Medications, Medications, Medications
The use of medications is so common. Today, 61% of adults use at least one drug to treat a chronic health problem – which is a 15% rise from 20011. What’s even more startling is that 1 in 4 senior citizens take at least 5 medications, each and every day. That is quite a bit!
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults taking medications to combat high cholesterol rates from 20% to 28% between 2003 and 2012. The fact of the matter is that these types of medications are becoming more common, and as a result they are becoming over-prescribed for so many.
So, what’s the problem with medications? The problem is not that they are ineffective. They actually do have an effect on your body, and are certainly not a placebo whatsoever. Instead, they are engendering a false sense of security that can be harmful to your overall health. Medications have the effect of making you think you are doing exactly what is right for your body, and that you are healthier or safer because of it. They make you feel like you have the “ticket” to ending your risk for conditions like high cholesterol, blood sugar or blood pressure.
Medications and High Cholesterol
A recent patient told me that she wanted to stop taking her cholesterol pills altogether – and that she was afraid of the potential consequences. Her previous doctor had essentially told her that she would have a heart attack if she quit taking her pills. For her, the medications felt like a hall pass that was protecting her from immediate heart disease. She felt protected, safe, and like it would not affect her so long as she continued to take her pills.
Top cholesterol medications include:
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Lovastatin
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
- Simvastatin (Zocor)
So, was this patient’s belief about her medication actually a hall pass or a lottery ticket? Let’s consider the numbers…
The patient had never had an actual heart attack. She was in her mid-50’s, had high LDL cholesterol and a family history of heart disease. Based on studies involving 65,229 participants just like her, here are the odds of the medication helping or hurting2: