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Cholesterol Drugs

Lipitor side effects and benefit of medication

Lipitor is in a class of drugs called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statin drugs. It slows the production of cholesterol in the body. Buildup of cholesterol, fats and calcium along the walls of the blood vessels (a process known as atherosclerosis) decreases blood flow and, therefore, the oxygen supply to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body.

Though there can be some cholesterol in the plaque, cholesterol itself is waxy and pliable. Cholesterol is important for brain cells, nerves and other cellular structural components. Calcium deposits (calcification) in artery interiors are much worse components of plaque. This is what “hardens the deposits”. Calcium belongs in your bones and not in your arteries.

There is no doubt that Lipitor medication lowers cholesterol levels. What is in question is whether the use of Lipitor decreases mortality or increases longevity. Sometimes a drug can be shown to lower cholesterol and lower the risk of stroke and heart attack, but the overall mortality rate could be the same or even higher on the drug, hence why take the drug Lipitor in the first place. The FDA has released a warning, officially linking statin drugs like Lipitor to risks of memory loss and Type 2 diabetes in early 2012.

Lipitor does not reduce cardiovascular risk in those with diabetes II. This was found in The Lipitor Study for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease Endpoints in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (ASPEN). Diabetes Care, 2006.

A clogged artery

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 10 mg of Lipitor versus placebo on cardiovascular disease prevention in subjects with type 2 diabetes and LDL cholesterol levels below contemporary guideline targets. Reductions were not statistically significant. The results of the Lipitor Study for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease Endpoints in Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (ASPEN) did not confirm the benefit of therapy.

Lipitor medication does not help aortic stenosis. The popular cholesterol-reducing drug Lipitor made by Pfizer does not prevent obstruction of the heart valve that leads to the aorta, the body’s largest artery, according to June 2005 findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine. In a study conducted to determine whether the cholesterol drug Lipitor did more than just reduce cholesterol, doctors found that Lipitor medication failed to prevent obstructions that can keep the heart from pumping blood adequately. The condition, known as calcified aortic stenosis, occurs when a key heart valve narrows or becomes blocked, preventing the heart from pumping blood properly and can manifest itself in spite of reductions of cholesterol levels.

Lipitor is made by Pfizer. Lipitor is the world’s biggest-selling medicine. Lipitor had $13 billion in 2006 sales. Lipitor, once again led all therapy groups with prescription sales of $18 billion in 2007 despite a 15 percent decline in sales, primarily due to the availability of cheaper generics.

Lipitor lost its patent in 2011.

Vitamin D, Testosterone, Progesterone, Estrogen, DHEA, Cortisol and
CoQ 10 are all made in the body from cholesterol.