| So much wat. > - It has zero to negative efficacy, at least for the for the vast majority of people taking it, and virtually no efficacy for the rest. Citations? This is a pretty big claim for a FDA-approved drug that was the most profitable drug on the market as of 2011[1]. > - You can get generics that are equally 'effective' for virtually free. As of last year, yeah, this is a fairly recent development that if you don't follow pharma, you'd be unlikely to know. > - It's vastly less effective than even the most minimal of lifestyle interventions. Generally statins are prescribed in combination with recommendations of dietary restriction. > - If for some reason you really wanted to take those chemicals, you could just get them for free in your diet anyway. E.g. from red rice and I think certain other fungi. You're thinking of a different active ingredient, monacolin K, which is also sold in pill form (Lovastatin[2]) and found in red yeast rice and oyster mushrooms. A quick literature search found Lipitor to be more efficacious[3] (Double blinded, placebo controlled, n = 1049). Keep in mind that, as with all drugs, both are dose-dependent and have unpleasant side-effects when taken in combination with certain drugs, foods, and certain patient populations, such as pregnant women and those with liver disease. Hence why it's recommended to check with a doctor who is well versed in this matter, rather than self-prescribing at unknown dosages. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_drug#Leading_bl... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovastatin [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9185636 |
There are a bunch of books about this that you can get on Amazon. A good one I read is Overdosed America. But if you search on Amazon for 'statin' there are a lot more books that are specifically about this.
"A quick literature search found Lipitor to be more efficacious[3] (Double blinded, placebo controlled, n = 1049)."
The academic literature generally isn't a reliable source for information about pharmaceutical drugs, unless it's one of the NIH trials or another trial sponsored by an independent entity. The only way to get accurate information from trials sponsored by pharma companies is to FOIA the FDA, unless the raw data is on clinicaltrials.gov which it almost never is. There are again a number of books that explain why this is, I personally like both Overdosed America (again) and also Marcia Angell's book The Truth About Drug Companies. I'm sure Ben Goldacre's new book probably covers the same stuff though.
"eep in mind that, as with all drugs, both are dose-dependent and have unpleasant side-effects when taken in combination with certain drugs, foods, and certain patient populations, such as pregnant women and those with liver disease."
Plant-based medicines tend to be fairly forgiving about dosage. E.g. you're probably not going to get sick from eating any reasonably amount of oyster mushrooms, at least as long as they're fresh and you cook them properly.