will have to treat 100 people to slow the onset of one heart attack. That means that 99% taking Lipitor will experience no benefit when heart attack is the measurement.
Lipitor ultimately inhibits the production of Coenzyme Q10 an important cell energy pathway component. People taking Lipitor have much higher than average incidence of muscle pain and kidney problems. It should be noted that the incidence of liver disease in the Lipitor taking population is 1%. Renal disease and renal failure is not far behind.
The conclusion: If your cholesterol is elevated, your chance of having a heart attack goes down about the same as your chance of developing liver disease from the same treatment. Add the higher incidence of kidney disease and failure and your chances of serious side effects are greater than the probability of preventing heart disease.
You should also be aware that medical journals sell advertising space to drug companies so any information coming to you by way of journal articles is suspect. If an article is critical of a drug therapy, you would be safe to bet that the truth is worse yet due to the inherent bias.
I am not anti-drug. I am opposed to mindless drug therapy. Medical doctors are under tremendous pressure to follow the party line. If you want good information, you will need to get at least some of it from other sources.
Our preference is to use Apex Cholestar and Karuna CoQ10 for cholesterol and heart health management. Periodic routine blood tests help us monitor lipid and liver profiles to verify the treatment is effective.
- June 16, 2008
Research Shows Why Statins Don’t Work for Everyone
A key protein change can lessen the cholesterol-lowering drugs’ effectiveness - January 17, 2008
Latest Study Says Statins Don’t Slow Alzheimer’s - January 17, 2008
In the Real World, a Slew of Side Effects from Statins - May 15, 2008
Statins May Help Older Women Control Irregular Heartbeat
The cholesterol-lowering drugs showed some benefits in preliminary trial - February 29, 2008
Cholesterol-Lowering Statins Tied to Tendon Woes
But these side effects are rare and benefits still outweigh risks, experts say - January 17, 2008
Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?
Research suggests that, except among high-risk heart patients, the benefits of statins such as Lipitor are overstated. - November 07, 2007
Cholesterol Drug Tied to Sleep Disturbances
