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Lipitor Lawyer By Anna Henningsgaard, Thu Dec 8th
Doctors have been encouraged to prescribe thecholesterol-lowering drugs called statins quite liberally.Patients who suffer heart attacks often have elevated levels ofcholesterol, so statins like are prescribed to lower thecholesterol. There have been no conclusive studies to prove thefull effectiveness of these drugs, however, and some doctorsworry that reducing cholesterol simply takes away the warningsigns of heart disease. The drug companies also claim thatstatin drugs have a low, nearly nonexistent incidence of sideeffects. These claims are based on trials of the drug on acarefully screened group of people, hardly a representativeselection of the general public. Considering the rigorousselection process for drug trials, it is hardly a surprise that51% of prescription drugs found to have serious adverse sideeffects not detected prior to FDA approval. As many as 98% of people using or similar statin drugsexperience muscle weakness. This is because the statins breakdown muscle tissue. A similar drug, Baycor, was removed from themarket earlier this year after it caused muscle breakdown sosevere that patients’ muscles broke down and flooded theirkidneys with toxins. Twenty-six Baycor users died from musclefailure. Though muscle damage, sometimes debilitating muscle pain anddisintegration, is the most common side effect, statins havebeen found to cause many other serious adverse effects. Patientstaking have had a higher incidence of cancer,neuropathy, heart failure, dizziness, memory failure, anddepression. The extent of these problems is far greater thananybody realizes because doctors often
diagnose these sideeffects as problems relating to the original risk of heartdisease, not the drug prescribed to treat it.
If you are taking or another statin and develop muscleweakness or pain, stop taking the
drug immediately. If you havestrange side effects that doctors cannot seem
to diagnose, itcould be related to the statins. Above all, if you chose to
takethese drugs, take Co-Q10 supplements. This is an important liverenzyme
whose production is blocked along with cholesterol. Ifyou are suffering adverse
effects from these popular drugs, addyour voice to the public outcry of statin
victims so thatdoctors, drug companies, and the FDA realize the extent of theproblem.
If you have been harmed or crippled by these drugs youshould contact a lawyer. |