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Lopid Side Effects.

What are Lopid side effects? Lopid drug reactions? Find the answers here plus how to lower cholesterol naturally by 14 percent without lopid side effects.

Lopid (gemfibrozil) is one of several drugs used to lower cholesterol. (You can call it lopid statins, since it is part of statin drugs). It is very effective in moderate elevations of cholesterol and also lowers triglycerides.

It was extensively studied in Finland and clearly lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, lopid side effects are several.

Initially, the limiting factor in most patients is gas and abdominal complaints. This will persist as long as the drug is taken. Long term, liver, kidney and bone marrow toxicity have been reported, although are uncommon.

Monitoring of blood counts, liver and kidney function should be done regularly and the drug discontinued with changes in any of these organ systems.

Results of a large study using gemfibrozil seem to show that it may cause a higher rate of some cancers in humans. In addition, the action of gemfibrozil is similar to that of another medicine called clofibrate.

Studies with clofibrate have suggested that it may increase the patient's risk of cancer, liver disease, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), gallstones and problems from gallbladder surgery, although it may also decrease the risk of heart attacks.

Click here to learn how to lower your cholesterol by at least 14 percent, without lopid side effects.

Lopid Drug Reactions

Among the main lopid drug reactions is Rhabdomyolysis. It is muscle pain and weakness – this was the condition developed by people on Baycol, which in the end was “voluntarily” withdrawn from the market.

Rhabdomyolysis has occurred with combined gemfibrozil and lovastatin therapy. If you use lopid together with another statin drug for lowering cholesterol, you may develop severe muscle pain and weakness, which is one of lopid side effects.

It may be seen as early as 3 weeks after initiation of combined therapy or after several months. In most subjects who have had an unsatisfactory lipid response to either drug alone, the possible benefit of combined therapy with lovastatin (or other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) and gemfibrozil does not outweigh the risks of severe myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and acute renal failure.

There is no assurance that periodic monitoring of creatine kinase will prevent the occurrence of severe myopathy and kidney damage.

To be safe then, just don’t ever combine lopid with any other statin or cholesterol lowering drug.

Alternatives to lopid statins!?

While it is imperative to lower your cholesterol levels, remember that lopid and other cholesterol lowering drugs are not the only solutions to lowering you cholesterol levels.

Sometimes even a simple change of diet and exercising regularly may lower your cholesterol levels. However you may look at other alternatives, which are proven to lower cholesterol and most importantly without lopid side effects.

Click here to learn how to lower your cholesterol by at least 14 percent, without lopid side effects.

One of the most successful substances that lowers cholesterol is policosanol, which is a safe and natural extract from sugar cane wax.

It works by helping the liver control its production and breakdown of cholesterol.

Clinical studies show that policosanol is as effective as prescription drugs in lowering cholesterol, but without their dangerous side effects. For example, in a 6 week study policosanol reduced total cholesterol by 14 percent where another cholesterol lowering drug lowered total cholesterol by only 12 percent.

Furthermore, specific clinical trials have been safely performed with elderly persons, diabetics, as well as individuals with liver damage or high blood pressure.

And this is much more cheaper than any cholesterol lowering drugs. It costs cheaper than US$ 30. Compare that to any other cholesterol drugs that range around US$ 100. See the table below for cholesterol lowering drugs prices.

Lipitor (30 - 20 mg. tablets)

$98.40

Lopid (60 - 600 mg. tablets)

$94.20

Mevacor (30 - 20 mg. tablets)

$75.00

Pravachol (30 - 20 mg. tablets)

$75.30

Zocor (30 - 20 mg. tablets)

$123.30



Click here to learn more about policosanol, how it can lower your cholesterol by 14 percent, and how to get your own clinically proven policosanol supplement to safely reduce your cholesterol without side effects.



The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. The information and claims made in this site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.