Health

Health: Lipitor & Memory Loss

A growing number of patients say Lipitor is robbing their memories. Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has more on the drug's dark side.

Maureen Webber had to quit her job. Her memory got so bad, she had to write down everything in a journal.

"It ruined my life. I'm not the same person," said Maureen.

Former astronaut Duane Graveline has had two bouts of temporary amnesia.

"I didn't know my wife and I didn't know my new home," said astronaut and author Graveline.

Duane and Maureen blame their problems on the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor.

"I'm angry that I wasn't told of the side effects, possible side effects," said Maureen.

In addition to memory loss, Lipitor and other statins can cause rare but serious side effects that include muscle and kidney trouble.

They're listed on the package insert.

But the drugs are so widely used, and generally well tolerated; many doctors don't acknowledge the risks.

"They all said uniformly that statin drugs don't do this," said Duane.

Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California recently completed a study on statin side effects.

"For each of the top three most common symptoms, according to the patients, the physician denied the possibility that there could be a connection," said Dr. Golomb.

Cardiologist Adolph Hutter said statins like Lipitor are safe and helpful for the vast majority of people.

"There is absolutely no question that these drugs save many, many lives," said Dr. Hutter.

In a statement, Pfizer, the company that makes Lipitor, said:

"It's one of the most widely studied drugs," adding "The appropriate management of patient side effects from any drug is the responsibility of the prescribing physician."

"I've been off it since September," said Maureen.

Maureen said she feels better not taking Lipitor, even though it's against the advice of her doctors. But she's still waiting for her memory to return fully.

"It's like I'm looking inside my brain to an empty room, there's no, there's nothing there," said Maureen.


RELATED LINKS:

Statin Effects Study Survey
FDA Information
Statin Drug Side Effects