Benefit of statin drugs long lasting

[mike_d]

This is a bit of an upset, but its a statistical study:Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs help prevent heart attacks for at least a decade after people stop taking them, the first long-term study of the world's top-selling type of medication finds.http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/10/cholesterol.drugs.ap/index.html

[brobin]

True, but it looks to me that the percentage gain is pretty similar to studies on Aspirin.

I am still waiting for them to determine if it is the cholesterol, or the anti-inflammation properties of Statins. The drug companies don't want to find out, because if it is inflammation, then we don't need their expensive and patented statins.

[K Walt]

True, but it looks to me that the percentage gain is pretty similar to studies on Aspirin.

I am still waiting for them to determine if it is the cholesterol, or the anti-inflammation properties of Statins. The drug companies don't want to find out, because if it is inflammation, then we don't need their expensive and patented statins.


3,250 men took statins, 619 died during the 15 years (ALL CAUSES)

3,250 men took placebo, 674 died during the 15 years. (ALL CAUSES)

Ergo. Of the 3,250 men who took statins, just 55 of them benefitted. That's 1.6% of the men who took the statins. The rest died anyway.


Something dramatically overstated here, or what?

[eryalen]

True, but it looks to me that the percentage gain is pretty similar to studies on Aspirin.

I am still waiting for them to determine if it is the cholesterol, or the anti-inflammation properties of Statins. The drug companies don't want to find out, because if it is inflammation, then we don't need their expensive and patented statins.
It won't come out until the patents expire.

[mike_d]

I was prescribed Lipitor because my LDL is just over 100. I haven't tried it yet, I do take daily aspirin and Ginkgo Biloba. No family history of heart disease and my BP and FBS are good.

All scripts have some side effects. One I heard on TV made me laugh the other day: "if your tongue swells and blocks your throat call your doctor" :lol:

[NorthPeace]

I was prescribed Lipitor because my LDL is just over 100.
Mine was over 101. It was 102 :confused:
I think the biggest impact of Lipitor has been on my wallet.

[bluesmoke]

Go here to find a very good deconstruction of this study http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/
The fact that about 1/3 of the original non-statin using participants ended up on the drug is interesting and the fact that these meager benefits were obtained from a population that had an abnormally high ldl level is also interesting.

[NorthPeace]

Hmm, neither site actually mentions that Scottish study by name. Could be it is unlucky?

[64dodger]

If you want to consider death as long lasting I guess they have a point.