>          >I had a heart attack in May of this year. My doctors want me
>          to take cholesterol lowering drugs even tho studies have shown
>          people w/Post Polio Syndrome [like myself] can suffer permanent
>          muscle loss and very intense fatigue from taking the meds!
>
>          Marsha in Texas

Marsha,
here are the facts:
cholesterol is one of MANY risk factors for having a heart attack. The major
risk factors are cholesterol profile/ hypertension/ smoking/ diabetes/
family history. Eating fruit and vegetables is known to have a protective
effect.
Unfortunately, the "worst" (statistically strongest) risk factor is having
had a previous heart attack. Therefore, you're on the high-rollers table-
take it very seriously.

Statins are amongst the safest and cleanest grugs in common use. Around 1-2%
of people get moderate to severe side effects (which usually recover very
quickly on removal of the drug) and 2-3% get minor side effects. GOOD NEWS-
if you get through the first 6 months therapy without side effects, then the
risk becomes much lower. Every month you're on the medication, the risk gets
lower. BETTER NEWS- the drugs do seriously lower the risk of heart attack.
So too does aspirin (in people with a history of heart attack or angina), so
does blood pressure control, etc. All of these multiply together to give a
very low risk of further problems. The studies that you mention on Post
Polio are very specific, and as such your physician needs to be aware of the
specific references before any comment can be made- hopefully things aren't
really all that bad for post-polio people (people often exaggerate what
scientific studies find). (please send me the scientific references if you
can)

Now, for most people, statins can cause an "allergic reaction" in the muscle
tissues. This can cause muscle aches , weakness or be totally without
symptoms. This can be detected in an early stage by the doctor, and can be
routinely checked (hopefully your doctor will check it). If you develop a
problem, ceasing the medication will usually fix it up.

So, statins are safe and the vast majority of serious side effects can be
detected early by simple blood tests. Please relax.

> Guess what?  People who take cholesterol lowing med have higher rates of
> accidents, suicide, homicide, and violent death. Maybe not such a good
trade
> off, eh?  The figures we have show NO increased mortality from taking the
> drugs and lowering cholesterol.  What's the payoff?  Well it's money in
> pocket for drug manufacturers, but not a better, healthier, longer life
for
> the recipients.  The side effects cancel out the so called "desirable"
> effects.  Is there a point here?

Sorry, not a problem. This was found in one of the early studies and I
thought the finding was confined to men. The study was New York based
(perhaps a higher level of violence and suicide). It has not been borne out
by post-marketing surveillance nor by other studies. MIllions of people
(literally millions) throughout the world take these drugs. It would be
quite obvious by now if that was a problem, which is good news. Regulatory
authorities are quite responsible in bringing such problems to light (eg
Posicor was withdrawn worldwide last year). Also, some statins don't enter
the brain and would therefore not have as many behavioural effects- the
manufacturers of these statins would be quick to put the kibosh on their
competitiors if there was a case (it's a multi-billion dollar world market).
I think you can feel secure that this is no longer an issue.

>
> Food for thought,
> Rachel
>
> P.S.  (E-mail me if you want the refs.)