|
Home About the Report Previous Newsletters Sign up for the Report Suggested Products Comments |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Click Here if you are interested in learning more about vitamins and supplements. Click Here if you are interested in being contacted by the Premier Complementary / Alternative Medical Facility in America, or call 727 466 6789. |
|
Cholesterol-lowering Drugs May Harm the Elderly 
There is a move afoot to make the statin drugs (cholesterol-lowering drugs) obtainable over the counter. The enthusiasm to do so will bring a huge boon to sales of these drugs. I am not in favor of doing this. In my experience, we can almost always control cholesterol and triglycerides with non-drug solutions that do not have the potential side effects and dangers of these drugs. One of the target markets for statins is the elderly. Statins, best-selling prescription drugs used to treat heart disease and non-fatal stroke, have a host of known side effects that patients gamble with because the benefits seem to outweigh the risky side effects. However, Beatrice Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., writing in the Geriatric Times, says recent evidence suggests that for the elderly, statins may result in more harm than benefit. As the muscle and function of elderly people decline, the adverse effects of statins can manifest themselves in greater danger levels. Foremost among these side effects is myopathy, or muscle disease, which can range from weakness, pain, and tenderness to rhabdomyolysis -- a muscle breakdown that can release so many toxins into the kidneys that kidney failure or death occurs. The 2002 American College of Cardiology announced that elders who have small frames, take multiple medications, have multiple diseases, or who are 80 plus years of age have an increased risk for muscle problems associated with statins. Other adverse effects from statins have also been noted. Golomb says one trial study found a 25% increase in incident cancer for those 70 years old or more taking statins. Researchers speculated that this risk increased in part because older people lack the antioxidant nutrients more prevalent in the young. Debilitating side effects of statins include decreased cognitive function, erectile dysfunction, gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, breast enlargement for men, psychiatric problems, immune effects, irritability, skin/rash problems, and -- ironically -- heart failure.
Statin Adverse Effects: Implications for the Elderly Geriatric Times, 2004By Beatrice A Golomb, M.D., Ph.D.
|
