•
Millions of patients in the U.S. use cholesterol lowering drugs like Lipitor (made by Pfizer) or Zocor (made by Merck) in an effort to lower heart disease risk. Last year, the patent protection for Zocor expired and the generic form of it called simvastatin was put on the market. Since generic simvastatin became available, health insurers have been pressuring doctors and patients to switch from brand name cholesterol lowering drugs like Lipitor to this similar and much cheaper generic form of Zocor.
Price is the main reason people are switching to the generic simvastatin. Currently it costs about $2 per day for Lipitor, but with the generic brand it is closer to 35 cents or less. Switching over could save billions of dollars in health care costs.
Both Lipitor and Zocor are from a drug class called statins. Statins work by inhibiting the enzyme that produces cholesterol. Other cholesterol-lowering drugs from this class include Crestor (rosuvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin), and Mevacor (lovastatin).
Compared to Lipitor, Zocor (simvastatin) is less potent. Therefore, if you were taking 10 mg of Lipitor, you would have to take 20 mg of the generic Zocor. Currently, the highest dose you can get of Zocor is 80 mg (equal to 40 mg of Lipitor). This means that if you are presently taking more than 40 mg of Lipitor you will not be able to get a strong enough dose. For most people this shouldn’t be a problem.
By law, the generic version of Zocor is required to contain the same active ingredients as the brand name. They also have to the same dosage, potency, quality, function, and approval from the FDA.
Both Lipitor and Zocor share similar side effects because they are from the same statin drug class. Not all of the side effects are known; some patients experience headache, muscle pain and weakness, muscle tissue breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), memory loss, postoperative delirium, and others. (For more side effects check out: Five Biggest Risk Factors in Taking Lipitor or Other Statins)
What do you think? Have you experienced any differences since switching to the generic form of Zocor? Please share your experiences!
•
Leave a comment
•
RateADrug.com is an interesting new site where users from the community rate their experience in using different prescription drugs. Currently there are over 3,000 medications to view and share experiences about. Detailed surveys include things such as drug effectiveness, how much and how long you have been taking the drug, changes in well being, side effects, and user comments about the drug.
This is a good way for patients to stay updated with the most current side effects as well as learn about new alternative treatments. Additionally, after you fill in your experiences with your drug, you will receive your personal risk/benefit analysis based from your question responses. This gives you a score from 1 to 10 for both your side effects and positive effects so that you can see how this drug is working for you and how that compares to other users. It’s also great because you can forward all of your surveys along with comments to your doctor, family member or caregiver to keep them informed about any changes in your health caused from existing or new medications.
Go to RateADrug.com to take the Lipitor drug survey and see what people are saying about it.
•
Leave a comment
•
Statins may be effective in lowering cholesterol – but at what cost? With the high price of statin drugs and potentially undesirable side effects, many people have begun looking into supplements as an alternative to lowering cholesterol.
Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, meaning they can’t be manufactured by the human body yet they are essential for good health. Omega-3s lower triglycerides, increase HDL “good” cholesterol, and lower high blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week to get your omega-3s, or you can take it as a supplement. One new study by Professor Luigi Tavazzi and Professor Gianni Tognoni , GISSI-HF Coordinating Centre, ANMCO Research Centre, Florence, Italy compared the effectiveness of taking a one-a-day capsule of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to taking statins. The results concluded that taking omega-3 can effectively reduce hospital admission and mortality rate for cardiovascular issues in heart failure patients. Statins, on the other hand, proved to not have any affect in the mortality outcome of patients.
An herbal supplement called red yeast rice has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Red yeast rice contains lovastatin, the same active ingredient as the prescription statin drugs. Made from a rice extract fermented with red yeast, it is shown to significantly lower LDL levels. In a study from the July Mayo Clinic Proceedings, one test group was given prescription statin drugs with written diet and exercise guidelines. A second group was given red yeast rice, omega-3 supplements and in-depth diet, exercise and relaxation counseling. The findings were almost exactly the same, with a drop in LDL levels of 40 percent for each group. Despite these results, red yeast rice may also cause similar side effects as statins due to the same active ingredient lovastatin. Additionally, it is difficult to know the exact quality of red yeast rice because it is not closely regulated by the FDA.
While a lot of attention has been put on lowering LDL levels, research is showing that raising HDL cholesterol is just as important. It is thought that HDL cholesterol picks up excess bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it back to your liver for disposal. Niacin, or vitamin B-3, has long been used to increase HDL levels. Studies show that niacin reduces LDL levels up to 20% and boosts HDL cholesterol by about 35%. Niacin also seems to lower lipoprotein A, which is another risk factor for atherosclerosis. Despite these benefits, niacin may cause flushing and raised blood sugar. It should be taken under the supervision of a health care professional.
Additional supplements that may have cholesterol lowering effects include blond psyllium seed husks, artichoke leaf, soluble fiber, plant sterols, garlic, flaxseed, Metamucil and policosanol to name a few.
Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol? Have you decreased your cholesterol levels? If so, by what means? Have you found that “natural” supplements have helped you establish lower cholesterol levels without side effects? Share your experiences!
•
•
Leave a comment
•
Although it is typically thought that lifestyle change alone can’t lower LDL cholesterol levels as well as statins, there is mounting evidence that it may. Joseph Keenan, a cardiologist and professor at the University of Minnesota, prescribes Lipitor to his patients and was using it himself until he began to experience muscle spasm side-effects and blood tests which indicated muscle damage. For people like Keenan who can’t tolerate statins, a balanced diet, exercise and supplements may be the answer. Keenan managed to lower his LDL cholesterol by 60% without prescription drugs. After his personal success, Keenan believes that 70% of people who would be prescribed cholesterol drugs could get their cholesterol levels to a healthy balance solely through these lifestyle changes.
A balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and legumes has shown to work well in lowering LDL cholesterol. Whole food diets work best compared to prepared foods that are low in cholesterol, says Christopher Gardner, a Stanford nutrition specialist. This is because the components of whole foods, such as plant sterols, interact differently with your body and are able to lower LDL cholesterol. Plant sterols work by displacing some of the cholesterol from intestinal micelles resulting in less cholesterol being absorbed into the bloodstream. Thus, plant sterols have shown to lower LDL levels by 10%. Plant sterols are present in small quantities in many fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, cereals and legumes.
In addition to diet, exercise has a big effect on cholesterol levels; specifically aerobic exercise and HDL levels. A new research study from the Archives of Internal Medicine says that at least two hours per week of aerobic exercise like walking, biking, or swimming will provide an increase in HDL or “good” cholesterol levels. Workouts need to last at least 30 minutes to gain HDL benefit, and it is recommended to exercise at least five days per week. The study found that the “gains in HDL cholesterol levels translate to a 5% drop in men’s heart disease risk and more than a 7% drop in women’s heart disease risk.”
Already, 16 million patients take some form of the drug statin. As this patient base grows to include millions more people worldwide, another side of high cholesterol research is showing that simply diet, exercise, and supplements can be as effective as statins in lowering LDL cholesterol and potentially more effective in preventing cardiac events.
Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol? Have you decreased your cholesterol levels? If so, by what means? Have you found that “natural” means like diet and exercise make you feel better overall, due to fewer side effects? Share your experiences!
•
•
Leave a comment
MikeMD wrote:
27. September 2008 at 5:01 pm :
Can anyone provide some background on clinical trials for new statins? Lipitor and other statins on the market seems to cause a lot of muscle problems for a friend of mine taking them. If anyone knows of anything new or of an alternative therapy that really works, please let us know
Thanks in advance and great blog here!
1. October 2008 at 1:52 pm :
Thanks for the article!