Lipitor and Memory Loss: Are Reports Really Just Anecdotal?

If one may believe the February 13^th report by ABC News' Lauren Cahoon, patient and physician reports linking the use of Lipitor and memory loss are considered anecdotal - a fancy term that classifies them as sketchy, untrustworthy, and by and large little more than subjective opinion with little grounding in reality.

Truth be told, when consulting the physician's desk reference entry for Lipitor, many a side effect are noted; among them are changes in heart rate, the potential for allergic reactions, dizziness, headaches, rashes, and also muscle pain. There is no mentioning of a relationship between Lipitor and memory loss. Granted, it only talks about commonly experienced side effects, but if memory loss really was anticipated, there would be at least a mention of it.

On the other side of the equation is Dr. Orli Etingtin, who as vice chairman of medicine at the prestigious New York Presbyterian Hospital did not make many friends in the medical community when he bluntly asserted that Lipitor and memory loss are not only connected, but that the drug is actually making his female patients dumb. Strong words from a physician who did not get to where he is today by failing to wear the company face and toeing the line dictated by drug companies.

Yet what is startling is the proof Dr. Etingtin cites: according to him, a middle aged patient suffered from failure to concentrate and remember words but when she discontinued Lipitor, these problems disappeared. Does this make it an anecdotal or bona fide side effect of the popular cholesterol lowering drug?

With all due respect to the ABC News' medical editor - Dr. Timothy Johnson - who is quoted in L. Cahoon's piece as discounting any worry because of an alleged link between Lipitor and memory loss since it does not appear to be a common or even serious side effect, in my opinion Dr. Johnson fails to have first hand knowledge with which to form such an opinion. While to him memory loss does not appear to be serious, to one who experiences it there is a lot more weight attached to the condition.

I have taken Lipitor for the better part of a year now and even though I am on the lowest dosage - 10 mg orally one time per day - I have noticed a most distinct and worrisome connection between Lipitor and memory loss. Would I go so far as to say that the drug makes me stupid? No. Yet I understand most clearly what might have caused Dr. Etingtin to make such an exasperated comment.

The memory loss I am experiencing is not the kind that causes a failure to remember tasks that require completing or bills that are due. Instead, it is more subtle in that it causes a loss of memory with respect to names. I can envision the person, but for the life of me cannot remember her or his name. It comes and goes, and by and large is more annoying at times than making life more difficult.

The latter is accomplished by the other expression of the link between Lipitor and memory loss that thus far I had chalked up to either advancing age or the potential development of a condition that might be far worse than any side effect: I have noticed that at times it is very hard to combine the mental image of an item with the name for it. For example, I might be able to envision a bathing suit but for the life of me cannot remember the English word for it (interestingly, at times I will remember the German term, however).

Other times I might ask my child to go get something for me, but I cannot remember what the item is called and then am reduced to describing the "glass" I wanted as the "receptacle into which to pour milk." While this may be a great way for my offspring to increase the ranges of their vocabulary, for someone like me who makes a living with words, this is a most untenable condition.

On the other hand, with a maternal family history that has women dropping dead from strokes and heart attacks in their early to mid 50s, it is somewhat of a tossup what I would rather lose: my memory or my life. Sure, a family history does not have to spell out disaster but it is a good indicator of things to come and so the discontinuation of Lipitor is a much more serious consideration than just seeking to alleviate an annoying side effect.

As other statins have also been indicated as harboring the potential for adverse cognitive side effects - Lipitor and memory loss may be the flagship story since the drug is one of the most commonly prescribed - the logical choice is not to simply switch out Lipitor for another similar drug as Dr. Johnson appears to intimate in the ABC News piece.

Wish that it were so easy!

In the meantime I have found that the only way to truly cope with the memory loss is to accept it, make my family aware of it, and professionally accept that sometimes an article or other piece of writing will take longer to complete. Owning a good thesaurus helps, as do various professional dictionaries and even phrase books.

For the times when the connection between Lipitor and memory loss becomes a bit too frustrating, it is vital for me to remember that I am getting close to outliving my maternal aunt's lifespan, and after that I will hopefully outlive my mother's short lifetime as well.

Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseCenter/story?id=4281162&page=1
http://www.drugs.com/pdr/lipitor.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/97524.php