Statins and Irreversible Muscle Damage

"Ultimately, the FDA needs to come to terms with the large number of people who are suffering statin side effects. A re-analysis of the many ALS-like and myopathy case reports may lead the agency to reconsider its exoneration of statins."

Statins & Irreversible Muscle Damage, ALS-Like Syndrome and Myositis
The People’s Pharmacy, 6 February 2014

For decades we have been receiving messages from people who have experienced devastating and debilitating muscle damage from their use of drugs like atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). By 2007 we had names for these reactions: ALS-like syndrome, necrotizing myopathy and myositis. Here are just a few stories that barely scratch the surface of the pain and suffering people have described:

"After 4 years on Lipitor, my husband can no longer walk on his own. Two weeks ago I mentioned the possibility of Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) to his M.D. She said it was Parkinson's disease. After reading your article, I am confused." C.D., Aug., 2007

***

Statin Use Associated with a 27% Increased Risk of Cataracts

Pharmaceutical companies have been able to downplay the risk of cataracts associated with statins for 25 years. Very few physicians ever mention this as a complication of statin therapy.

A new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology (online, Sept. 19, 2013) titled: "Association of Statin Use with Cataracts." Texas researchers compared 6,972 statin users to 6,972 nonusers.  The authors concluded: "this study found statin use to be associated with an increased risk for cataract." Specifically, they found a 27% increased risk of cataracts in statin users.

Statins and Cataracts: Why Did It Take So Long to Uncover This Connection?

People's Pharmacy, 22 September 2013

Lovastatin was the first of the new-generation statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs on the market. It was approved by the FDA for sale in 1987. Even before the drug was approved, however, studies in dogs suggested that lovastatin might trigger cataract formation. A review in the journal Pharmacotherapy in 1987 titled "Lovastatin: A New Cholesterol-Lowering Drug" noted:

"The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal, while the most serious are elevated transaminase levels and the potential for lens opacities."

Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) and Lipitor - 2

by Duane Graveline, M.D., MPH, People’s Pharmacy, 24 July 2013

(from 1997 through May 15, 2012)

FDA has opened the shelves of MedWatch to those of us wishing to review for ourselves the status of statin adverse drug reports (ADRs). This has been all the more imperative since FDA has been extremely reluctant to report side effect data on the statin class of drugs.

I was last able to access MedWatch data in 2006. Following that, in the beginning of 2007, my access to MedWatch data was denied despite legal pressure from my lawyers. Even in 2006 the process had not been easy, for it meant I had to tackle the immense challenge of reviewing manually some 64,000 Lipitor ADRs using the "find" mechanism on my PC. This was necessary, I was told, since the appropriate software for reading MedWatch data was available only to FDA and drug company officials. The rest of us had to be content with the time-honored and accurate but painfully slow process of counting each case one by one using the search mechanism on our PC.

Statins and Transient Global Amnesia - 1

Dr. Duane Graveline, aerospace
medical research scientist

Dr. Duane E. Graveline was a family doctor, aerospace medical research scientist, USAF flight surgeon and NASA astronaut. Dr. Graveline interned at the famed Walter Reed Army hospital. He became a flight surgeon and did space medical research on zero gravity deconditioning. He held a unique position as medical analyst of the Soviet bioastronautics program, NASA flight controller and finally, in 1965, was selected as a NASA scientist astronaut. Dr. Graveline still is affiliated with the space program as consultant to the special cosmic radiation hazards to man of "return to the moon and on to Mars."

In his article, he delivers a personal testimony of his experience of transient global amnesia (TGA) when taking the statin Lipitor (atorvastatin). Pfizer, the manufacturer of Lipitor, estimates that 35 million persons are now taking this drug.  Dr. Graveline believes this is the reason for “an epidemic of statin-associated TGA” in the United States since 1999. “Everyone should be aware that any statin could cause TGA or interfere with cognitive function,” he writes.

Pilots & Statins: A Cause for Concern?
by Duane Graveline, MD, MPH, People's Pharmacy, 22 July 2013

Lipitor Diabetes Litigation

Should you consider the Lipitor lawsuit as a result of your diabetes diagnosis?
Tor Hoerman Law

If you are one of the more than 20 million people that takes statins, such as Lipitor, to control your cholesterol and you developed diabetes, you may be entitled to compensation by filing a Lipitor Lawsuit against the manufacturer, Pfizer.

If you or a loved one was diagnosed with diabetes and believe the diagnosis is the result of their use of Lipitor, our Lipitor Lawyers will be happy to assess your claim with a quick, no charge evaluation to see if you qualify for the Lipitor Diabetes Lawsuit.

Lipitor Diabetes Risk

Lipitor, manufactured by Pfizer, is the most-prescribed medicine in history but several studies now indicate that it is linked to an increased risk of diabetes.

Atorvastatin (Generic Lipitor) Side Effects and Complications

Not only is there a problem with contaminated atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) but also it has serious side effects and complications. 

Atorvastatin (Lipitor) Side Effects & Complications
People’s Pharmacy, 29 October 2012

It is not entirely clear why Lipitor became the most successful drug in the history of the pharmaceutical industry. Tens of millions of people have taken Lipitor to lower their bad LDL cholesterol. It is estimated that sales of this single drug brought in over $130 billion to Pfizer, its manufacturer. No other drug in history has ever come close to this mind boggling number.

Now that Lipitor has become available in its generic form as atorvastatin, it will no doubt continue to be taken by millions of patients, though the cost will clearly come down. Despite its popularity with physicians and its clear ability to bring cholesterol numbers down, there are some serious side effects to contend with. Many of these complications were not discovered until years after the drug was on the market.

Statin Controversy - UPDATED 18 May 2012

We are hearing more and more from health experts about harmful side effects of medications – certain painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, statins.  This article is being re-issued for a second time because there is more and more evidence that, among other serious side effects, statin-type cholersterol-lowering drugs, are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes and memory problems.  Statins are one of the biggest swindles that pharmaceutical companies have created.  They are being used widely in secondary prevention and even their effectiveness in primary prevention is being questioned.

UPDATE (7 July 2012):  An article published on 25 June 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine concludes:  Statin therapy is an effective intervention in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in both sexes, meaning, those who have already had a heart attack, but there is no benefit on stroke and all-cause mortality in women.   Click here for full article.

UPDATE (18 May 2012):  On 16 May 2012, the Television Suisse Romande (RTS) showed a documentary on statins as part of its health program "36.9". Worldwide, pharmaceutical companies earn $30 billion per year from the sale of statins. AstraZeneca, producer of Crestor, is the 5th largest pharmaceutical company in the world, representing total net sales of $33 billion per year, 17% of which is earned from statins. Originally developed for a specific cholesterol problem, diagnosed family hypercholesterolemia, these drugs are prescribed to millions more persons in the world: 20% of Americans take statins and 10% of Swiss. Insurance companies in Switzerland are paying out some $160,000 million per year for statin prescriptions without questioning their effectiveness or serious side effects.