Just read an article about 2 lawsuits being brought against Pfizer, the makers of Lipitor. Both suits claim Lipitor caused memory loss.

A Pfizer spokesman said the claims are “complete fiction”. (Last year, Pfizer reported sales of $12 billion for Lipitor alone)

Well, I think any reasonable neurologist would have to admit the claims are anything but “complete fiction”.

• Especially when there are over 60 case reports of statin-associated memory loss!
• Furthermore, Pfizer sent out letters to physicians in 2003 stating 0.5 percent of all Lipitor users experienced abnormal or impaired thinking. “With about 22 million users of the drug, this translates into 110,000 users- a population roughly the size of Oklahoma City - at risk of potentially suffering memory impairment”
• With drug companies having a history of under-reporting side effects, I suspect this number could be much higher

I don’t care how much smoke and mirrors Pfizer (or other drug companies) pull, the simple fact remains Lipitor is a statin, and statin drugs by definition inhibit cholesterol metabolism. Unfortunately for them, 25% of all the cholesterol in the body resides in the brain-where it’s an integral part of nerve cell structure. So while lowering cholesterol out of your coronary arteries may prevent heart attacks, lowering the cholesterol in your neurons is bound to have some negative effects on brain function.

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