Journal Issues Warning on Two Cholesterol Drugs
Two widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, Vytorin and Zetia, may not work and should be used only as a last resort, The New England Journal of Medicine said in an editorial published on Sunday.
The journal’s conclusion came as doctors at a major cardiology conference in Chicago saw for the first time the full results of a two-year clinical trial that showed that the drugs failed to slow, and might have even sped up, the growth of fatty plaques in the arteries. Growth of those plaques is closely correlated with heart attacks and strokes.
Merck and Schering-Plough, the companies that make Vytorin and Zetia, said on Sunday that despite the results of the trial, they would continue to promote their medicines as first-line treatments for high cholesterol.
Related: Drug Price Crisis – New Questions on Treating Cholesterol – Lifestyle Drugs and Risk
The whole cholesterol story appears to be a myth. Please read this article: http://www.healthbeatblog.org/2008/02/the-cholesterol.html
having said that, my husband takes red rice yeats to lower cholesterol without any of the side effects of cholesterol meds.
windyridge: I don’t think the cholesterol story is a myth. That said, as this article discusses, http://healthlifeandstuff.com/2009/08/cholesterol-target-levels-may-be-too-low/, they may be too aggressively targeted.
Healthy eating can reduce cholesterol. Your diet should be low in saturated fats in particular, and low in fat overall. Plant sterols and stanols, niacin and omega-3 fatty acids are a few examples.