24th January 2006
Lenin, I understand your concern. Myopathy IS the most warned about and common statin side effect. I've called Merck, several times and they are fully aware of the problem. Call them if you like. But, their reps are giving insufficient warnings or none at all. I'm sure that there are some doctors who actually read what the drug company writes in the product info and PDR (pretty much the same thing), but there are many who prescribe drugs when their only knowledge of them is what they are supposed to do. Clear evidence of this is that 3 different health professionals have ignored the fact that my sister's problems could be Zocor-induced myopathy. Before we brought it up, none of them did a research on the drug.
Do drug companies lie about , misrepresent, downplay and exaggerate what their drugs can do? Yup. Even you must be aware of that. When they do make a warning, however, or are forced to by the FDA, one should be VERY concerned and automatically multiply the percentage of risk and severity. I believe, without doubt, that statins cause myopathy, like Merck says, but I don't believe their numbers. One should always take what a manufacturer says, with a grain of salt.
"ZOCOR is a prescription tablet and isn’t right for everyone, including women who are nursing or pregnant or who may become pregnant, and anyone with liver problems. Unexplained muscle pain or weakness could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect and should be reported to your doctor right away. ZOCOR may interact with other medicines or certain foods, increasing your risk of getting this serious side effect. So tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking. Please read additional important Patient Product Information and Prescribing Information"
You must know about Baycol, also a statin, and how nearly 2,000 cases of rhabdomyolysis were reported before it was banned. Common sense and history of drug recalls tells us that the number represents far more victims who's doctors didn't know the connection with the drug and didn't report it.
Like I've said, I hope you have better luck. The pharmacy in one of our super stores here in Michigan, does actually make warnings when dispensing statins, but it is not a common practice. The head pharmacists told me that myopathy can spread quite rapidly for some users and often, the damage has already been done, once they realize that their drug is their problem. I hope that you and others on statins, get fair warning so you don't end up like my sister or, worse yet, like my father's friend.
Do drug companies lie about , misrepresent, downplay and exaggerate what their drugs can do? Yup. Even you must be aware of that. When they do make a warning, however, or are forced to by the FDA, one should be VERY concerned and automatically multiply the percentage of risk and severity. I believe, without doubt, that statins cause myopathy, like Merck says, but I don't believe their numbers. One should always take what a manufacturer says, with a grain of salt.
"ZOCOR is a prescription tablet and isn’t right for everyone, including women who are nursing or pregnant or who may become pregnant, and anyone with liver problems. Unexplained muscle pain or weakness could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect and should be reported to your doctor right away. ZOCOR may interact with other medicines or certain foods, increasing your risk of getting this serious side effect. So tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking. Please read additional important Patient Product Information and Prescribing Information"
You must know about Baycol, also a statin, and how nearly 2,000 cases of rhabdomyolysis were reported before it was banned. Common sense and history of drug recalls tells us that the number represents far more victims who's doctors didn't know the connection with the drug and didn't report it.
Like I've said, I hope you have better luck. The pharmacy in one of our super stores here in Michigan, does actually make warnings when dispensing statins, but it is not a common practice. The head pharmacists told me that myopathy can spread quite rapidly for some users and often, the damage has already been done, once they realize that their drug is their problem. I hope that you and others on statins, get fair warning so you don't end up like my sister or, worse yet, like my father's friend.