...and a Side of Suffering
Today, I’m thinking about how bad we sometimes feel as a result of misguided efforts to get “healthier.” I regularly see patients who come in with “laundry lists” of drugs they’ve been prescribed, and who are suffering from the known and published side effects and interactions of these medications. And, when we take a closer look, I often find myself angry.
Take statins, for example. These cholesterol-lowering drugs — while certainly beneficial for some — can be devastating for many. I’ve seen lots of patients suffering from system-wide trauma (i.e. “It hurts everywhere!”), from peripheral neuropathy, and from “unexplainable” muscular problems. Frequently, these symptoms arise soon after the patient begins taking statins, but sometimes the effects are delayed. It depends in part on how fast and furious is the drug’s depletion of the body’s natural stores of coenzyme Q, and on the overall health of the individual patient.
Muscular problems, for instance, are listed as a “rare” side effect by statin drug manufacturers. But Beatrice Golumb, M.D., has been researching the effects of statin drugs, and she finds this particular “rare” side effect to be quite common. Golumb’s work is very interesting, and an online interview with her is available here.
To me, the most distressing cases are those with borderline cholesterol numbers, which would have improved with simple nutritional and lifestyle changes. If you’re on statins, ask yourself whether you absolutely need them, or whether dropping twenty pounds and walking a half hour each day might achieve the same result. (And don’t forget — this drug-free regimen has an even longer list of known “side effects,” ALL of them beneficial!)
So, satisfy yourself that any prescription drugs you take are necessary and are doing more good than harm. And don’t dismiss the potential of any drugs you’re taking to produce unwelcome side effects.
Take statins, for example. These cholesterol-lowering drugs — while certainly beneficial for some — can be devastating for many. I’ve seen lots of patients suffering from system-wide trauma (i.e. “It hurts everywhere!”), from peripheral neuropathy, and from “unexplainable” muscular problems. Frequently, these symptoms arise soon after the patient begins taking statins, but sometimes the effects are delayed. It depends in part on how fast and furious is the drug’s depletion of the body’s natural stores of coenzyme Q, and on the overall health of the individual patient.
Muscular problems, for instance, are listed as a “rare” side effect by statin drug manufacturers. But Beatrice Golumb, M.D., has been researching the effects of statin drugs, and she finds this particular “rare” side effect to be quite common. Golumb’s work is very interesting, and an online interview with her is available here.
To me, the most distressing cases are those with borderline cholesterol numbers, which would have improved with simple nutritional and lifestyle changes. If you’re on statins, ask yourself whether you absolutely need them, or whether dropping twenty pounds and walking a half hour each day might achieve the same result. (And don’t forget — this drug-free regimen has an even longer list of known “side effects,” ALL of them beneficial!)
So, satisfy yourself that any prescription drugs you take are necessary and are doing more good than harm. And don’t dismiss the potential of any drugs you’re taking to produce unwelcome side effects.
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