PASTORAL A DANGEROUS THING FOR YOUR HEALTH AND CHOLESTEROL, CHOLESTEROL LOWERING MEDICATION
, KNOWN AS STATINS ARE ONE OF
THE MOST COMMONLY PRESCRIBED
MEDICATIONS IN THE WORLD TO HELP
KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL, YET MANY
PEOPLE WHO COULD BENEFIT FROM
THEM ARE AFRAID OF A COMMONLY
REPORTED SIDE EFFECT. SO THIS
MORNING ARE DR FRANK MCGEORGE IS
HERE TO EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE
SHOULD NOT AVOID THESE IMPORTANT
MEDICATIONS. SINCE THEY’VE BEEN
IN WIDE USE OVER THE PAST 30
YEARS STANDS OF UNDOUBTEDLY
EXTENDED THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS
PEOPLE BY CONTROLLING HIGH
CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.
UNFORTUNATELY THERE’S ALSO BEEN
A CONCERN THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
ASSOCIATED WITH MUSCLE PAIN
ENOUGH SO THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE
AVOIDED A CLEARLY BENEFICIAL
THERAPY. WELL, NOW, A NEW STUDY
SHOWS THESE CONCERNS MAY HAVE
BEEN OVERBLOWN SITUATION HAS
BEEN UH, IN THE MEDICAL ARENA
FOR THE LAST 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THAT’S DR SAM KRIZIA, CHIEF OF
CARDIOVASCULAR SERVICES AT HENRY
FORD MCCOMB HOSPITAL. THERE WAS
THIS PERCEPTION THAT THERE IS AN
INCREASED RISK OF MUSCLE ACHE
WITH STATINS. BUT ACCORDING TO A
RECENT META ANALYSIS OF STUDIES
INVOLVING OVER 150,000 PEOPLE
PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL LANCET,
THE ISSUE OF MUSCLE PAIN SHOULD
NOT BE A MAJOR CONCERN.
INTERESTINGLY WHEN THEY LOOKED
AT ALL OF THESE STUDIES, THERE
WAS IN FACT, NO SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE IN MUSCLE WEAKNESS WITH
STATINS. IN FACT, MAYBE 11 IN
10,000, THAT PATIENT MIGHT HAVE
SOME MILD MUSCLE AGNES USUALLY
FELT IN THE BEGINNING OF THE
YEAR OR THE FIRST YEAR OF
THERAPY. BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO
CAUSE THE PATIENT TO BE OFF
MEDICATION. TO BE CLEAR. STATINS
CAN CAUSE SERIOUS MUSCLE ISSUES
, BUT THEY ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE
. I USUALLY TOLD MY PATIENTS IF
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HAVING FLU
LIKE SYMPTOMS WHICH IS REALLY
SEVERE MUSCLE. AGNES YOU CAN
HARDLY ELEVATE YOUR ARM OR LEG
THREE FEELS VERY PAINFUL. THAT’S
ALARMING. IN 30. YEARS OF
PRACTICING ONLY HAVE ONE CASE OF
PATIENTS, AND I’VE SEEN
THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS WHO
ACTUALLY HAVE WHAT WE CALL MY OH
SCIENTISTS OR RHABDOMYOLYSIS,
THE BENEFIT OF STATINS
SIGNIFICANTLY OUTWEIGH THE RISK.
OF THE MUSCLE AGNES
SIGNIFICANTLY IF YOU ARE ON
STATINS AND HAVE A CONCERN THAT
ANY MUSCLE PAIN YOU’RE HAVING IS
RELATED. YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR
DOCTOR, SOMETIMES A PAUSE IN
TREATMENTS OR DOSE ADJUSTMENT
MIGHT TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM.
BUT DR CASILLAS SAYS MOST
PATIENTS ACTUALLY FIND OUT AFTER
A TREATMENT PAUSE THAT THE
STATIN WASN’T THE REAL CAUSE.
AFTER ALL, BACK TO YOU. ALRIGHT