Memory loss from cholesterol meds? Another side effect to consider before you take Lipitor Many people have taken Lipitor for years and dealt with the side effects (read about it here) because it was recommended by their doctor. True, many people have high cholesterol, but is this the reason for a heart attack, and is it worth the side effects that can be treating a "what if" disease process? Many who have invested into this drugs theory have done so after a life altering effect such as a heart attack because the medication supposedly reduces the risk of further cardiac events. Is fear of the unknown really the best way to make a health care decision, especially in light of an additional side effect now being reported which is Memory Loss? Perhaps you will not remember why you took it in the first place after a while? The New York Times explores the newest research regarding this in their new article. As always, I never tell anyone how to think but I do give people things they should think about. The unfortunate problem with healthcare, and our exploding healthcare costs is that we have been sold a bill of goods based on the fear of the unknown which is known which is we all have a limited lifespan. It is the way we handle it and choose to live which is most important. The healthcare system is able to promote what if scenario treatments because of fear. Most of us will purchase a television with more knowledge than we will have when we make a healthcare decision. This is a huge part of the problem, because when we are faced with our own mortality and we can be saved (maybe, but hardly likely) by a drug with huge long term consequences and constant monitoring costs, where the benefits are doubtful against the risks (well known and the list is growing), the real face of our growing healthcare costs if a consumer of these services who are left in the dark, and are forced to make a decision on a highly emotional subject; their own mortality. What if you did nothing? For years people did. Many people still lived into their 80's and 90's. Is the explosion of people with Alzheimers disease the fallout from cholesterol drugs and our obsession with numbers. Sorry for being so preachy, however, people need to be educated and know so there is less fear and they can be better healthcare consumers. Then, and only then will they make informed decisions, which is the best way to handle healthcare costs (check out this article). Believe it or not, most doctors would never take any of this stuff themselves, and when faced with their own mortality will choose to go home, take care of their affairs and spend quality time with their family (read article here). If you are wondering why those who help us live would not want to extend their life, the reality is that they know what the technology can do, what the quality of life may be, what the outrageous costs are and in the end, if it makes a difference after all that suffering. This makes them better healthcare consumers. Read the NY Times Article here By TARA PARKER-POPE After a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in 2010, Steve Colburn of Portland, Ore., began taking a cholesterol-lowering statin at the maximum dose. Soon, he began experiencing memory problems. "Thinking and remembering became so laborious that I could not even recall my three-digit telephone extension or computer password at work," said Mr. Colburn, 62, a sales representative and product developer. "All day, every day, I felt like my brain was mush." His doctor suggested a "drug vacation," and when Mr. Colburn stopped taking the statin for six weeks, the problems disappeared. Then he tried a different statin at a high dose, but the cognitive difficulties returned. His doctor has since lowered his dose by more than half, and while the memory lapses have not disappeared, he has learned to cope. Read more here