Any thoughts / experiences regarding Lipitor?

[KurtNYC]

A friend is going on it because her doctor prescribed it. The people I know who are already taking it have digestive issues that they believe are related to it but hard to say really. A similar drug, Baycol, was taken off the market recently and I am worried by the disclaimers about muscle weakness.

Have you noticed how consistently they put the word bad in quotes when talking about LDL? If it really is bad why use quotes? Your body makes cholesterol and uses it (needs it). Not sure I would want to screw around with my cholesterol levels without good science. And what good is low cholesterol if you are get liver cancer.

Also, found this suit which accepts the claim that Lipitor reduces LDL but cites lack of evidence that lowering your cholesterol in this way has any impact on heart disease! If true then we are risking various side effects for nothing.

A lawsuit filed by consumer advocates in U.S. District Court in Boston alleges that Pfizer marketed the cholesterol drug Lipitor to women and the elderly without proof that Lipitor reduces the risk of heart disease in those groups, the Wall Street Journal reports.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=31380

Anyway, I won't construe any responses to be medical advice -- just looking for other peoples' experiences.

[LynneSin]

1. One thing I know about Lipitor is it is rough on your liver

Hell, even the TV commericials for the drug recommend that anyone with Liver disease shouldn't take the drug.

Other than that, do what I do - I research online, you can find scads of information about anything you're getting a prescription for!

[ScreamingMeemie]

2. MrG is on it, and I'm not happy about it. He was lowering his cholesterol

pretty well (from 255 to 215 in two months) by modifying his eating, but his dr. wanted it lower "faster". He hasn't had any side affects from it, but I worry about the long term affects on his liver. My father was on it but was taken off after his cancer diagnosis.

[Crazy Dave]

3. I've been taking cholesterol medications for over a year

I started with Lipitor and it caused me mild stiffness in my hand joints but not too bad. My insurance company quit paying for Lipitor and switched me to Zocor and the stiffness totally went away. Three months ago my blood work came out very positive but I have also made some changes in my diet.

[KurtNYC]

5. Interesting

Insurance companies are part of the suit cited above.

[NewWaveChick1981]

4. Hubby didn't have good results with it.

I didn't agree with the doctor prescribing it for him, but he took it anyway. His cholesterol was not that bad, and hubby used to eat tons of junk food. I wanted to see him try changing his diet before he used Lipitor. He took Lipitor for about six weeks, and it made him feel awful. He had the side effect of aches & pains too, and of course that's supposed to be serious. He stopped taking it and called the doctor, who agreed. Since hubby has changed his diet, his cholesterol is now within normal limits.

My father-in-law had similar problems taking it. He's a retired pharmacist, and he now believes cholesterol-lowering meds are not to be taken lightly. His cholesterol problems weren't bad, but Lipitor just caused other problems. He's got his cholesterol problem under control with diet too.

[ChickMagic]

6. I wound up in the hospital after starting Lipitor

I got pancreatitis which, I hear, is pretty serious.
So, my doc has laid off the statins. My dad and I have
exactly the same blood chemistry - his cholesterol remains
high no matter how well he eats. Me too. He's 86 now and
hasn't slowed down a bit.