If you’re taking niacin and Mevacor, now you can get them both in one pill. The drug is called Advisor, the timed-release niacin drug Niaspan with 20 milligrams of the statin Mevacor. Its risks and benefits mimic those of taking both...
In 2001 the media filled with headlines warning that taking antioxidant vitamins E and C could reduce statins’ effectiveness. They were referring toa study published that year in Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. In that study 153 heart patients with especially...
For years rumors have circulated on the Internet that statins might cause cancer. The rumors trace their start to a 1996 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggested a link between cancer, statins, and fibrates, another...
Taking certain drugs while you’re also taking statins might increase your risk of muscle damage. These drugs include: fibrates; nicotinic acid; the antifungals Sporonox (itraconazole), Nizoral (ketoconazole), and anything in the azole class of drug; antibiotics such as erythromycin and clarithromycin;...
So you’re brushing your teeth before sliding into bed when it suddenly hits you: You forgot to take your cholesterol drug today. Forgetfulness is one of the most common reasons people say they don’t take their medications. To avoid forgetting, use...
The next 30 years will see the graying of America as the Te boomers move into their senior years. The number of people 65 and older will double, growing — to 70 million, And, since coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for...
Ask your doctor the following questions: What is this medicine for? What are the potential side effects, and what should | do about them? Are there any potential interactions with office with a prescription, All of the advice and warnings went...
If you wind up needing medication, think about how fortunate we are today to have these generally safe and highly effective drugs available to us. Not too long ago all cardiologists could do for their patients was hold their hands, watching...
The American pharmaceutical industry spent more than $30 billion in 2001 researching and developing new drugs. Not surprisingly, companies tend to focus much of their research in areas that promise the biggest sales potential, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer....
First the proviso: Aspirin won’t lower your cholesterol. But its effects on blood clotting and inflammation are so significant that anyone with known heart disease, diabetes, or two or more risk factors for heart disease (and no problems taking aspirin) should...
