Doctors hate side effects. After all, physicians are supposed to follow the adage first, do no harm. Yet every medication they prescribe can cause problems.That poses a dilemma for any doctor prescribing drugs. Perhaps that's why many physicians discount patient complaints about bad reactions to medications.
A recent study collected reports from 650 patients who had reported classic side effects from statin-type cholesterol-lowering medicines (Drug Safety, Aug. 2007). Most of the time patients were the ones who initiated conversations about drug-induced symptoms. Frequently, doctors denied that the drug was responsible, even when the side effect had been linked to the drug in the medical literature.
We frequently hear similar complaints from readers. One wrote: "I was a healthy 46-year-old man when I went to the doctor in spring 2006 for a checkup. I was prescribed generic Zocor (simvastatin). Within 30 days, I began having pains in my elbows and knees as well as constant muscle pains. I never even thought that the Zocor was responsible, and my doctor never mentioned any such issues.
"After 5 months I went to the emergency room with extreme muscle pain. Research on the Internet made me suspect the Zocor. I expressed my opinion to the emergency room doctor who brushed off my suggestion.
"I returned to my doctor with my concerns, and he was very annoyed at the idea that Zocor might be causing my problems. He told me not to take medical advice from anyone who is not a doctor. He said side effects are rare and that my muscle pains were due to my getting older. He did a blood test and mailed me the results. He has not expressed any desire to follow up or even contact me with regard to further checkups.
"It has been a year since I stopped taking Zocor and I am still working to get back to where I was before taking the medicine."
Hundreds of people have written us about muscle pain or weakness, numbness or tingling due to nerve damage or memory problems associated with statin-type medications. Often their physicians have told them that these problems are due to aging and not related to their pills.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs are not the only medicines that can cause devastating side effects. For years we heard from women worried that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might increase their risk for breast cancer. Often they were told that this was not a problem and besides, heart disease was a much bigger threat. HRT was expected to lower the chance of heart attacks and strokes. Now, there is no longer any doubt that HRT increases the risk of both breast cancer and heart disease in older women.
Medications for arthritis, diabetes, depression and heartburn have all grabbed headlines because of belated recognition of serious side effects. Instead of discounting patients' concerns about drug-induced symptoms, doctors should welcome such conversations. Alerting patients to problems and responding when they arise may help prevent more serious complications.
People can share their side effect experiences at www.peoplespharmacy.com. Sometimes learning from other patients can be more helpful than relying on a doctor in denial.