Journal Issues Warning on Two Cholesterol Drugs »
Posted By Beau7890 1 year, 7 months ago in StyleTwo widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, may not work and should be used only as a last resort, The New England Journal of Medicine said in an editorial published on Sunday.
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BronxBomber1 year, 7 months ago
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I was using Tricor because my doctor had told me that my triglycerides were running a little high, but recently he had me switch my medication to Actos. Reasons are that he said that he had heard "bad reports" about it. He wouldn't expand on it, but time, and again I becomes alarmed that some medications are always being pulled off the shelves.
Now I know my doctor doesn't have all the answers, but at times I wish that the FDA would strive for more thorough and more definitive testing before making just hastened, cursory decisions about releasing it to the public mainstream.
I mean, we are talking about people's lives here.
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joeblowe1 year, 7 months ago
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FDA - tough job. Company produces new drug they THINK work and they THINK doesn't have bad side effects. People clamor for it. FDA wants to test it. OK, fine, how long do they test it before giving an OK? Sometimes the really nasty side effects like heart valve damage or death don't show up as statistically significant for several years. And in this particular case "may not work so only use as a last resort." ???? WTF? If I'm down to "last resort" I don't think I'm going to pick a drug that "may not work" - I'm thinking maybe an off-label or not-yet-approved drug.
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quackpot1 year, 7 months ago
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In all fairness, the results of these trials of Ezitimibe are VERY surprising. The drugs do, in fact, do what they were designed for - to lower LDL-cholesterol levels. The problem is that in one very narrow group of patients (those with familial hypercholesterolemia, an inherited disorder that affects about 1 in 500), the lowered LDL-cholesterol does not correlate with a decrease in artery size (lower atherosclerosis). The questions that remain for longer term studies to figure out are:
--do the drugs extend life?
--is this just an effect that is specific to those with familial hypercholesterol?
In a broader sense, the study brings into question the assumption that lower LDL-cholesterol is better.
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ThaFuture1 year, 7 months ago
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The supposed theory of "Cholesterol" is the main enemy is an outdated concept that really needs to be put in the trash bin. High cholesterol is only a symptom of the problem, not the inherent problem itself. In fact, their is good research out their to show that excessively low levels of cholesterol is actually worse than exceedingly high levels. Unbeknownst to many who only pander to the pharmaceutical line, cholesterol is vital to your body's biology and is needed by many crucial systems (such as the brain,etc..) for vital life function.
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