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Treating high cholesterol? Statin drugs
can cause devastating side effects
By Alexis Black
Statin drugs, which promise to reduce the levels of bad (LDL)
cholesterol in the body while improving the levels of good (HDL)
cholesterol, are the fastest-growing class of prescription drugs in the
world, but increasing evidence shows they may not be safe, and Canadian
health officials are warning that statins can cause serious muscle
damage.
Health Canada is now requiring manufacturers of statin drugs such as
Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor and Crestor to include warnings and
information about the potential for muscle damage on patient safety
information sheets, according to the Toronto Star.
General muscle pain is a side effect frequently experienced by patients
on statin drugs. The drugs may also lead to a potentially fatal
muscle-wasting disease called rhabdomyolysis in patients with certain
pre-existing medical conditions. In this potentially deadly disease,
muscle cells are destroyed and released into the bloodstream and can
cause patients to suffer kidney failure.
Health Canada spokesperson Jirina Vlk told the Toronto Star the new
warnings are a "precautionary measure" because so many Canadians are
prescribed statin drugs to treat high cholesterol. "There's a high
number of Canadians prescribed statins, so we want them to be aware of
the risks associated with that," Vlk said.
Likewise, in the United States, millions of people are prescribed statin
drugs. In 2001, Americans filled more than 57 million prescriptions for
Lipitor, the most popular of the five available statin drugs.
Other possible side effects of statin drugs include nausea, diarrhea and
constipation, and they have even caused severe memory and mental
awareness problems in some patients. Most people concerned about their
blood cholesterol levels can improve cholesterol naturally by making
changes to their diet and exercise regime. In fact, a study in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed adding foods like tofu,
almonds, cereal fibers, plant sterols and soy products can lower total
cholesterol more effectively than statin drugs. See Mike Adams'
NewsTarget article
"Healing foods beat statin drugs for lowering high
cholesterol" for more information on that study.
Of course, doctors continue to prescribe moneymaking statin drugs to
millions of people around the world, posing a great risk to human
health. Health Canada is taking a step in the right direction by
stiffening the health warnings on prescription statin drugs. As more
information surfaces about the risks of statin drugs, hopefully more
people will begin to say no to drugs like Lipitor and Crestor and take
responsibility for their health in a safer, more natural way.
Article source: http://www.newstarget.com
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