New U.S. guidelines for treating people with high cholesterol could literally double the number of people on drugs such as Lipitor. Many are surprised at this news because of the legal controversies surrounding Lipitor and its propensity to develop Type 2 diabetes in cholesterol patients. However, "Big Medical" and pharmaceutical conglomerates have begun marketing them as competent in the fight against heart disease. Since heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, those who set such guidelines are approving the shift.
Although many medical experts question Lipitor's effectiveness as to its original purpose, some are claiming that those setting the guidelines have ties to "Big Pharmaceutical" and may be in cahoots for the millions in kickbacks that are likely to stem from this shift. Some advocates for the new change are even suggesting that Lipitor be used to fight against Type 2 diabetes, the disease it has been so closely linked to with lawsuits in the recent past.
These new guidelines, released by the American Health Association and the American College of Cardiology, are claiming that instead of simply looking at cholesterol numbers, physicians should be making themselves aware of a person's overall health, and that by doing so it is calculated that nearly 70 million people, which is double the current number of people on cholesterol inhibitors, will be prescribed Lipitor or other generic versions of the drug.
Most experts who disagree with this shift in medicine say that drugs like Lipitor don't necessarily help reduce cholesterol that comes from eating animals and animal byproducts. Thus, unless people ultimately change their diets, taking more drugs like Lipitor will likely have little to no effect.
In addition, with the increased testing of cholesterol inhibiting drugs like Lipitor, it has been found that even more negative side effects are becoming prevalent. Problems such as muscle aches and body fatigue, strokes, and the toxic breakdown of muscle tissues have been found to increase. And in women, especially, cataracts and an increased loss of libido has become a serious problem. Medical experts say that they estimate nearly 18% of people who are newly prescribed drugs like Lipitor will suffer from these side effects. The number could be even greater since many of the patients being considered may have never been on a cholesterol-lowering drug before.
Source: Web Pro News, "Controversial New Guidelines Could Put 35 Million More Americans On Lipitor" 16 November 2013