Study shows cholestrol lowering drug has NO BENEFIT

[KurtNYC]

This is the state of health care in America. I have been saying for years that there is no reason to mess with the way your body produces cholesterol. And further that the side effects and the expense make drugs like Zetia a very bad idea. This study confirms it -- sometimes it sucks to be right.

Save your money and your health.

This trial was designed to show that Zetia could reduce the growth of those plaques. Instead, the plaques actually grew somewhat faster in patients taking Zetia along with Zocor than in those taking Zocor alone. Patients in the trial who took the combination of Zetia and Zocor were receiving it in the form of Vytorin pills.

Dr. Steven Nissen, the chairman of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, said the results were “shocking.” Patients should not be prescribed Zetia unless all other cholesterol drugs have failed, he said.

“This is as bad a result for the drug as anybody could have feared,” Dr. Nissen said. Millions of patients may be taking a drug that has no benefits for them, raising their risk of heart attacks and exposing them to potential side effects, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/14cnd-drug.html?hp

[grasswire]

1. bastards

"The results will also add to the controversy surrounding a long delay in releasing the results of the trial, which was known as Enhance. Merck and Schering-Plough completed the trial in April 2006 and had initially planned to release the findings no later than March 2007. But the companies then missed several self-imposed deadlines, blaming the complexity of the data analysis from the study and saying they did not know when or if the data would be ready for publication.

Last month, after several news articles highlighted the delay, they finally agreed to release the results soon."

[Gormy Cuss]

4. So the question is, what did these companies earn on Zetia/Vytorin in the past 10 months?

Merck again. That company is getting a bad rep. If they keep this up no one will trust their products.

[tridim]

7. This all sounds like the plot of the movie "The Fugitive".

Fucking corporations. I hate them all.

[roguevalley]

51. well, this explains my mom's death in May. she took Zetia and died

of a cerebral hemmorhage. There aren't words.

[gratuitous]

2. Cholesterol . . . It can come from that baked ziti

Or from your prescription Zetia.

One of them makes a shitload of money for our pharmaceutical company. So guess which one we hope you're consuming?

[geomon666]

15. I'd rather have the ziti.

I do make a delicious ziti. :P

[Fridays Child]

3. How in the hell did Zetia ever get approved, in the first place???

And if this could happen with one drug, how many others are failing to work as advertised or, even worse, harming patients? I blame the greedy GOP and their pro-business culture for this. K Street needs to be burned to the ground and the earth beneath it salted so that nothing can ever grow there again. Then, every single politician--Democrat and Republican alike--who has ties to these corporate terrorists should be frog-marched out of Washington.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. Not all anti-cholesterol drugs are equally bad

There are a lot of studies showing the benefits of reducing low density (LDL) cholesterol. Genetic pre-disposition towards high levels LDL can be mitigated only slightly by diet and excercise alone, which means either finding drugs that will reduce production of LDL or else tell people, "You are going to die of a stroke or congestive heart failure by the time you are 50 and there is pretty much nothing you can do about it."

Please do not all cholesterol medications by this one failure by Bush' FDA.

[TahitiNut]

8. Diet, exercise, and 500mg of time-release niacin.

That's what I'm doing. :shrug:

[tridim]

10. Oatmeal works too.

Drugs should always be a last resort. It's too bad the PR firms are telling Americans otherwise.

[TahitiNut]

12. Oats in many forms ... oat bran bread, Cheerios, oatmeal. Yuppers.

Oats is far better (expecially for me) than wheat. Wheat bran can aggravate IBS. Oat bran is excellent for the digestive tract and blood lipids.

[HughMoran]

17. I tried the niacin

Unfortunately it did nothing for me :(

[sentelle]

23. niacin

AFAIK, Niacin is supposed to help with triglicerides. It has a side effect of making people feel warm (anecdotal, based on a co-worker).

[Shakespeare]

25. It's not just anecdotal--it's called the "niacin flush."

And it can be borderline intolerable (I can't take it).

[sentelle]

27. its anecdotal

When a person (like me) is too lazy to look it up and see if it is a fact.

[shanti]

44. sort of like

the menopausal flush?

[seemunkee]

30. I've been reading about it

This is not medical advice.
What I have read says that the long acting niacin, like niaspan, is not as effective as the regular release and/or antiflush niacins. Dosages of 1500-3000 mg are recommended, under 1500 mg has little affect.
YMMV, consult your doctor, etc.

[HughMoran]

32. Thanks

I remember trying a sustained release prescribed by my doctor (can you believe he actually let me try this alternative?) We did the experiment scientifically and I took as much as I could stand. The effect was within the margin of error of the test (essentially nothing.) I may try it again as I am reticent to use statins due to 1) my bosses dad had his muscles atrophy so fast it killed him and 2) my dad's been taking Lipator for years since his bypass surgery and all of the arteries old and new have been stinted as they won't stop clogging. I'm not impressed.

[sandnsea]

39. It should get below 150

People with cholesterol below 150 have incredibly low heart attack rates, google it up. If you can get close to that on lifestyle changes, great. But some of the statins can get you the rest of the way and they're $4 at Walmart. Also, you should be taking aspirin. mamabear says.

[BigBearJohn]

48. I hope you're taking the slow-release niacin under doctor's supervision.

It can affect the liver negatively.

[seabeyond]

16. please such a statement. a lot a lotta people have predisposed high cholesterol and NOT

dying by the time they are 50. what an outragiously irresponsible statement.

i cannot believe anyone would make such a statement. shit out of luck, gonna die by 50. lordy... what world are people living in

[sentelle]

26. A lot of people are told they are predisposed.....

When it is based on what they eat.

An Example: my MIL visited us a few months ago. When she arrived, she got the 'predisposed to high cholesterol' spiel, had high LDL, low HDL, and enough Triglycerides to cause the early signs of artherosclerosis. She's in her late 60's. Eats beef and pork daily. they gave her a dosage of Crestor

She came to visit us. We eat a low meat diet, mostly organic chicken, lots of whole grains, lentils, veggies and fish (and of fish, mostly Pacific (wild) salmons and Halibut). We also limited her portion size. After 6 months, she went home, got checked out, and found all her problems disappear, and her cholesterol was great. She went off her Crestor, and her cholesterol shot up a bit, and over the corse of two weeks tapered off and dropped again.

She has been five months now without the drug, and merely using diet and excercise to maintain her health. We assume that if she starts on a meat heavy diet, her cholesterol will worsen, but we also know what foods trigger it, and she avoids them now.

I am not saying that everyone that is 'predisposed' to cholesterol problems can be cured this easily, but its important to level with yourself as to how much of your health problems are based on your own bad habits. If you are eating beef more than twice a week and have cholesterol problems, chances are, changing your diet, and eating less red meat, will lower your cholesterol risk.

Doctors seem to cop out by offering pills for every malady, and then when that pill creates an issue, offering another pill, to deal with the first and on through the line, when basic dietary knowledge might be just the trick.

Does anyone even know what a standard portion of beef is? Here it is: about the same amount in your smallest McDonalds hamburger. Thats for the whole day, not just one meal. And that is the USDA reccomendation. Because of cholesterol, and the high saturated fat, you shouldn't do more than that, and no more than twice that, per week.

The problem is that people go into the doctor's office, and say that they are eating right, eating small portions, eating little meat. Of course, in most cases, small portions to a patient is not the same as a small portion to the government, or to the doctor.

Yes, Cholesterol problems occur in families: Families share recipes, and traditions. There is that big roast that families eat, and celebrate with. We all begin to think that this is the way we are supposed to eat, every day.... its not. When you 'eat like its the weekend' every week-day, then decide that the weekend should be special, you've just supersized your own diet.

Your best bet for those who are having health issues, is to bring in a food diary, which consists of everything (including quantity) of what you are eating... You'll be surprised at how much you have eaten, and you might realise where those extra pounds went to as well.

Unless the US has the greatest supply of 'predisposed' cholesterol issues, I think the 'predisposed' term becomes an excuse, much like the 'predisposed' obesity that is affecting 1/3 of americans.... 1/3rd.... are we, as americans having such lousy DNA that one in three of us are genetically obese? Or are we using it as an excuse.

Keep in mind, that some people really are genetically predisposed to gain weight. I am for one. It just means I have to try even harder to keep it in check.... don't use it as an excuse for lifestyle, and mindless eating.

[greenman3610]

6. I once met a patient

23 years old. Cholesterol 148.
Arteries 95 percent blocked.

I've been more skeptical about the whole cholesterol thing
since then.

[CountAllVotes]

9. I've had high cholesterol for over 20 years

and I'm not on any of the drugs as I find the risks outweigh what benefits there MIGHT be. They say that they "think" there is a correlation between cholesterol levels and heart disease. I need to KNOW this, not read what is "believed".

That said, I modified my diet some about a year ago and it dropped 85 points. :wow: was my doctor's reaction.

I think this whole cholesterol thing is total B.S. and those drugs are very expensive and have many very serious side effects. NO THANKS!

:kick:

[madokie]

14. I'm 59 with cholesterol numbers right where they say they should be

to be healthy and yet I am disabled with PAD, I also spent a week in the hospital for DVT almost 6 years ago. I ask my doc whats the deal and he just shakes his head and mumbles something about exceptions to rules or some such shit.

[seabeyond]

18. i know a lot of people older, high chol and going along fine, NOT dying before 50

a crock that anyone would make such a statement. then again, i know people without and ill. i watched them lower the number where acceptable was suppose to be, the more we became obsessed with this and drugs to be had. i hear 40 something within the number still being told they need to lower it MORE>

i am not being any of this shit anymore. commits like if you have chol above the number, you are gonna die before 50 tell us how much we cannot believe the info we are being fed.

people are so fearful today, they are looking for assurance. tell me my number is within rage, and i dont have to be afraid. not how life works

anyway.....

thanks for your post

[CountAllVotes]

20. ok I'll admit it

Over 50 here and cholesterol has always been high my entire life. No signs of death coming soon it seems to me. :D

[seabeyond]

24. mid 20's checked. good chol low, bad high, sat at line. mid 40's i am exactly the same as 20's

per a poster above at 46 i have less than 4 years to live. i started on the drug for a couple months and after thought, decided not putting chem into body for a lifetime. i am not believing the doctors and pharm on this one. we are fit, weight good, exercise, eat well, low stress and lots and lots of happy. that is going to have to be good enough

had heart checked a year ago and flow is "fine" whatever that is suppose to mean.

[RebelOne]

34. I have had high cholesterol for many years now, since I was in my mid-50s

and I am not on any medication. I will be 69 on Friday and I am just fine. I'm a vegetarian, so I eat plenty of fruits and veggies. I stay away from bread whenever possible, don't eat greasy foods. In fact, the only oil I use is olive oil. I exercise by walking my dogs at night down a hill and then back up. Believe me. that's plenty of exercise. I expect to live for at least another 10 years.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

11. Patients should not be prescribed Zetia unless all other cholesterol drugs have failed

so all other drugs have failed so take another drug that doesn't work.

[BlackVelvet04]

21. I caught that, too...

why would it be used at all for anybody for anything?

[madokie]

13. I'm on a plavix and aspirin diet myself

and I read a while back that this combination was also not good :-( and all I know is I want to live a whole lot more years, just not too sure how to go about doing it.

[GliderGuider]

35. Read Taubes.

It might change your life.

The whole approach to treating obesity/diabetes/heart disease (plus a cluster of related ailments) is totally fucked up, as far as I can tell.

[jasmine621]

43. Hope your are not having any blood cell disorders.

Plavix has been bad news for two women in my family.

[BlackVelvet04]

19. You would probably be amazed at how many

drugs are on the market that have little to no greater effect than a placebo. Pharmaceutical companies are one of the great scams perpetrated against the American people.

[Chimichurri]

22. It benefits big pharma and doctors who play the game.

[Bonobo]

28. At this point, the medical establishment has pretty much lost me as a believer.

I will no longer give my kids flu shots or anything I can avoid until we once again have a working FDA and a govt. that is not sucking the collective ass tit of the pharmaceutical industry.

They have failed utterly in so many, many ways over the last several years that they have lost credibility completely. Whether it is the air quality after 9/11 or the lead in children's toys or the countless drugs that cause heart attacks, suicidal tendencies, psychotic thoughts, or just turn our normal, active boys in zombies because they are being misdiagnosed as "hyperactive/ADD", we just need to make ourselves healthy a bit more by treating our bodies with some respect and common sense. Good food, exercise, work less, plenty of sleep.

Stay out of the hands of the medical establishment if you can folks. They are hammer-holding motherfuckers looking for nails.

[raccoon]

29. K&R--let's rate this up up up. nt

[spanone]

31. why is this drug on the market?

[NNN0LHI]

36. The placebo effect? n/t

[GliderGuider]

33. Has anybody read Gary Taubes' new magnum opus?

"Good Calories, Bad Calories".

It's one of the best pieces of science journalism I've ever read. If you approach it with an open mind it will completely revolutionize your understanding of carbohydrate metabolism and the role it play in the "diseases of civilization". Given the impact that statins have on Co-enzyme Q10 in the mitochondria of your cells, I've told my doctor that I will never under any circumstances take them. If you want to cut your serum cholesterol, stop eating so many damned carbohydrates. It's really that simple.

From a review on Amazon:

Noted science journalist Taubes probes the state of what is currently known and what is simply conjectured about the relationship among nutrition, weight loss, health, and disease. What Taubes discovers is that much of what passes for irrefutable scientific knowledge is in fact supposition and that many reputable scientists doubt the validity of nutritional advice currently promoted by the government and public health industry. Beginning with the history of Ancel Keys' research into the relationship between elevated blood-cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease, Taubes demonstrates that a close reading of studies has shown that a low-cholesterol diet scarcely changes blood-cholesterol levels. Low-fat diets, moreover, apparently do little to lengthen life span. He does find encouragement in research tracking the positive effects of eliminating excessive refined carbohydrates and thus addressing pernicious diseases such as diabetes. Taubes' transparent prose brings drama, excitement, and tension to even the most abstruse and clinically reserved accounts of scientific research. He is careful to distinguish the oft-confused goals of weight loss and good health. Given America's current obsession with these issues, Taubes' challenge to current nutritional conventional wisdom will generate heated controversy and create popular demand for this deeply researched and equally deeply engaging treatise.

[grasswire]

42. figure this one out

My hot shot cardiologist told me that coq10 is unnecessary AND he wants me to go on a statin even though my cholesterols are within the normal range. I'll be making my own decision on that, thank you.

[mnhtnbb]

37. There are people with high cholesterol who never have heart attacks

and people with normal cholesterol who do have heart attacks.

The statins are the biggest boondoggle for big pharma ever foisted on the American public.

[CountAllVotes]

40. I agree w/you!

It is a way to make BIG $$$ off of people I agree. The side effects I do not need one bit (esp. the joint pain as I do have osteoarthritis).

That said, I will mention that I also once had a godmother. She was full-blooded German and she used to love to cook and bake (that is all she did in fact). She was one hefty woman. I'd guess she weighed close to 250+ easy. That hefty old woman did not get much exercise being she did nothing much more than eat and cook all day long.

She lived to be 101 years old with her dying wish being that if she had it all to do over, she would have opened her own bakery as it was now acceptable for a woman to run a business (and oh my was she ever a fantastic baker; she'd have made a fortune I suspect!).

Her daughter however, was trim and fit and an avid golfer. She died 6 weeks after my godmother died! Talk about a shock!

I don't know what their cholesterol levels were and it seemed that in 1988 no one gave a darn about these "readings", esp. if you were over 100 years of age.

:toast: to living beyond 50 years of age with high cholesterol! I don't want these drugs. Once you go on them, good luck ever getting off of them is my impression from what I have read (statins I am specifically referring to as they are the ones that are pushed the most; soon to become "over the counter" if the drug companies have their way which I find absolutely frightening!).

:dem:

[Eurobabe]

38. Have your thyroid checked! Out of balance thyroid

can cause high cholesterol numbers. There is a HUGE correlation between hypothyrodism and high cholesterol. Screw big pharma and their deadly "bandaid solutions!"

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/AN00911

[Mister Ed]

41. No benefit for patients, you mean....

Plenty of benefit for pharmaceutical firms.

[ConsAreLiars]

45. Not true. It creates both immense profits and numerous side effects, which

in turn generate further profits, all without reducing the rates of the disease for it was being prescribed. (Edit to add - Indeed, it actaually increases the odds of a stroke, even better!) It is the perfect drug in terms of the pharmaceutical industry's prime directive - to maximize profits. Just good business, performed by good businessmen, just following the rules.

Don't expect anything to change so long as profit is the prime directive and the sole measure of both worth and survival.

[sazemisery]

46. Mrsazemisery's cholesterol lowering saga (includes Zetia)

Mrsazemisery's primary care physician first prescribed Lipitor. He took it for over a year and after developing severe leg cramps (statins cause loss of muscle mass and potassium depletion) he demanded a different plan of action. He now takes Whelchol and Zetia. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Oklahoma informed him in December that Whelchol ($183.00 per month) would no longer be covered under his Medicare RX supplemental policy. I was leary of both of these cholesterol-lowering drugs because he also suffers from acid reflux and these drugs react to cholesterol in the intestine.

IMHO his cholesterol level was lowered not by the drugs but because for the last 5 years we have eaten organic, non-processed, locally grown, healthy food. He gets moderate exercise and is in good health otherwise.

The FDA's stamp of approval is for sale to the highest bidder. While there are many natural organic treatments for many ailments there is no profit to be made for the drug companies and their lobbyists in Washington.

The health of this nation will continue to decline until there is single payer universal health care for all.

[rAVES]

47. Study shows not eating complete shit 7 days a week DOES BENEFIT!!!1

[BigBearJohn]

49. Thanks for posting this! K/R!

[Lugnut]

50. I could've told them that.

My mother is living proof. In spite of taking cholesterol drugs, first Pravachol then Lipitor, for more than 10 years she had a significant stroke. She continued to take Lipitor and had a second stroke eight years later. Nobody has to tell me anything about these drugs.

[RIindependent]

52. For good information about cholesterol

My cholesterol was high and I searched the “internets” for some answers.
I came upon two sites that are very informative:
Heartscanblog.bolgspot.com and trackyourplaque.com (pay for site)

Hope the sites help.