Federal Health Officials on Tuesday decided to label cholesterol reducing medication with safety alerts citing the rare risks of memory loss, diabetes and muscle pain. This is the first time the Food and Drug Administration officially linked statin use with problems such as forgetfulness and confusion. Medical Patients who have been taking the medication have been reporting these problems for years. Among the drugs affected are huge sellers like Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor and Vytorin. However, federal officials and medical experts say that people should not be afraid to use medication that contains statin. “The value of statins in preventing heart disease has been clearly established,” said Dr. Amy G. Egan, deputy director for safety in the F.D.A.’s division of metabolism and endocrinology products. “Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects.”
Given that these medications can cause side effects such as diabetes, should doctors weigh out the pros and cons of drugs such as Lipitor and Crestor before they prescribe it to their patients?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/health/fda-warns-of-cholesterol-drugs-side-effects.html?ref=health
I think that doctors should weigh out the pros and cons of drugs, especially if the side effects are worse than the actual disease. Even though they say patients shouldn't worry about the side effects, I believe it would be better if doctors could be able to tell their patients the pros and cons of the drug so that the patients know WAY ahead of time what they're putting in their bodies. I've seen commercials on TV where they talk about how certain drugs have killed people, so it REALLY helps to know what we're going to be putting in ourselves before its too late.
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