Keep a close eye on statin use

Dear Dr. Gott: My wife, age 77, had been suffering from aching muscles and lower back pain. She suspected Zocor, thanks to your most informative articles on the subject of statins and muscle damage.

She visited her doctor, who halted the Zocor and placed her on Niaspan. We are pleased to report that after 10 days to two weeks, she is feeling much better now.

Would you be so kind and enlighten us as to what might have happened that made the difference in the two medications? We both have been on Zocor for more than two years. Am I likely to be next?

Dear Reader: Some, but not all, patients on statin drugs may develop muscle aches and pains from damage caused by the medications. The reasons for this are, as yet, unknown.

My advice to you and other readers taking statins is to be conscious of possible muscle damage and make sure that you report these symptoms to your physician at the earliest sign of trouble.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Understanding Cholesterol.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: I just finished your column about Alzheimer’s patients. I was greatly disappointed that there was no mention of hospice.

Medicare hospice benefits include the diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s as a terminal prognosis. As a registered nurse for our local hospice, I have been involved in caring for Alzheimer’s patients, controlling their pain and anxiety, and helping families deal with this difficult diagnosis.

There are many difficulties working with patients who are unable to communicate, but words aren’t the only way we know that a patient is in distress. We treat the nonverbal as well as the verbal.

Our concern is not what may be causing the pain or anxiety but how best to treat these symptoms.

Dear Reader: Hospice is an important organization that provides invaluable assistance to terminally ill or severely demented patients. I did not mention this resource in my column because not all hospice programs are paid by insurance or Medicare unless the patients’ lives are likely to be cut short by their ailments.

Also, not all communities are blessed by having hospice available.

Thanks for writing in favor of such an important resource.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my health report “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.