These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
High Triglycerides
Question: My cardiologist suggested Lipitor because my triglycerides are high(442) and my HDL is low(27). I have been on Mevacor which has been controlling my total cholesterol(166) and LDL. I have read about Niacin, which might help this situation, and have been taking 500mg daily. My cardiologist said that the Lipitor hasn’t been approved in this country, so I was concerned. Should I try the Niacin or consider the Lipitor?
Answer: Lipitor is the first HMG-Co A Inhibitor to have an effect on triglycerides. This is due to the high affinity for lipitor to the enzyme that it is inhibiting. Lipitor will be released at the end of this month. I’d try it first. Also, triglycerides have a minimal effect (if any) on increasing cardiac risk. I think they are useful to decrease, but they are a minor player compared to cholesterol. Lipitor has the potential to be the best of the HMG-Co A drugs.
Lipitor
Question: Do you have any data on Lipitor (Atorvastatin)?
Answer: Lipitor(Atorvastatin) is the newest HMG Co-A drug. This is a class of drugs that works on the enzyme in the liver responsible for ” turning on” cholesterol production. About 80% or so of cholesterol is produced by your liver. Reducing the liver’s production will decrease cholesterol. Lipitor seems to be more effective and efficient than its predecessors. It also is the first HMG Co-A which is approved by the FDA to reduce triglyceride levels, a major improvement. Side effects seem to be the same as for the other drugs in this class. However, like most drugs, time may change out opinion. The drug has only been out 2 to 3 months here in the U.S. and the U.S. is much more critical and observant of drug performance than other countries where it has already been tried. My personal opinion is that it is a major advance compared to other drugs of its class. The company has also been smart and priced it to be competitive with Zocor, the previous best HMG Co-A.
