General Medicine

» Anthony Lee - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

A recent study has shown the Zetia and Vytorin may not actually lower cholesterol enough to cut down the risk for a heart attack or stroke. What do you think of this recent development? Do you or someone you know use either of these drugs, and if so, would you or that person stop taking it?

Along the lines of this controversy is the issue of drug advertising. Have you seen advertisements for Zetia and Vytorin? What do you think of their claims? Do you think there is any issue with direct marketing to patients?

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» Alicia Mae Prater - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by anthonylee06:

Zetia and Vytorin are not the most well known drugs, I can't recall commercials for them. However, they are suffering the fate of most all cholesterol drugs - the realization that they just don't work. Most require a combination of other drugs in order to have any cholesterol reducing effect and those drugs cause damage.

I wrote a couple of articles on cholesterol drugs, the key thing that I kept coming back to in my research was that cholesterol lowering drugs have only been shown to be beneficial for men who already have heart disease. And that high cholesterol is not in itself a disease. So why are we treating it so prevalently with drugs? Because money talks.

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» Anthony Lee - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by aliciaprater:

Elevated cholesterol may not necessarily be a disease, but it is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, which leads to serious diseases. While I won't say that people shouldn't take these drugs, I will say that diet and exercise can help with cholesterol but not many people think of that first. Unfortunately, some people do want to take the easy route.

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» Alicia Mae Prater - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by anthonylee06:

It is a risk factor, but it needs to occur in combination with other factors to actually be a problem. Either genetic susceptibility, smoking, obesity, or a history of heart disease. The hypertension caused by the drugs is just as likely to increase the risk as it is to prevent heart disease.

Cholesterol is a natural substance. Atherosclerotic plaques start building up in our teens in a natural process, though at much lower rates then is common now. We have to go back to letting our bodies handle it. Like you said, and as the AHA recommends - diet, exercise, quit smoking, and know your family risk.

The statins are good for some people, but not for everyone just because they happen to have a little excess cholesterol in their circulation. As we age things happen and we are all so scared to let them. lol

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» Anthony Lee - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by aliciaprater:

Some people may not be afraid of elevated cholesterol alone as a risk factor. That's OK. But the medical community has this stance because it's been studied extensively. Medicine as we know it is evidence-based. Provided that studies aren't biased, doctors don't make up the stuff they preach. I'm familiar with the profession enough to know this as a fact. :-)

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» Alicia Mae Prater - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by anthonylee06:

But some studies are funded by the companies that make the drugs so doctors are given as much propaganda as they are new facts. It's impossible for doctors to know everything and they rely on the information they're given...unfortunately that information is up for question.

The recent congressional hearing on Pfizer's tactics for Lipitor is a good indicator of the changing winds.

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» Anthony Lee - Results of the ENHANCE Trial

In response to Results of the ENHANCE Trial posted by aliciaprater:

That is true, too. :-)

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