Use and riskd of multiple stain drugs

[xyz2001]

My Dr. has me on Lipitor, Tricor AND Zetia. Does anyone know about the risks of using 3 stain drugas at the same time with respect to developing muscle wasting disease, rhabdomyolysis (like the problem with Baycor) ?

[Lenin]

xyz,

Only the Lipitor is a STATIN; the Zetia prevents cholesterol absorption from the small intestine and the Tricor acts to lower tryglicerides from plasma.

There are interactions both positive and negative to taking the three together. I wouldn't do it unless faced with life threatening levels of familial cholesterol!

[vipergg22]

Originally Posted by xyz2001

My Dr. has me on Lipitor, Tricor AND Zetia. Does anyone know about the risks of using 3 stain drugas at the same time with respect to developing muscle wasting disease, rhabdomyolysis (like the problem with Baycor) ?

Taking statins and tricor at the same time is generally considered poor practice and is advised against . This combo can cause major problems in some people, below is the warning.
Concomitant HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

The combined use of TRICOR and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors should be avoided unless the benefit of further alterations in lipid levels is likely to outweigh the increased risk of this drug combination.

In a single-dose drug interaction study in 23 healthy adults the concomitant administration of TRICOR and pravastatin resulted in no clinically important difference in the pharmacokinetics of fenofibric acid, pravastatin or its active metabolite 3a-hydroxy iso-pravastatin when compared to either drug given alone.

The combined use of fibric acid derivatives and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors has been associated, in the absence of a marked pharmacokinetic interaction, in numerous case reports, with rhabdomyolysis, markedly elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels and myoglobinuria, leading in a high proportion of cases to acute renal failure.

The use of fibrates alone, including TRICOR, may occasionally be associated with myositis, myopathy, or rhabdomyolysis. Patients receiving TRICOR and complaining of muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness should have prompt medical evaluation for myopathy, including serum creatine kinase level determination. If myopathy/myositis is suspected or diagnosed, TRICOR therapy should be stopped.

[patricia22]

xyz,

I had been on Lipitor for about 6 years when my doctor put me on Tricor also. After a few months, I began to develope muscle pain in both arms - which I originally thought was due to my sleeping in the wrong position. It continued to worsen to the point where I couldn't pick up anything more than about 5 pounds without severe pain. I also had serious muscle weakness.

I stopped both Lipitor and Tricor after about 2 months of combo therapy, and have been off for 11 months now - and only recently has the pain subsided siginficantly, and my strength begun to return.

Be very careful with this combination therapy - the risk of muscle damage increases greatly when you combine Lipitor and Tricor. If you notice ANY chronic muscle pain/weakness, stop them before they do serious damage... some people have been suffering muscle pain/weakness years after stopping their drugs....


MrBob

[ARIZONA73]

Oh yes. First and foremost, always listen and pay heed to what your body is saying to you. Whatever your doctor says is merely secondary.