| The most serious side effects of these drugs are stomach ulcers and a dangerous disease called rhabdomyolysis that actually destroys muscle tissue. baycol, a statin that was recalled in 2001, caused at least 31 fatal cases of this disease.
Other side effects include back pain, insomnia, heartburn, greater susceptibility to upper sinus infections, alteration of taste, dizziness, memory loss, numbness in the extremities, tremors, loss of libido, impotence, enlarged thyroid, and skin conditions such as bumps and rashes. |
Ray Strand, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Please know that just because a similar drug on the market has been safe and effective, a Me-Too drug may yet have problems. baycol is a perfect example of this principal. The FDA released it well after Mevacor and several of the other statin drugs, but it was certainly much more hazardous. It is also important to remember that Me-Too drugs always come onto the market promising glowing reports and minimal side effects. You know why: no one fully knows all the problems with new drugs.
The following table lists drugs that the FDA has removed from the marketplace. |
Arthur Agatston, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  One statin drug, baycol, was withdrawn from the market because of an unacceptable incidence of toxic reactions. There are only rare problems with the statin drugs now on the market, despite the occasional scare that arises in the papers or on TV news shows. The benefits of statins far outweigh the potential hazards. Among physicians, there has never been any serious doubt about the wisdom of taking them. Consider this: Most cardiologists I know over the age of 40 are taking a statin drug, even doctors with no sign or history of heart trouble. |
Katharine Greider
See book keywords and concepts |  The alchemy of naming turns the rather awkward atorvastatin into Lipitor, which combines the word for blood fats, "lipid," with a hint of the avenging action hero. And baycol (a cholesterol reducer withdrawn from the market for safety reasons)—can it be a coincidence that the name invokes a certain tasty (if fatty) breakfast meat?
The fact is, it's not the job of advertising (or "branding," as marketers call it) to educate, to put it all in context. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |  German pharmaceutical company, withdrew its baycol statin drug from the marketplace. Thirty-one patients had died while taking the drug, all because of a rare condition in which muscle tissue broke down.
Although anti-inflammatory drugs can be therapeutically useful at times, they treat symptoms and not the causes of disease, and some even speed the progression of inflammatory diseases. The side effects of antiinflammatory drugs derive from the fact that they are biochemical interlopers that disrupt, rather than enhance, the normal functions of the body. | | The statin drugs, which include Lipitor (atorvastatin), Meva-cor (lovastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), baycol (cerivastatin), and the more recent Bextra (valdecoxib), have been the most common medical treatments for lowering cholesterol.
Despite their popularity and a common perception of safety, statins pose serious risks. They reduce the body's production of cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme known as HMG-CoA-reductase. |
Ray Strand, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts | | Without a second thought, Bob started taking the higher dose of baycol that night. During the months of recovery following his heart attack, he would lay awake, pondering how the doctors and medical staff had come together so perfectly with all their knowledge and skills to orchestrate a new chance for life. He was filled with gratitude and never thought for a minute of questioning the cardiologist's judgment on something as routine as a prescription.
Initially Bob didn't notice any changes and continued to feel well; but after a few weeks, he began experiencing stabbing pains in both hips. | | Known Inherent Risk
According to James Cleeman, director of the National Cholesterol Education Program, "Most of the patients who were on baycol will [instead] be placed on one of the other five 'statin' drugs still on the market. Incidentally, these drugs have also been linked to the same rare muscle weakness, known as myositis, which occurs in about 1 in 1,000 'statin' users. This condition occasionally progresses to rhabdomyolysis. |
Marcia Angell, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Bayer's baycol had to be removed from the market because, at the approved dose, it caused a deadly side effect.)9
There is little reason to think one is any better than another at comparable doses. But to get a toehold in the market, me-too statins were sometimes tested for slightly different outcomes in slightly different kinds of patients, then promoted as especially effective for those uses. |
Ray Strand, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts | | Reactions can be serious and life-threatening, as we saw with the drug baycol. How do you learn about these potential problems? Patients and physicians must keep an open line of communication.
Patient/Physician Communication
Another important step in protecting yourself against a serious adverse drug reaction is learning to communicate effectively with your physician about the drugs he is prescribing. When your doctor has made a diagnosis of a particular disease or problem, he will usually want to start you on a medication right away. | | Again, when we discuss the potential risks drugs may create, physicians are at fault for not heeding warnings; and patients, for the most part, are not questioning their doctors, especially in situations like Bob's.
The baycol story illustrates the important truth that all statin drugs can cause rhabdomyolysis and liver damage. But this chapter's message is broader still: we must learn to live with the continuing reality of a clear and present danger of our broader drug culture. | | The recovering heart patient had developed a rare complication called rhabdomyolysis (a serious breakdown and destruction of muscle). The baycol had caused his muscle cells to die, and the waste products from the muscle were being spewed into his bloodstream. Though his kidneys were trying to clear these toxic wastes from the bloodstream, Bob went into kidney failure within the next twenty-four hours. Renal dialysis was the only option after his body started shutting down.
Bob's wife, Sandy, could not believe how horrible he looked. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |  More recently, baycol, a type of cholesterol-lowering drug known as a statin was taken off the market after being linked to deaths worldwide. Glucophage, one of several drugs used to treat many of the 17 million Americans with diabetes, is potentially life-threatening, according to another study in JAMA. And the list goes on. Redux. Fen-Phen. Propulsid. Latronex. Rezulin. Seldane. Hismanal. All were pulled from the market because of serious side effects or harm to users.
Prescription drugs are not the only source of concern. Dr. |
Marcia Angell, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts | | Some experts worry that Crestor, like baycol, might prove too dangerous when it comes into widespread use.
Mevacor is now sold as generic lovastatin and is therefore cheaper than the others. But the me-too business relies heavily on marketing, and as a tribute to the fact that nearly anything can be marketed and people persuaded to pay more for it, both Lipitor and Zocor, which are more expensive than lovastatin, were among the top ten drugs in the world in 2002—but not lovastatin.12 Like Prilosec, Mevacor is no longer mentioned. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
See book keywords and concepts |  You'd think that after recent disasters with baycol, Rezulin, Lotronex, Duract, Redux and Fen-Phen, doctors would learn, but they keep prescribing new dmgs like Clarinex, Nexium, and Bextra at greater risk and cost. These repeated problems compelled Drs. Marcia Angell and Arnold Relman, another former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, to warn, "Few Americans appreciate the full scope and consequences of the pharmaceutical industry's hold on our health care system" (Angell et al. 2001). |
American Medical Publishing
See book keywords and concepts | | Many of the real 31 Americans who were taking baycol, and who died from it, where just like Bob. They were living lifestyles that contributed to their own deaths, long before a prescription drug came along to finish the job much faster. People like Bob have come to believe that they can have it all — bad habits, poor diets, little or no exercise — and when their health begins to fall apart, they assume some magical pill given to them by a doctor will fix everything up with no effort at all. This is the classic "magic bullet" mentality. | | Statins, including baycol, Lipitor and Zocor. These drugs have proven to be extremely effective in lowering cholesterol, and thus helping people avoid heart attacks, high blood pressure, strokes and other diseases. Yet, these drugs have now been proven to kill. That's because in addition to melting cholesterol, the statins also tend to dissolve healthy muscle tissue, causing muscles cells to foul the kidneys and kill people.
This is especially sad since there are much better, completely safe nondrug ways to lower cholesterol. | | Zocor is probably much safer than baycol, but this is not guaranteed. Zocor is very dangerous if mixed with alcohol. Also dangerous to people with liver disease.
Possible alternatives - The best way to reduce cholesterol in just about all people is to cut down on fatty foods and start a good exercise program. Stay away from greasy meats and favor fruits and vegetables. Stop smoking. Avoid coffee and caffeine. Also, fish oil and garlic supplements are known cholesterol fighters. They are many times safer if not overused. | | As it turns out, at least 81 more deaths were connected to Baycol's sisters — Mevacor, Pravachol , Zocor, Lescol, and Lipitor.
According to News Services, a consumer protection group called Public Citizen Health Research Group petitioned the FDA to strengthen warnings about statin. Said Dr. Sydney Wolfe of Public Citizen:
"Most people taking these drugs aren't aware that they could sustain serious muscle damage and could even die. | | At first, the baycol seemed to be doing the job for Bob. After a three months on the drug, he returned to the doctor for a blood test, and the results were dramatic. Bob's cholesterol was way down, near the 200 mark, just about where it should be. In the meantime, Bob thought he had it made. He forgot about eating like a rabbit, and balked at the idea of getting out and walking four miles a night when he could be resting comfortably in his living room in front of the boob tube.
But after another couple of months, Bob began to have strange pains, especially in his legs and lower back. | | Their reasoning is that the baycol dosages sold in that country are smaller than that used in other nations, so that the risk is less. A cynical observer would again shake his or her head in wonder at the incredible willingness of major pharmaceutical companies to put profit over the safety of the very people is is supposed to be serving and helping toward a more healthy existence. |
James A. Howenstine, MD
See book keywords and concepts |  Zocor, baycol, Lescol). All these lower cholesterol.
Physicians experienced in natural medicine always prefer to use the whole plant rather than isolate one of it's parts as there is likely to be less side effects, making this safer for long term usage. With red yeast you are getting the whole compound, rather than a statin selected out of red yeast.
This means that you have a low blood level of many different statins instead of a very high blood level of one statin, as occurs in the pharmaceutical preparations. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
See book keywords and concepts |  August 2001,Baycol (one of the most popular statin drugs) was withdrawn from the marketplace by its manufacturer after findings showed the drug was linked to more than 30 deaths due to rhab-domyolysis, a rare muscle-wasting disease. Statins in general also cause inflammation of the liver and can result in serious adverse reactions when used with other drugs. |
James A. Howenstine, MD
See book keywords and concepts | | The statin groups of cholesterol-lowering drugs have been effective, but with the predominant side effects being abnormal liver function tests in a few patients and rare cases of skeletal muscle necrosis (injury) and death. baycol, a major cholesterol-lowering drug was withdrawn in August 2001 due to the relative high incidence of death of users. Powerful chemical substances often help the specific problem they're created for, but can have long-term harmful effects, which may not become known for years. The frequency of recent drug recalls is proof of this. |
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