Research Needed To Connect Lipitor And Memory Loss
There are few clinical trials that have established a solid connection between Lipitor and memory loss, but there are numerous anecdotal references from patients on the drug that make it worth keeping in mind when prescribed this statin drug. Statin drugs are prescribed to persons with high cholesterol and are used to help lower the level of their bad cholesterol. While there are a few other known side effects for this family of drugs, Lipitor and memory loss are becoming more frequently studied.
While some of the most common side effects of the drug are gas and stomach pain, with many patients connecting Lipitor and memory loss is often ignored due to the relative age of persons typically prescribed the drug. In most instances, the connection is not made until after the person stops taking the medication. Although, since the potential for this side effect is not opening publicized or acknowledged by many researchers, many patients may be suffering the effects of Lipitor and memory loss and not realize the cause.
Many people begin to have cognitive lapses as they age and prescribing Lipitor is done so for the prevention of cardio vascular problems and to minimize the potential for blood clots. Even patients who are taking Lipitor and memory loss becomes an issue, it often blamed on the age of the patient, even if they had no memory problem prior to using the drug.
Some Patients Choosing What They Think Is Right
There has been a lot of discussion about the use to statin drugs for lowering cholesterol and while literature may list the potential for numerous side effects, the conventional thinking is that the benefit of the drug, weighed against the minimal occurrence of side effects, makes it worth using. However, with new indications linking Lipitor and memory loss some patients are looking for alternatives for cholesterol lowering drugs, unwilling to gamble with the side effects.
In most cases where people were prescribed Lipitor and memory loss became an issue, it was treated as a coincidence due to their age. Even people in their 50's are known to suffer a certain amount of memory loss and their doctor will usually opt for the benefit of the drug than what they may see as an inconvenient side effect of losing their memory.
As more people report their use of Lipitor and memory loss side effects, researchers away from the manufacturer and the approving board of the FDA are continuing to look into the real reason for memory lapses among patients. They are working to either prove or disprove a connection between Lipitor and memory loss.
