Lipitor in the lawyers’ crosshairs

Imagine the fallout from successfully suing the world’s most popular prescription medication:

Lawsuits filed this week claim that drug-maker Pfizer has failed to warn doctors and patients about serious possible side effects of the cholesterol-lowering drug.
The two lawsuits claim that Lipitor caused lasting, debilitating muscle and nerve problems — including memory loss. Mark Jay Krum, a lawyer based in New York and Philadelphia, last Wednesday filed the suits in New York State Supreme Court on behalf of patients in New York and Atlanta.

Comments

Anonymous
Pathetic! It’s these types of frivolous cases that make me sick of practicing medicine! Another typical case of someone trying to blame their misfortunes on someone else with deeper pockets.
Anonymous
Just document that the patient refuses to take lipitor, statin whatever, document up the wazzoo so when these farts get there mi, cva, whatever you can defend yourself. I also have them sign a sheet of paper that says they refuse statin medication…just think about yourself, who gives a shit if these litigious Americans get MI’s?
Anonymous
I have the “misfortune” of statin-induced muscle damage because my doctor insisted I lower my cholesterol even though it was borderline. I’m 51 years old, I’ve had problems walking for a year and a half, and I may have them for the rest of my life. I can’t collect disability and I’m not hiring a lawyer, but I do resent your attitude toward my misfortune. My misfortune may well be due solely to the overzealous dose prescribed by my doctor — who does have deeper pockets than mine. Maybe you should stop practicing medicine.
Anonymous
I wonder what the statistics on statin side effects would look like if the clinical studies were done for longer periods and if every statin consumer with muscle side effects was reported to the FDA. Doctors, how often do you report your patient’s side effects on anything other than their chart?
Anonymous
As one who almost lost his life to statin use, I find it offensive that a doctor who should know better, does not know the scientific reason that Co EnzymeQ10 production is damaged by all statins, leaving a shortage of a substance needed to carry oxygen into each cell in the body individually, so that they die off, slowly and insidiously, damaging any part of it, heart, liver kidneys, muscle, nervous system, you name it, people have suffered in all these respects, but the knowledge of the effect has been carefully kept out of sight. This is called preventive mmedicine !!!!
I will never take another statin in my life, however much the heart attack spectre is waved before me, it is only by a chance side effect that lives are saved, the reduction of homocysteine, that this occurs, and it seems that 3 B vitamins deal with this effectively at low cost and without patent rights to fill the drug company’s coffers.
Uffe Ravnscfroft’s book Cholesterol Myths, sheds a lot of light on the very doubtful science and suspect statistics surrounding fats, cholesterol and statins, and I have read some trial reports that beggar belief in the puerile logic in reaching conclusions and the in suppression of inconvenient results.
Not frivolous but deadly serious, I have gone back to eating saturated fat, I am so convinced of the shortcomings of the cholesterol argument,that except for those unfortunate souls with inherited problems of a different nature,the whole billion dollar business is little more than commercial hype based on fear of early death.
Greg P
I think the “memory loss” part is what we see as people make tenuous connections. Nerve + muscle => memory? Not really.
I’ve seen a fair number of people that had tolerance problems with statins and usually there is nothing in the tests to prove anything, which is part of the problem with recognition.
The whole Coenzyme Q connection remains speculative as far as whether it might prevent problems or treat symptomatic patients. I have indeed suggested to people that they take CoQ10 but do not endorse it as curative — we don’t know yet.
One of the problems with analyzing muscle aches, fatigue, etc, is that there are plenty of people out there with these complaints who have not been on statins and some on no medications at all.
Anonymous
Well, Greg P, you may not be making the connections, but I was perfectly fine all my life until I was overwhelmed with fatigue and muscle problems for weeks before I stopped my Zocor. Then many of the symptoms cleared within days. On rechallenge a few months later with Zetia, the problems reappeared within a couple of days and then cleared significantly within a few days of stopping the Zetia. I wish that was the end of the story, but it isn’t — one of my legs has never fully recovered. You may need more proof, but I don’t. Oh, and my dad had a TGA while on Mevacor, stopped the drug, and never had another one. You may question statins and “memory loss”, but my family doesn’t.
Anonymous
The issue in treating elevated cholesterol is finding the individuals who are at true risk for developing vascular disease. We are clearly overtreating many patients when we use cholesterol levels as the sole criterion for pescribing lipid lowering drugs. Testing for the presence of vascular disease by looking for intimal thickening on carotid ultrasound, performing CTA to assess for coronary narrowing, abdominal sono for aortic atheromas and arterial doppler studies of the lower extremity ciculation will give our patients useful additional information to decide FOR THEMSELVES if they want to take lipid lowering medication. As physicians, we must share responsibility with our patients and help them make their own decisions with all the information they need
Anonymous
Here’s a simple test. Before you prescribe a statin see how many times your patient can get up out of a chair in your office using just their leg muscles, no help from their arms. Keep track of which chair and how far forward they were sitting. Then repeat this test periodically.
After 3 weeks off Lipitor (I’d been on 5 mg a day for the last 2 years) and 2 weeks on CoQ-10 and acetyl-L carnitine, my knees are working well enough that I can once again walk down a flight of stairs normally (putting alternate feet on alternate steps) rather than having to put both feet on the same step.
But no need to take my word for it; take the data!
Anonymous
Greg P, you have obviously not seen Dr Karl Folker’s work and the Merck patent of 1990 which made the point that body production of Q10 is reduced by statins, and myopathy occurs which they said could be offset by supplementary Q10, but that is not the whole story, loss of Q10 kills off all manner of things, including Carnitine synthesis, which is essential for energy production in type 1 muscles whose fuel is fat, which is a part of my problem, and Q10 production does not restore with supplementation, which is necessary for life, and probably carnitine, without which CK remains high and muscle wastage continues.
These matters are not researched by drug company trials, they have no sales potential,the few unbiassed researchers have had to shoulder the work, with criticism and snide remarks from the mainly study, trial and statistic gathering workers,who do not examine the essential biology and metabolism that should be the true basis of real science.
Thank goodness I have a supportive doctor who knew he had nothing more to offer me, but has been very supportive in taking up the really helpful knowledge which was shown to me by a small charitable clinic, who worked tirelessly to find some real answers.
May you be preserved from the scourge of statin damage, but please don’t downplay the problems of your patients, they really need your sympathy and informed help.
Anonymous
After going to bat for Vioxx and everyday a new study coming out that proves the plaintiffs correct, why are you physicians so eager to hop in bed with the drug companies? Aren’t the insurers enough of an unsavory bedfellow?
Frankie
Pathetic! and Frivolous Cases???
My husband took both Zocor and Lipitor over the course of 8 years. He experienced sore muscles, stiff neck and shoulders. Not once did any of our doctors suggest a CK or CPK test to check for possible muscle damage. He was basically told to take it easy and that Lipitor’s benefit far outweighed any “discomfort”, in other words, “Just suck it up!” (sound familiar?)
After 5 years of statins, hubby exhibited short term memory loss and later, several bouts of TGA (transient global amnesia). Our doctors were about as sympathetic as you, completely denying that Lipitor could adversely affect cognitive function.
Read the entire DPI (drug package insert) for any of the statin drugs. Do they mention anything about memory loss? confusion? TGA? The only mention about anything that describes “brain” Adverse Reactions is testing on dogs and “CNS Toxicity” (Brain hemorrhage and CNS vascular lesions).
Statins use the same mevalonate pathway as CoQ10 (Ubiquinone) , thereby blocking its availability. As another poster mentioned: Karl Folkers, chemist and Director of Research for Merck for 20 years, warned in 1990, that heart disease is caused or worsened by the depression of ubiquinone and that statin use causes ubiquinone depletion. “Ubiquinone must be supplemented adequately in patients given statins.”
Merck holds 2 patents first filed in 1989: Patent: 4,929,437 (to counteract liver damage) and Patent: 4,933,165 (to counteract muscle damage). To date, no drug has been developed with a combination of a statin and ubiquinone (CoQ10).
There is no “black box warning” on any of the statin drugs, that statins deplete CoQ10 (ubiquinone).
Pathetic! and Frivolous Cases???
NO… we were NOT told the truth by our doctors or the drug companies.
Anonymous
I was on Lipitor for about 5 years and really started to get sore and stiff muscles. I accidentally read on the internet about many people with the same problems I was experiencing. I told my doctor I wanted off Lipitor and he said to try Pravastatin: which is just another statin drug. I’m presently using 10mg of Pravastatin and have noticed a reduction in muscle problems. I’m also now taking COQ10 after reading about how statins reduce COQ10. Does anyone have information about B3(Niacin) and any problems with it? I would like to get off the statins if at all possible. Also I have read that lowering Cholesterol doesn’t improve your chances of reducing heart attacks as that’s not the problem. Plaque in the arteries is due to inflamation of the arteries which then causes plaque to build up. Anyone want to comment on this??
Thanks,
Bob
Anonymous
I have no questions whatsoever that statins reduce heart attacks in males, especially those with with heart desease. I am sure that especially for men with existing heart desease statins are life-savers.
But for healthy people, the tolerance of risk of side effects now in order to reduce risk of heart desease later is much lower.
Also, pray show me some evidence as to benefits of statins for primary prevention in women, especially those with high HDL and normal ratio. Yet doctors keep prescribing them to healthy symptomless women with normal ratio, low triglicerides just because they have high LDL. OK, doctors have to follow guidelines (although I’ve seen posts from women with 130 LDL and 90 HDL, and no other risk factors whose doctors prescribed statins), but look at the drug ads on TV. How often do we see a slim athletic middle aged woman getting out of the swimming pool. Is this the person whose life is likely to be saved by statins? And don’t tell me how healthy athletic women can have heart attacks too, show me the evidence that statins help. There is 0 evidence even for women with high blood pressure and other risk factors. But feel free to show it, I am waiting to be convinced.
Not that I see grounds for law suit when the muscle side effects are well documented. My doctor wanted to prescribe statins to me for my borderline LDL, in spite of my high HDL and low triglicerides. No diabetes, BMI of 22. I considered it, looked at the studies, and then said, “no, thanks”. My father, on the other hand, takes statins, and given his history risks outweight benefits for him. I always read side effects of prescribed drugs. I think everyone should do it especially for primary prevention drugs.
Greg P
Well, the reason I made the comment I did was that I was aware of the CoQ10 evidence.
The question is, is that the only reason for problems with these drugs? Is administering CoQ10 the answer, or is there something else?
Someone has suggested that perhaps if patients were given CoQ10 with statins, that would prevent the problem.
All these things require further studies to sort out.
Frankie
Hi “Greg P”,
Re: Is administering CoQ10 the answer,
or is there something else?
Supplementing with CoQ10 can help, but from my husband’s experience, he took 100 mg of CoQ10 at the same time he took Lipitor 10 mg. Lipitor 10 mg was increased to 20 mg and, not knowing at the time just how vital CoQ10 was, continued taking only 100 mg of CoQ10. While still taking Lipitor 20 mg, he first experienced short term memory loss and then later, several bouts of TGA (transient global amnesia). Cognitive decline progressed very slowly.
Now, two years after stopping Lipitor, he still experiences some short term memory loss, but no more incidents of TGA. He’s definitely better, but not as sharp mentally as before 8 years of statins.
The question of “Is it just enough to supplement with CoQ10?” is not a simple matter. The point at which statins and CoQ10 use the same mevalonate pathway is critical to numerous functions. It’s not just about muscle pain or elevated liver enzymes.
Frankie
Re: Does anyone have information about B3 (Niacin) and any problems with it?
And…
Plaque in the arteries is due to inflamation of the arteries which then causes plaque to build up.
Hi Bob,
Theraputic doses of Niacin can cause elevated homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) increases serum clotting factor and platelet aggregation.
Optimal levels of Hcy should be 6.2 or less (even though most labs say 10 or 11 is OK). For every 3 points above 6.3, there is a 35% increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Folic Acid, B6 and B12 control Hcy.
Other risk factors are oxidized LDL and hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein).
Matthew
If this proliferates, the information and statistics won’t matter. It’ll be hugely expensive and lawyers will win big at everyone’s expense, as usual.
The only good thing that could come of this is that if the plaintiff firms’ greed continues to grow at its current rate, people will begin to see more obvious effects of the legal abuses brought on by these villains. Perhaps when fewer and fewer and fewer medicines are available and they’re progressively more and more expensive, the general population will look beyond the trial lawyer/dem party rhetoric and understand the need for profound change in the system.
The fastest way to get the laws changed to a more sensible structure, however, would be for Atlas simply to shrug; if the companies that are being victimized simply stopped producing new medicines at the rate they currently do, that would certainly encourage common sense in legislation. This would be terrible for patients and investors in the short term, but that might be what’s necessary. Don’t worry, I know it’s not going to happen. It’s just a thought.
Anonymous
Matthew, what are you going to say when the plaintiffs and their lawyers are right?
Anonymous
Don’t assume it is a frivolous case or pathetic. The Pharma industry doesn’t want to look at possible side effect only show increased safety and efficacy to the FDA. Unless a side effect can be shown in both animals and humans it rarely makes it into the FDA document. The present generation of statins are “more effective” when compared to untreated controls. It is the multivariate statistics that can sometimes “lose” side effects in the background. Yes, statins can cause rhabdomyolysis in a small percentage of the people (most doc and pharma companies refused to accept this fact initially). There is also a epidimilogical correlation between TGA and statins but not a direct cause. Just because the question has never been directly studied doesn’t negate its possibility.
Who is to say what is right? Who are we to judge? Try to find an alternative. Remeber we are all of our decisions on incomplete dataset.
Doctors should want to help people. Pharma comapanies want to make money.
Anonymous
Hi, my father, who has been taking Lipitor for 10 years, has begun experiencing extreme muscle pain in the past two weeks. He has stopped the Lipitor, but the pain persists and regular opiate pain killers do not alleviate it. Do any of you know of any docs or centers that may be researching or implementing creative responses to statin-related muscle pain? Right now, he needs something to look forward to because the pain can be so awful that he can’t imagine living with it. Thanks! AMD
RAZWELL
CHOLESTEROL DOES NOT CAUSE CORONARY HEART DISEASE
http://WWW.THEOMNIVORE.COM/THE_GREAT-CHOLESTEROL_CON.HTML
http://WWW.RAVNSKOV.NU/CHOLESTEROL.HTM
http://WWW.THINCS.ORG
NO RANDOMIZED TIGHTLY CONTROLLED CLINCIAL TRIAL HAS EVER SHOWN ANY REDUCTION AT ALL IN CVD MORTALITY FROM SATURATED FAT RESTRICTION OR CHOLESTEROL LOWERING. FACT! NONE. ZERO. NONE!
Anonymous
There are 3 case reports in the medical literature of Parkinson’s developing attributed to statin. One case report appears in a German Medical Journal–a translated copy of the article appears at end of this posting. the other appears in Ann Neurol 1995: 37:685-686:Ann Neurol. 1995 May;37(5):685-6.
Parkinsonism unmasked by lovastatin.
Muller T, Kuhn W, Pohlau D, P
http://www.go3bj
my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 1 1/2 yrs ago( age 59 at the time) after being on Lipitor 10 mgm/day for 4+ yrs. 3 months prior to his diagnosis, my niece and I discovered our respective husbands were exhibiting the same neuro symptoms. we found both had been on lipitor for 4+ yrs. and in surface researching the drug, discovered it depletes the body of coenzyme q10. In simplistic wishful thinking way, my husband discontinued the lipitor and began taking coq10 @ 100 mgm/day. 3 moths later, the neurologist he consulted for the first time made the diagnosis of parkinson’s and stated there were no “traditional” anti parkinson’s drugs for early onset patients, but there was a supplement he could recommend that had shown efficacy in patients with early onset Parkinson’s–that supplement: coenzyme Q10 @ 1200 mgm/day (reported in a study by Clifford Shults, et al in the Annals of Neurology, 2002). we were shocked and no longer felt it simplistic to associate Parkinson’s and statin use. My husband was also an avid exerciser–was a 6 day/week jogger prior to his symptoms development (there is some evidence that those individuals who are/were avid exercisers are more prone to adverse statin effects because of the molecular effects of statins upon muscles)–my niece’s husband was also an avid exciser, jogger, and scratch handicap golfer.
when first diagnosed, my husband asked a friend who is a diagnostic radiologist about PET Scan use to determine if one does have Parkinson’s–when the radiologist asked why he wanted the scan my husband told him that I thought this was all a statin toxicity to which the doc replied that during the past yr he had consulted upon about 2000 patients, and 40 of those were initially diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig disease) that in fact had a statin toxicity. When my husband inquired how he knew to look for statin use in these individuals, the doc replied that his first patient with swallowing and speech difficulty diagnosed as possible ALS was his wife. If one accesses the MDA (muscular dystrophy assoc) web site, there was a feature “ask the expert”–under the heading of ALS, there were 16 questions and answers printed during a 4 month period of time. 4 of those 16 questions or 25% specifically asked if a statin was associated with the onset of ALS in each individual:http://www.mdausa.org/experts/responses.cfm?id=66
Yes, it could easily be coincidence, though could also easily be related instances.
I have amassed a huge # of studies and articles related to statins and effects upon the body–one could study forever the effects of blocking the mevalonate pathway to isoprenylated proteins by statins–and thus interfering with the production of selenoproteins or glutathione synthase or a myraid of other compounds. the importance of these compounds within the neurological system is incredible to learn (glutathione, a vital antioxidant within the neuro system is found to be depleted in Parkinson’s patients–as is coenzyme q10–regardless of whether they have ever taken a statin–most researchers feel the coq10 depeletion is part of the disese process, related to mitochondrial dysfunction). and medicine cavalierly interferes with the production of these compounds with a drug to decrease cholesterol IN BASICALLY WELL INDIVIDUALS for “primary prevention”—–I am currently trying to piece together a coherent “citizen’s petition to the FDA” to mandate post marketing studies to determine if statins have a causal relationship to parkinson’s disease.
I think Lipitor caused Parkinson’s in my husband and my niece’s husband. Since their diagnoses, i have had a friend whose husband is 50 diagnosed with Parkinson’s who had been on lipitor for 2+ yrs….I have also been in contact with a woman who was diagnosed with ALS and continued to consult new physicians until one did extensive EMG testing and changed her diagnosis to “statin toxicity”. last i heard from her, she had not improved, but her condition had stabilized for which she was thankful.
we are in hopes many of the neurological effects can be reversed, though there is NO help from the medical community since there is no acknowledgment this neurological condition could be related to lipitor. and it may all be coincidental–though without some study, even an epidemiological one–to determine is there is a possible relationship, we will never know, there will be No therapies developed to address damage done by statins, and just guess work therapies on our parts.
perhaps it is a genetic variation coupled with an environmental agent–in this case Lipitor–which triggered these cases of neurodegenerative diseases–the following is certainly important to consider: (from a press release)
Genetic variations in three enzymes that detoxify insecticides and nerve gas agents as well as metabolize cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be a risk factor for developing sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and possibly responsible for a reported twofold increased risk of ALS in Gulf War veterans…
The genes for human paraoxanases (PON 1, PON 2 and PON 3), which are located on chromosome 7q21.3, code for the production of detoxifying enzymes involved in the metabolism of a variety of drugs, organophosphate insecticides, such as parathion, diazinon and chlorpyrifos, and nerve gas agents such as sarin…
PON gene cluster variants have previously been associated with other neurodegenerative and vascular disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease,(from a study led Teepu Siddique, M.D., and colleagues at Northwestern University,Siddique is Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Professor, Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurosciences, professor of cell and molecular biology and director of the Neuromuscular Disorders Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.)
I have now been in contact with other individuals who feel they or their loved ones’ neurodegenerative diseases are related to statin use. if this is a genetic variant, given the millions of people taking a statin today, there could be an enormous # who are effected in this way by this class of drugs.
so dr. kevin, any of your patients exhibiting neurological symptoms on a statin? I think the process that results in Parkinson’s from statins also produces ALS and alzheimer’s. the next time one of your semi elderly patients develops alzheimer’s who is also aking a statin, ask yourself if this line of inquiry is worth undertaking.
In the meantime, all the physicians reading this, please consider the possibility that statins ARE capable of causing irreparable, devastating harm to some people–and that the #’s involved may be much more than the 2% side effects reported by the pharm industry…..alas, who would dare to study this relationship????
Der Nervenarzt
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Heidelberg
ISSN: 0028-2804 (Paper) 1433-0407 (Online)
DOI: 10.1007/s00115-002-1445-6
Issue: Volume 74, Number 2
Date: February 2003
Pages: 115 – 122
Fibrat-/Statin-Myopathie
J. Finsterer A1
A1 Neurologische Abteilung,KA Rudolfstiftung,Wien
Letter in response with case study of statin-unmasked Parkinsons
“To the excellent review about the development of
myopathies following long-term medication of cholesterol
level decreasing fibrates and statins, there should be
considered additional differential diagnostic possibilities.
Because of the similar clinical symptomatology with muscle
aches and increased stiffness, the diagnosis of statin-
induced aggravated Parkinson Disease Syndrome should
be discussed. The development of such muscular side
effects is seen more with statins than with fibrates.
The case report in Table 1 indicates the history of a 60 year
old patient with statin-induced Parkinson Syndrome
occurring over a long time.
On the other hand, with central effective statins, a possible
neuro-protective effect in neuro-degenerative diseases has
been considered, especially in dementia. But long term use
of statins, especially Lovastatin, leads to the reduction of
coenzyme Q10 and can cause damage of the mitochondrial
breathing chain. Co Q-10 is an electron receptor in the
mitochondrial complexes 1 and 2 and very effective
absorber of radicals. This antigen substance increases the
complex 1 activity. Co-Q10 shows a certain therapeutic
effect with encephalomyopathy where there is a lack of
various enzyme functions of the breathing chain.
Dysfunction of various parts of the mitochondrial breathing
chain is also considered in the pathophysiological
mechaism of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Treatment
with Co-Q10 in patients who are not treated with Dopamine
for Parkinson patients, caused less disease symptomatology
and progression than patients treated with placebo, though
placebo treatment can cause stimulation of dopaminergic
neurotransmission. Therefore, the long-term treatment with
Co-Q10 possibly is neuroprotective in idiopathic morbid
Parkinson, though new evidence shows it appears to cause
mild symptomatic effect.
Under these circumstances treatment with prophylactic
medication of Co-Q10 which has been well tolerated in
doses up to 1200mgm in patients with neurodegenerative
diseases should be considered for statin myopathy or statin-
induced Parkinson syndrome in addition to discontinuation
of the cholesterol decreasing medication.
The Table 1 summarizes a patient with Parkinson
syndrome.
1996: start of therapy with Fluvastatin 40 mg.
1997: increasing weakness with shoulder and hip pain on the
right
1999: diagnosis of right sided Parkinson syndrome of
akinetic dominance type. Careful induction of Pergolid with
daily doses of 3 mg and Salagen 7.5 mgm
2000: complaints about increasing edema development in
legs, loss of hair, start of a potas.sium sparing diuretic and
increasing of Pergolid medication from 4.5 mg in June 2000
to 6 mgm in December.
March 2001: discontinuation of Fluvastatin, continuation of
Pergolid 6 mg
June 2001: reduction of Pergolid to 4 mgm
Sept 2001 Pergolid 3 mgm. Improvement of edema
December 2001 discontinuation of Pergolid and diuretics
March, 2002 discontinuation of Salagen”
Dr. Th. T. Muller
1.Finsterer J (2003) Fibrat-/Statin-Myopathie. Nervenarzt
ï€·ï€´:115-122
2.MÃ¼ller T, Kuhn W, Pohlau D, Przuntek H (1995) Parkinsonism
unmasked
by lovastatin. Ann Neurol 37:685-686
3.Simons M, Schwarzler F, Lutjohann D, von Bergmann K, Beyreuther K,
Dichgans J et al. (2002) Treatment with simvastatin in
normocholesterolemic patients with Alzheimer’s disease: A 26-week
randomized, placebo-controlled, double- blind trial. Ann Neurol
52:346-350
4.Folkers K, Langsjoen P, Willis R, Richardson P, Xia LJ, Ye CQ et al.
(1990) Lovastatin decreases coenzyme Q levels in humans. Proc Natl Acad
Sci U S A 87:8931-8934
5.Shults CW, Haas RH, Pas.sov D, Beal MF (1997) Coenzyme Q10 levels
correlate with the activities of complexes I and II/III in mitochondria
from parkinsonian and nonparkinsonian subjects. Ann Neurol 42:261-264
6.Rotig A, Appelkvist EL, Geromel V, Chretien D, Kadhom N, Edery P et
al. (2000) Quinone-responsive multiple respiratory-chain dysfunction
due to widespread coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Lancet 356:391-395
7.Schapira AH, Mann VM, Cooper JM, Krige D, Jenner PJ, Marsden CD
(1992) Mitochondrial function in Parkinson’s disease. The Royal Kings
and Queens Parkinson’s Disease Research Group. Ann Neurol 32
Suppl:S116-S124
8.Chan A, Reichmann H, Kogel A, Beck A, Gold R (1998) Metabolic changes
in patients with mitochondrial myopathies and effects of coenzyme Q10
therapy. J Neurol 245:681-685
9.Haas RH, Nasirian F, Nakano K, Ward D, Pay M, Hill R et al. (1995)
Low platelet mitochondrial complex I and complex II/III activity in
early untreated Parkinson’s disease. Ann Neurol 37:714-722
10.Shults CW, Oakes D, Kieburtz K, Beal MF, Haas R, Plumb S et al.
(2002) Effects of coenzyme q10 in early Parkinson disease: evidence of
slowing of the functional decline. Arch Neurol 59:1541-1550
11.Fuente-Fernandez R, Stoessl AJ (2002) The biochemical bases for
reward. Implications for the placebo effect. Eval Health Prof
25:387-398
12.MÃ¼ller T, Buttner T, Kuhn W (2003) A mild benefit of Coenzyme Q
10
supplementation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neural Transm
ï€±ï€±ï€°: (P 57) XIIï‰ï€
13.Feigin A, Kieburtz K, Como P, Hickey C, Claude K, Abwender D et al.
(1996) As.sessment of coenzyme Q10 tolerability in Huntington’s
disease.
Mov Disord 11:321-323
JL
I think every drug pushing MD should resign from their practice for pimping lipitor and statin therapy. Its one thing for the drug companies to make bad drugs but we should never tolerate MDs who see the obvious side effects from prescribing these drugs and then go into denial mode and cover it up by prescribing more drugs which makes us sicker. We need to throw them all in jail NOW before they make more people sick!!
Anonymous
I too have chosen to quit taking lipitor after several years. What began as leg cramps which were merely bothersome when I wanted to go to sleep but which were releived after a hot bath progressed to sore joints and muscles. A visit to the doctor to complain about the symptoms led to an xray and a diagnosis of osteoarthritis and cyadica. Thank God for the internet! After reading the stories of individuals, I decided to take myself off the drug and start taking vitamin C. I ran off and highlighted the articles and took them to my doctor. He offered to put me on an alternate statin but I insisted that I wanted to try a natural approach and to use my annual check up in a few months as an opportunity to compare my cholesteral levels with the benchmark of previous years when I was on statins. He recommended that in addition to vitamin C that I take folic acid, aspirin, and omega 3-6-9. I added in SAMe to assist with the osteoarthritis and to help repair any liver damage.
I can’t say the results have been dramatic. I have noted a slight tremor in my hands of late which leads me to worry about the possibility of the onset of Parkinson’s Disease.
I don’t think anyone is blaming doctors for prescribing the statin drugs, but they are objecting to not having all the fact. When I was first put on the drug I was told of the possible kidney and liver damage. I was never informed of the function served by the so called “bad cholesterol” in fact I didn’t think it had any benefitial role to play whatsoever.
The truth is that we are all adults and we know we will all die from one cause of the other. What we want is to be treated as adults and given the choice between the alternate risks and treatments.
Bernie Desrosiers
Enderby, British Columbia
crandreww
I am appalled at the lack of intelligence that most doctors share whe prescribing drugs. Of course the pfizer rep is going to tell you that Lipitor is a godsend. Afterall, pfizer spends billions on its OWN research which clinically proves the benefits of this toxic drug. And all the medical community buys it! I was diagnosed with a New Variant Creutzfeld Jakob disease, in 2002, when I was also diagnosed with Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis and Strokelike episodes (MELAS). I enrolled in the UCSD statin study, and it was determined that Lipitor was the causal contributor to my illness and resultant disability for the past 4 years. I was 34 when I first became ill, and I will take pfizer on. NO, my illness was not a misfortunate accident, it was negligence on the FDA, Pfizer and the doctor who prescribed this toxic chemical to me. You bet your ass pfizer is in my Crosshairs, just as I was in theirs.
Anonymous
The fact is simple: drug companies are targeting healthy individuals with borderline “high” cholesterol, and insisting that diet and exercise won’t help because the “problem” is hereditary. So, in other words, you’re screwed if you don’t take a statin. Lipids will continue to ‘build up’ in your ‘veins’ and lead to a coronary event!
This is one of the great lies of recent history. This is yet another case of treat the symptom, ignore the disease.
First of all, high cholesterol is not always a reliable predictor of heart disease. Second, lowing your cholesterol unnaturally, and so dramatically, could result in TGA. We don’t need more clinical studies funded by big pharma to prove this – the brain requires cholesterol for proper function, and inhibiting production of cholesterol in your liver with statins is proving to be DANGEROUS.
Statins were developed from red yeast rice extract, which contains naturally occuring lovastatin (coincidence?) which, you guessed it, blocks CoQ10 and cholesterol production. Animals that eat this substance usually die. It’s TOXIC. Don’t take either statins or red yeast rice extract – they are both poisons.
If you want to lower your cholesterol, I’d suggest lowering your choleserol phobia, first. If CoQ10 appeared in plaque, people would probably be running to rid their bodies of that too.
Cholesterol appears in plaque build up along with white blood cells, and other vital substances. This fact indicates that plaque build up is part of an immune response to inflammation causing arteries to weaken, and thus require plaque for healing. The problem is the over-response of the immune system, which leads to blockage. This is similar to a histamine response to an allergin. Does histamine cause allergies? Or do allergins cause allergies? Question should be for CHD: does cholesterol cause heart disease, or does the TRIGGER for the immune response cause CHD?
The causes of CHD are obviously multi-factoral, and singling out cholesterol is proving to be counter-productive. Why else would people die of a “sudden” heart attack when they have normal cholesterol levels? If the results don’t fit the hypothesis, then a paradigm shift is needed!
Answer to why people are being kept in the dark: MONEY, and lots of it. If people knew that statins were a JOKE and a WASTE and DANGEROUS then drugs companies would lose too much money. Plus, all of the food companies that pay huge sums of money to the AHA for their “heart healthy” claims would lose money to, if people found out that saturated fat and cholesterol are actually good for you.
Anonymous
http://www.physorg.com/news88138832.html
Researchers are sufficiently worried by new study results that they are planning clinical trials involving thousands of people to examine the possible link between Parkinson’s disease and statins, the world biggest selling drugs, reports Patrick Walter in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.
Drug Saf. 2007;30(6):515-25. LinkOut
Statins, neuromuscular degenerative disease and an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like syndrome: an analysis of individual case safety reports from vigibase.Edwards IR, Star K, Kiuru A.
The WHO Foundation Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring, the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), Uppsala, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: The WHO Foundation Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring (Uppsala Monitoring Centre [UMC]) has received many individual case safety reports (ICSRs) associating HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor drug (statin) use with the occurrence of muscle damage, including rhabdomyolysis, and also peripheral neuropathy. A new signal has now appeared of disproportionally high reporting of upper motor neurone lesions.
missingmydad
You people who are talking about these horrible “frivolous” lawsuits are obviously blessed in life and have never had the use of statins cause irreversible damage to someone in your life. My father began taking statins in 2003. After taking one brand for several weeks, he complained of terrible muscle pains. His doctor switched him to another, then another, then another as each one caused him pain and weakness. After eight months, his arm began twitching. He immediately, on his own, stopped taking statins. By then, however, it was too late. The irreversable damage had been done. The twitching continued and spread throughout his body as the muscle breakdown continued with no way to stop it. Within a year, he was diagnosed with ALS and died 7 months later in 2005. No, we aren’t suing. But if those “frivilous” lawsuits can cause more questions to be raised and more warnings given regarding the possible devastating side effects of statin drugs on some people, I say the more lawsuits the better.
Anonymous
Looks like kevin md missed an important story in the wsj and followed with more details in the wsj blog during the holidays regarding the toxic interface of health, medicine, and lipitor.
The angle on using continueing medical education to falsely promote Lipitor is particularly alarming.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/12/20/a-jug-of-wine-a-loaf-of-bread-and-lipitor/
(the primary story in the wsj is linked)
Anonymous
sorry but i’m just coming out of a lipitor nightmare and i believe it can hurt your body badly. i felt like i was drowning, couldn’t even remember how old my kids were when asked and in so much pain i could barely lift my legs. this has been going on for a year and i had no idea what was wrong. i thought i was dying. doc ordered bloodwork to see why i was so sick and it showed my liver enzymes were raised and i was told to stop the medicine. guess what? after a month off the lipitor, i’m starting to come alive again. i have a life. i can think, clean my house, do my job again. so yes, i think lipitor can do a lot of damage! that’s how i found this site. i was looking for more ways to speed my return to health., trying to find others with similar experiences. i would never sue anyone myself, but i think they should reconsider prescribing a drug that could be killing people rather than helping them. thanks for letting me vent!