[BBFRN]

Originally Posted by proud2b1

I wish there was a way to find out if this was caused by the drug!After all,it was my mother,not the doctor,that took herself off of it.She knew this drug was doing something to her.A few months after she quit,it came out that lipitor was linked to liver problems.Yes most drugs are,but this one was sure a fast invader!!!

I've had several patients on Lipitor that reported the same problem (leg or muscle pain) with it. I believe it's listed as one of its possible side effects now.

[BBFRN]

Originally Posted by herring_RN

Pfizer Enlists a Labor Union (SEIU) to Promote the “Cholesterol Con”

A couple of weeks ago Dr. Alicia Fernandez, an associate professor of clinical medicine at UC San Francisco, received a very unusual letter from The International Association of EMTS and Paramedics, an affiliate of The National Association of Government Employees (IAEP/SEIU).

The letter began by noting that Fernandez is part of the union’s approved physician network, and then launched into what can only be described as a shameless sales pitch for Lipitor, Pfizer’s blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug. …
http://www.healthbeatblog.org/2008/03/pfizer-enlists.html

Very interesting article- thanks for sharing it!

[herring_RN]

Lipitor side effects on health.

http://www.all-about-lowering-cholesterol.com/lipitor-side-effects.html

[herring_RN]

Unions Promoting Drugs?

No, we don't mean marijuana on the street, but the brand-name drugs that are so profitable to the pharmaceutical industry. We found out today that an SEIU local is promoting Lipitor, the cholesterol drug, to doctors in its health plan….

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=19260

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by TiredMD

These financial ties are disclosed in all publications and presentations of research even tangentially related to the products in question. Where do you think the reporter got that information from in the first place? It's public information. Your average FP doc actually prescribing the medications are unlikely to receive any financial support at all from these companies.

I assume, based on the tone of your post, that you now recommend to all your patients that they no longer take statins?

To further ad, what is the FDA thinking. They are the people responsible for allowing the drug to go to market.

[StudentNurseBean]

Originally Posted by sharona97

To further ad, what is the FDA thinking. They are the people responsible for allowing the drug to go to market.

I've always pondered why it is called the food AND drug administration. It seems logical to have two different administrations since they are different.
Hmmm...

[grace90]

I like this quote in the Business Weekly article:
"When consulting with your doctor, you should not have to be wary. You are not a customer; you are a patient. And your physician is a professional who has pledged to put your interests ahead of his or her own. "



Zocor made me sooooo forgetful and gave me nasty muscle pain and diarrhea. I felt like I was getting Alzheimer's and was afraid the memory problems would be permanent. I quit it after a little over a month.

[sharona97]

Originally Posted by grace90

I like this quote in the Business Weekly article:
"When consulting with your doctor, you should not have to be wary. You are not a customer; you are a patient. And your physician is a professional who has pledged to put your interests ahead of his or her own. "



Zocor made me sooooo forgetful and gave me nasty muscle pain and diarrhea. I felt like I was getting Alzheimer's and was afraid the memory problems would be permanent. I quit it after a little over a month.

Hope your doc did some blood tests as a follow-up!

[grace90]

Originally Posted by sharona97

Hope your doc did some blood tests as a follow-up!

I got it checked about a month after I went off it, and it had dropped a fair amount. She never did any blood tests to check into the muscle pain, forgetfullness or diarrhea. She's on my back to get my cholesterol checked again, but even if it's high I'll never go on statins again. I've shaped up how I eat and started getting more active.