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New Warning about the Dangers of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs 07/27/11

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that there is a place in the health care system for cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor and other statin drugs. My problem is that most doctors don’t explain to patients that in at least 90% of cases the person could lower their cholesterol into the ideal range with diet, exercise and supplementation alone.

Why make the effort to lower cholesterol with lifestyle modification if drugs can do it instead? The answer is very simple – statin drugs can damage your liver, your kidneys and cause muscle damage and pain in high percentage of users. Here is the latest warning from the Food and Drug Administration sent out to doctors in June of 2011:

Zocor, Vytorin, Simcor: New Safety Information

FDA has recommended that the use of drugs containing 80 mg of simvastatin—the highest approved dose of the cholesterol-lowering statin—be sharply curtailed because of the risk of muscle injury (myopathy).

The statin is sold under the brand name Zocor and as a single-ingredient generic drug. It is also sold in combination with ezetimibe as Vytorin, and with niacin as Simcor.

FDA is requiring changes to the simvastatin label to add new contraindications (it should not be used at all with certain medications) and dose limitations for using simvastatin with certain medicines.

Risk: People who take simvastatin 80 mg daily have an increased risk of myopathy compared to those taking lower doses of this drug or other drugs in the same class. This risk appears to be higher during the first year of treatment, is often the result of interactions with certain medicines, and is frequently associated with a person’s genetic predisposition (likelihood of developing a certain medical condition) toward simvastatin-related myopathy. The most serious form of myopathy can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney failure, which can cause death.

Recommendations

If you currently take an 80-mg simvastatin-containing medicine

• Don’t stop taking your medicine unless told to by your health care professional.
• Review with your health care professional your medical history, your currently prescribed dose of simvastatin, and a list of your other current medications. Certain medicationsshould never be taken with simvastatin.
• Immediately contact your health care professional if you have muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, dark or red colored urine, or unexplained tiredness.

There are certain individuals where statin drugs like Zocor, can be justified. These would include individuals who have already had a heart attack, a stroke or other cardiovascular events. I would also say that anyone with a total cholesterol reading above 6.8 mmol/L (272 mg/dL) likely has a genetic inability to clear cholesterol from the bloodstream (about 5-10% of the population). For the rest of us we can keep our cholesterol in the ideal range by following the nutrition program outlined in my book The Meschino Optimal Living Program.

If you are in a high-risk category for cardiovascular disease then I advise you to read the book by Dr Dean Ornish MD, entitled “Reversing Heart Disease”. Ornish presents a virtual vegetarian program, combined with meditation (stress reduction) and exercise, proven to improve outcomes for patients with established heart disease.

Next time you see your doctor, find out your total cholesterol level. Make sure it is under 3.9 mmol/L (150 mg/dL), or at worst below 4.8 mmol/L (192 mg/dL).

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