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The Dark Side Of Statins

Posting Date: 09/27/2004

Bill Clinton?s recent bypass surgery has captured a lot of attention. Some commentators publicly rebuked the former president for his fondness for fast food and cigars and for stopping his cholesterol-lowering medication.

There is no question that bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise and stress play major roles in the development of heart disease. So does high cholesterol.

Modifying these factors by increasing exercise, quitting smoking or lowering stress, for example, can dramatically reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Lowering bad LDL cholesterol with medication is also crucial. But not everyone can tolerate statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor or Pravachol.

One reader reported: ?I took Lipitor for years with no apparent ill effect.

Then suddenly I began to ache all over. A severe pain in my thumb spread within hours to the first two fingers as well and my hand began to swell up. My physician took me off Lipitor and put me on antibiotics.

?Next the pain and swelling moved to my feet and I could barely hobble. The rheumatologist I saw asked lots of questions and tested me, but offered no diagnosis. At one of the country?s leading hospitals, they decided I had a form of arthritis, prescribed ibuprofen for the pain and sent me home.

?At home I resumed my usual medicines, including Lipitor. And within three days I could barely walk again. I couldn?t drive my car because of the hand pain. A different doctor immediately diagnosed rhabdomyolysis and took me off the Lipitor.

?The warning in the commercials doesn?t begin to describe the bad effects of this drug. I am still handicapped despite physical therapy to strengthen my arm and legs.?

This woman was fortunate. Although considered very rare, drug-induced rhabdomyolysis can be deadly. Muscle breakdown can lead to kidney failure.