There are pros and cons to many issues. A perfect example: The
pluses and minuses of selling statin drugs over-the-counter (OTC)
-- a topic based on Merck's recently failed attempt to sell Mevacor
(lovastatin) in this country, and the company's success with Zocor
(simvastatin) in the U.K.
While OTC statin drugs are claimed to help patients substantially
and affordably decrease cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,
the list of adverse health effects evoked by taking them may far
outweigh the benefits.
To merely scratch the surface:
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The risk of negative side effects increases when taking statins
in conjunction with other drugs.
-
For most patients, taking small doses of a statin wouldn't
bring cholesterol levels down low enough.
-
Some patients could develop such a strong reliance on a statin
drug they might ignore heart-healthy behaviors, such as diet
and exercise.
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The self-monitoring of LDL-cholesterol levels will be difficult
and too expensive for some, and the degree of physician involvement
in follow-up lipid testing could be questionable.
-
Information on potential adverse effects and drug interactions
must be made available to all statin users, but how to provide
it is a challenge.
Nature
Clinical Practice Oncology April 2005;2(4) (Registration Required)
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