Is your cholesterol drug killing you?
A recent FDA review has revealed that higher doses of the statin drug simvastatin (known to many as Zocor) put patients at higher risk for a devastating type of muscle injury. The FDA’s response isn’t all that surprising…
What do you do when you find that a blockbuster drug puts people taking it at a higher risk for a debilitating muscle condition that could lead to kidney failure or death?
Pull it off the market?
Or slap yet another warning on it and call it a day?
Since we’re talking about the FDA here, I probably don’t have to tell you which is the “right” answer.
Late last week, the FDA released a statement warning consumers about “the potential for increased risk of muscle injury from the cholesterol-lowering medication Zocor (simvastatin) 80 mg.”
Now, we’ve all known for a while now that muscle injury is a possible (and, from the accounts I’ve heard and read about, a probable) side effect of statins. In fact, in their press release, the FDA themselves acknowledge it. But this time, it’s a little worse.
Because this warning highlighted the risk for a particular KIND of muscle injury raised by higher (though still common) doses of Zocor. Called rhabdomyolysis, it is the most serious form of myopathy and can lead to severe kidney damage, kidney failure, and even death.
The press release didn’t include what happens when you’re on even higher doses. I know of several people who are on 120 mg of Zocor a day — what about their risk?
They did say that they’re continuing to review simvastatin and that the public will be updated as soon as the review is complete. I have a feeling, though, that no matter what the results are, they’ll be spinning it to keep Zocor selling big.
Right now, they’re emphasizing that rhabdomyolysis is a rare condition, and that people shouldn’t stop taking high- dose Zocor just because it puts them at higher risk for acute kidney failure.
Okay, let’s say their “conservative” approach is right. A big question still remains: Why take Zocor or other statins when you really don’t need to?
At the beginning of this year, I wrote about the natural cholesterol-lowering powerhouse that even had the mainstream admitting there was something to it…red yeast rice (“Red yeast rice drops LDL cholesterol 35 points,” 1/4/2010).
And red yeast rice is just the beginning — the archives at www.wrightnewsletter.com are chock full of options for natural cholesterol management.
Check it out — and forget the risk-laden mainstream options.
Sources:
“FDA Warns about Increased Risk of Muscle Injury with Zocor,” FDA (www.fda.gov)
“FDA Drug Safety Communication: Ongoing safety review of high-dose Zocor* (simvastatin) and increased risk of muscle injury,” FDA (www.fda.gov)
