Medical experts at a health conference suggested that the strong advocacy for statin cholesterol drugs, like Lipitor, that has been growing over the past year has led to unexpected side effects.

The Cardiometabolic Health Conference took place in Boston in late October. One of the primary topics of discussion was the heart guidelines which were issued in 2013 by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

These guidelines encouraged statin-based medications such as Lipitor instead of the traditional cholesterol goal numbers. But doctors have allegedly misinterpreted these guidelines and may have exposed many patients to Lipitor side effects.

The experts present at the conference claimed that doctors were not ordering cholesterol tests and failing to properly explain potential side effects of cholesterol drugs.

As a result, some patients are unnecessarily taking the drug, for longer than the health conference experts thought needed, without being aware of the dangerous side effects. The fact that some insurance companies will only cover statin drugs has also encouraged an increased use of Lipitor.

The health conference commentators encouraged doctors to continue monitoring patient cholesterol levels and to discuss potential side effects of drugs like Lipitor.

Many doctors have allegedly misinterpreted treatment guidelines issued in 2013. Lipitor side effects, such as diabetes, have been shown to appear in some statin drug users and are not being properly explained to patients.

Lipitor Warnings

While Lipitor has been a very profitable drug for Pfizer (Lipitor’s manufacturer), studies have shown that it can lead to type-2 diabetes in post-menopausal women. Indeed, side effects of statin drugs in general include the development of severe kidney problems and muscle damage in addition to diabetes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning in February 2012 about the Lipitor side effect risks, but the encouragement to further discuss statin drug side effects at the health conference suggests that there is need for greater public awareness.

The FDA warning followed a study published in January in the Archives of Internal Medicine which found that post-menopausal women (who took statin drugs like Lipitor) were 48 percent more likely to develop type-2 diabetes. Other Lipitor studies support the claims made by this study and the FDA’s warning.

Lipitor Lawsuits

Many Lipitor diabetes lawsuits have have been filed against Pfizer by hundreds of women who have allegedly developed type-2 diabetes because of Lipitor use. The Lipitor lawsuits claim that Pfizer knew or should have known about Lipitor diabetes risks prior to 2012, but failed to adequately warn doctors and patients of the potential Lipitor side effects.

Statin drugs help lower cholesterol by using the liver to prevent the creation of cholesterol in the first place. The Cardiometabolic Health Conference suggests that drugs like Lipitor should not be blindly prescribed to patients, and that doctors should discuss all of the potential side effects.

It has been suggested that the initial guidelines issued in 2013 may have led to unnecessary exposure to diabetes, kidney problems, and muscle damage for millions of patients.

A Lipitor diabetes class action lawsuit investigation is underway.