[mrsD]

http://news.yahoo.com/fda-adds-diabe...184650199.html

(Reuters) - Health regulators will add warnings to the labels of widely used cholesterol lowering drugs, such as Lipitor, to indicate that they may raise levels of blood sugar and could cause memory loss.

The Food and Drug administration announced the changes to the safety information on the labels of statins such as Pfizer Inc's Lipitor, AstraZeneca's Crestor and Merck & Co's Zocor.

I would expect Zocor to be the worst in this regard for memory as it is more lipophilic (fat soluble) than the others which are moderate.

But this is the beginning of the end for statins, IMO.

The diabetes connection is rather new, and a surprise really.
The PN factor remains unspoken even though there is evidence for it.

[stagger]

Zocor finally put me into a wheel chair two years ago. the power chairs are a great help, i use one for inside the house and one for outside. I am having trouble finding people who are wheel chair bound. I took supplements and tried a lot of gimmicks but I guess this has its own rate of progression. The deader the legs become the less pain one has.

[Stillfighting]

When I saw that report yesterday on the news I thought. I'm so glad I said no to them when my doctors, two of them brought it up. I friend of mine who moved back east from CA told me it was one of the worst rackets to come along. Mrs. D and others here were shrewd to this. What is wrong with our doctors, and what other dangerous drugs are they pushing on us.

[Sallysblooms]

FDA has a terrible record with dangerous meds. They like to pick on supplements instead of protecting us. Statins are just one of many problems.

[Kitt]

Some of the side effects are weakness and muscle pain. And there are plenty more. Like I need more weakness. They can affect normally "healthy" people as well this way. I know a few of them. No thanks and they are not recommended for someone with CMT anyway. I would never, ever take them.

[en bloc]

I think the point should be that they are finally putting this information out front.

The fact still remains (IMO) that there are some who need statins. Heart disease is still the number one killer and diet changes do NOT always resolve the cholesterol problem...which IS an indirect killer. Some conditions and medications increase cholesterol levels and therefore need help bringing them down.

Don't forget that there are MANY drugs out there with just as dangerous side-effects...if not worse. Take some antibiotics and chemo drugs for starts. However most would choose to risk these side-effects if faced with imminent death from a cancer diagnosis or raging infection.

Every situation is different. I'm not saying they are great drugs, just that some situations don't have many choices. I'm just glad they are coming forward and warning people so they can make informed choices.

[mrsD]

Well, the next hurdle IMO will be revealing that statins don't really reduce heart disease. Many critics who are physicians believe that the statistics were altered to make them look better than they really are.

In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that cholesterol does not cause heart attacks at all.

But time will tell, on these points as well.

Expect to see some supportive articles appearing now in response to this one. It is typical of Big Pharma to put out comments opposite of
the new news!

[Susanne C.]

Originally Posted by Kitt

Some of the side effects are weakness and muscle pain. And there are plenty more. Like I need more weakness. They can affect normally "healthy" people as well this way. I know a few of them. No thanks and they are not recommended for someone with CMT anyway. I would never, ever take them.

I have CMT and was on Tricor for a few months- my triglycerides were over 500. My symptoms and balance got so much worse I could barely walk even with a cane. It was really scary. I improved quite a bit after going off them. They only brought my numbers down into the 360s, where they have stayed. Not ideal, but I have no other markers and would much rather be able to stand up and walk without falling over. (at least most of the time!)

[Kitt]

Originally Posted by Susanne C.

I have CMT and was on Tricor for a few months- my triglycerides were over 500. My symptoms and balance got so much worse I could barely walk even with a cane. It was really scary. I improved quite a bit after going off them. They only brought my numbers down into the 360s, where they have stayed. Not ideal, but I have no other markers and would much rather be able to stand up and walk without falling over. (at least most of the time!)

Thank you for your post.

I failed to mention in my earlier post that I do not have high cholesterol. I am fortunate. But if I did, I would not take statins regardless. There are other means if I'm not mistaken. High cholesterol can be thru inheritance or diet if I remember correctly.

[Susanne C.]

Originally Posted by Kitt

Thank you for your post.

I failed to mention in my earlier post that I do not have high cholesterol. I am fortunate. But if I did, I would not take statins regardless. There are other means if I'm not mistaken. High cholesterol can be thru inheritance or diet if I remember correctly.

There is a hereditary form of high triglycerides which may be benign. Also, the British medical journal, the Lancet, had an article a while ago which said high triglycerides and PN were linked in a number of cases. If so, I would assume they would both be hereditary conditions.