how fast does lipitor work

LIPITOR starts working in as little
as 2 weeks.Yes, it’s true! That’s all
the time it takes to start lowering
your cholesterol. LIPITOR works
fast & keeps working. As long as
you take it daily.
Even though u can’t feel it, you’ll
see proof soon. Just as soon as you
get ur blood checked.
So keep at it — & keep
knocking ur numbers down

Now after this bit of advertising:

Dr. Matthew Budoff, author of ''Enhancing Heart Health,'' writes that cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lipitor ''work by inhibiting the enzyme needed to manufacture cholesterol in the liver. However, these drugs also block the manufacture of important nutrients like CoQ10, which has been shown to benefit heart health. The other main drawback of this class of drugs is debilitating muscle pain . Other side effects, according to the Physicians Desk Reference, include liver problems, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches & skin rash.''

Aching muscles r especially common among statin drug users, & according to Bottom Line Yearbook 2002, muscle ache can actually be a sign that body tissues r breaking down, which can lead to serious kidney damage. Other, less common -- but no less disturbing -- side effects can also occur as a result of taking statin drugs, as is illustrated by the following patient account in ''Overdose'' by Jay S. Cohen: ''Last of all my doctor prescribed Lipitor, & after several months l found l was having trouble remembering names & coming up with the right word. At dinner once, l said, 'Please pass the elephant,' though l wanted the bread. l told my husband that l thought I'd had a stroke. In January, a friend came to visit. She was worried about her memory & could not think of her daughter is name on the telephone. She too was on Lipitor. l asked my doctor to prescribe a different cholesterol medicine. Within a couple of weeks l was more mentally alert. But my friend (still on Lipitor) was in worse shape & afraid she would lose her job. Her doctor said forgetfulness could not be due to the drug. She finally stopped taking Lipitor & now is much sharper.''

Cohen writes that he has heard more complaints about side effects from Lipitor than all of the other drugs in its class combined. ''Perhaps this is because the standard dosage of Lipitor is so strong; it is far stronger than many patients actually need or can tolerate,'' he writes. Indeed, the recommended dosage of Pfizer is Lipitor is notably high -- usually 10 mg or higher. Cohen writes, ''The Lipitor dosage guidelines do not distinguish between patients with or without heart disease. They do not distinguish between patients requiring large reductions & those needing small reductions. The recommended initial dose of Lipitor, 10 mg, is so powerful that doctors can treat many patients with the same dose & not have to bother matching the dose to individual patients.''

In other words, Pfizer standardized its dosage recommendations for Lipitor in order to make it easier for doctors to prescribe the drug -- a convenience for the drug company & the doctor perhaps, but certainly not for the patient.

When it comes to statin drugs, Americans r being overdosed with prescription medications they probably do not even need in the first place. We now know that high doses of these drugs can have serious side effects in many areas of health. To avoid getting hooked on these dangerous drugs, talk to a health practitioner, like a naturopath, who can discuss with u natural ways to improve ur cholesterol levels. Do not just turn to mega-doses of Lipitor for help.

Watch this drug very close because it will steal ur life away. l have many friends that thought that their life was at a end. But it was the lipitor...

About 2 weeks for maximum effect to be manifest.