Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Q:I have normal LDL cholesterol but low HDL, as low as 26. With diet and exercise, I can get my HDL to the mid-30s, which is not great. Lipitor lowered my LDL below 80, but sadly my HDL didn't budge.

After being on Lipitor for a couple of months, I woke up one morning and had no idea what day of the week it was or that the company picnic was the day before. At work, I could not make simple postings of dollar amounts from hard copy to electronic spreadsheet (I would forget the amounts).

At a meeting, I could not remember names, and later at home, I kept asking my wife the same question, as I could not remember her answer. She took me to a doctor, who thought I had a mini-stroke. Ultrasound, brain scans and all other tests were normal, so no stroke.

I mentioned Lipitor, but the doctor dismissed it (“no way”). At the end of the evaluation, I was diagnosed with transient global amnesia.

Not wanting to be a vegetable for the rest of my life, I stopped taking Lipitor. I now take Niaspan (prescription niacin), and my HDL has improved to 43. My LDL is 80, and my memory is better than ever. I hope this story helps others.

A:We received a startlingly similar story from Duane Graveline, M.D., a retired astronaut and family physician, in 2001. He, too, was taking Lipitor when he had a scary experience with transient global amnesia (TGA).

Subsequently, we heard from others who also experienced TGA or other kinds of memory problems while taking statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Q:My teenage daughter has been taking antibiotics to treat her acne for years, but she's also had terrible GI problems (stomachaches and diarrhea) for much of that time. I didn't think of a connection until recently, but now I wonder if the antibiotics might be responsible.

She has taken Prilosec, as per her doctor's recommendation, but it really hasn't helped. Is there anything else that might help her overcome these symptoms? Her dermatologist says if she stops the minocycline she is taking, her acne will come back, and I hate for her to have to deal with that at the start of the school year.

A:It is possible that years of antibiotic treatment have altered the ecology of her digestive tract, contributing to her pain and diarrhea. Antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as the bad ones.

Repopulating the digestive tract with good bacteria can sometimes help reverse that problem. Such probiotic bacteria may be found in yogurt with active live cultures or capsules such as Culturelle, Enzymatic Therapy or Florastor.

Q:Last night, my boyfriend became so violent, I was afraid he was going to hit my 22-year-old daughter or me.

He threatened to burn down our home, and he tried to kick me out. I just realized that he started changing in the past two weeks right after he started taking Chantix to quit smoking.

He has never acted like this before. He was so threatening and said such cruel and hateful things.

I read on your Web site about possible violence and aggression from a combination of Chantix and alcohol. My boyfriend drinks beer. As soon as he gets home from work, I'll tell him to stop taking Chantix. There needs to be a warning about this drug. If nothing else, this frightening reaction can ruin relationships that were going beautifully.

A:Some people taking Chantix have become violent. We have heard from others that alcohol may aggravate aggression linked to Chantix.

Even without alcohol, this stop-smoking drug may trigger extreme emotions. One woman wrote: “I took Chantix exactly as prescribed, and within two days, I was a changed person: irritable, with wild mood changes, yelling and screaming at everyone. I would even become violent with close family when things didn't go my way.”

Comments »

sandra donnellan wrote on Oct 20, 2008 7:56 AM:

" Lipitor has made billions for Pfizer and it's all about the money! They failed to report how many people have experienced negative reactions. They say to have your liver checked, but never mention to also have a CPK test! This test is important and lets you know if there is protein in the blood. Protein indicates muscle breakdown, as Lipitor can do. Also depletes one of vitamin B as well. "

Marilyn Kruse wrote on Oct 18, 2008 10:28 PM:

" I would like to know how many years Lipitor can be taken without some kind of adverse affect. "

Jerlean Holt wrote on Oct 8, 2008 10:20 PM:

" I have a story about Lipitor and also about my experience with Warfrin. Where can I go to post them? Thank you! "

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