Health warning over statin taken by millions (Simvastatin)

Daily Telegraph ^ | 03/20/10 | Rebecca Smith

[TennesseeGirl]

Simvastatin is taken by around three million people in order to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk of having a heart attack.

However an analysis of clinical trial data in America has found that high doses can cause muscle damage and a rare condition which induces kidney problems and may be fatal.

Patients were told not to stop taking simvastatin but advised to talk to their doctor if they have concerns.

The American medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, has issued a warning to patients to be alert to signs of problems when taking the 80mg daily dose of simvastatin. It has also listed drugs that should not be prescribed to those on high doses of statins. (excerpted)

[TennesseeGirl]

Simvastatin is also known as Zocor. Also, "The addition of fenofibrate to simvastatin therapy failed to reduce the rate of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes, according to new results of the ACCORD Lipid Trial." http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=61934

[Vaquero]

ALL Statins are Neurotoxins...

I cant take them because of that.

[Marty62]

Had very bad reaction to that stuff.
Called my pharmacist and she told me to stop taking it immediately. and that was 5 years ago.

[Mercat]

I have three months to balance out those numbers. Might now take it anyway. Neurotoxins. Wow. Who knew.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Tried Zocor, Lipitor, Mecocor and had leg cramps. Had to quit all.

Then after having a quintuplet bypass, I have to have something.

So far 8 months on Crestor is okay and numbers are fine.

I still hate taking any medicine though. But what the hay, not
that many years left anyway.

[conservaDave]

80mg is a very high dose. I was on 40 at a high and now 20. Numbers good.

[vaudine]

Statins cause the liver to quit/slow the production of cholesterol, but also cause the liver to quit/slow the production of something vital to heart health.More and more reaearch is showing no correlation to statins and prevention of strokes and heart attacks.

Part D of Medicare would be totally solvent if it refused to pay for statins, which it should do.I guarantee about 80% of Medicare patients take statins.

vaudine

[goodnesswins]

Hope all of you taking statins are taking CoQ10! Also, up your Vit D3 to 5000iu a day! Unless, of course you spend 1/2 hour a day almost naked in the mid day sun!

[OrangeHoof]

I’m on Lipitor which does not have a generic but my insurer for pharmacy prescriptions, Medco, has been pushing me to switch to a generic for Zocor for two years now for the cost savings. Lipitor has been doing the trick well for several years now so I won’t change and this gives me even more reason not to. Eventually, a generic will come out for Lipitor and I’ll switch to a generic then.

[Vaquero]

most people can handle the neurotoxins of most statin drugs...I cant.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Oh and that quintuplet bypass...I probably wouldn’t have gotten it under 0Care
and a pill wouldn’t have helped me.

[HomersNose]

Yep....check out what the Space Doc has to say about statins also....http://spacedoc.net/

[Carley]

Took a blood pressure med that caused horrific leg cramps and shortness of breath along with weight gain and a nasty cough.

I’ll take my changes without their help, thank you.

[Pit1]

Been taking since 1980 and chol is 125. Already had 16 angioplasty's. Wish they had them avail when I was 18. Such is life. Still active and happy. 67 yo.

This is the FDA trying to help ObamGoof's healthreform. Like NYC trying to ban salt.

Semper Fi!

[Carley]

I told my doc I’d rather die of a heart attack than liver cancer.

He was not amused.

[Carley]

Ooops. Take my CHANCES

[truthguy]

My doctor wanted to put me on Statins because my LDL was 112. For many years if you were under 130 everything was OK. Then all of a sudden the recommended level was dropped to 100. Think of all the millions between 100-130. That's a lot of prescriptions. With diet and exercise I lowered it to 104 and he finally stopped bugging me about it.

I cannot believe how fast he wanted to put me on these drugs. Has anyone had a similar experience?

[Viking2002]

I'm on an 80 mg. dose of Pravachol, and get weird muscle aches, too. Chalked it up to being on the downhill side of 50 while still trying to do things like I was 20, but now I think I'm going to have a little talk with my doc at my next checkup. Seem to be getting more lethargic, too. I chalked that up to marriage , but it's only been since I was put on cholesterol meds several months ago.

[TribalPrincess2U]

I will ask my cardio about CoQ10 and VitD3. Don’t get much sun.

[exit82]

My brother died of liver cancer—actually spread to his liver from his colon.

Take the heart attack.

(also,wife and I were prescribed Vitorin—a statin. That lasted less than a week. Both woke up with leg cramps each morning, something that never happened before—we told the Doc—ixnay on the drugs.