Statins in the Media

March 4th, 2012

An article in the New York Times discussed safety alerts placed on “statins”, which are common cholesterol-lowering medications.  Such medications as Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Crestor (rosuvastatin) were implicated in causing diabetes and memory loss.   While I feel these findings are important, the risks far outweigh the benefits of these medications.  Statins have been revolutionary in preventing the progression and reducing the morbidity of coronary artery disease.  Ask any cardiologist which drug class is most responsible for reducing cardiac deaths in the past  20 years and statins will be the answer.

I think there are two messages we can learn from the safety alerts. One is that statins should not be prescribed indiscriminately.  People with minimal elevations of cholesterol based on their cardiac risk factors should consider diet and exercise before jumping to medication therapy.  Secondly, patients on statins should have their blood sugar monitored regularly, along with the usual monitoring of liver enzymes.