Naturally, as a doctor myself, I'm biased in favor of other doctors. But, when I see an error that's truly avoidable with just a modicum of thought, I will fervently argue against it. We should be better than this!
One of the well-known side / adverse effects of a group of anti-cholesterol medications, known as statins, is muscle pain. This happens as a result of muscle breakdown, which, in extreme cases, can become a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. If untreated, this can lead to kidney failure. Thus, when someone develops muscle pain while taking these medications, especially if the muscle pain is widespread, it's important to pause this medication.
My grandmother's doctor did the right thing by pausing this medication a couple of months ago when she was gradually developing worsening muscle pain while taking the statin (even though she had been on it for a long time). Around that time, my grandmother also suffered a fall which left her hospitalized and with broken ribs, but thankfully that fiasco resolved some time ago (and she has been undergoing physical therapy and even went back to work).
Her doctor also did the right thing by rechecking her cholesterol levels to determine whether she still requires medications to keep her cholesterol under control. Frankly, at her age (mid-80s), it's possible to skip out on these medications, but if it reduces her chance of cardiovascular events (the most concerning of which would be a stroke), then it's ok to continue. However, if the medications are producing serious side or adverse effects that are reducing quality of life, then a doctor should not keep prescribing them!
Well, the doctor saw that the cholesterol levels were elevated, and decided to resume my grandmother on the same medication with the same dosage. Yes, the same one that caused her debilitating muscle pain a couple of months prior. What the hell?
And would you know it, shocker of all shockers, she's having substantial muscle pain again. This is causing her to become weaker during an essential time when she's trying to recover her strength from hospitalization. This medication is becoming a disabling factor in her life. Risks vs. benefits... I think the solution is obvious.
I just called her to let her know that she should stop the medication and call her doctor to ask t be switched to a different one. There are other classes of anti-cholesterol medications out there which do not have this side effect, and even if they're less effective at lowering cholesterol, at least it's not going to destroy her little remaining muscle and disable her.
For a doctor, this should not be a concept that's difficult to understand. If you stop a medication for a significant side effect, you don't prescribe the very same one again expecting a different result! When there are other options available, you switch medications.
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