Lipitor

Q	I have primary progessive MS and I have taken Lipitor for two years. My MS doctor doubled my dose to 20mg. If I was to see results, how long would it take and how would I know? Thank you, Hester H.
A	Lipitor is a member of the class of drugs called statins. Statins seem to have effects on immune function, some of which inhibit inflammation and therefore have the potential to lessen the immune mediated damage that occurs in MS. Statins have been shown to prevent or reverse the effects of an MS like disease in mice. There has been a small study of one of the statins (at a higher dose than is usually used to lower cholesterol) in people with relapsing-remitting MS. This study showed a reduction in gadolinium enhancing lesions, suggesting that the statin suppressed new inflammatory damage. It remains to be seen whether or not larger studies will confirm a benefit. The magnitude of any clinical effect of treatment is not yet known as this study was too small and too short to answer this question. There is no information available yet about whether the statins will be helpful in progressive MS, when inflammation may play less of a role in producing neurologic worsening. More studies will be undertaken to answer these questions given the promise shown in the preliminary research. Dr. Mary Lou Myles   Shared Solutions®, MSWatch®, Shared Perspectives®, MSUniversity® and msdialogue® are trademarks of Teva Neuroscience. © 2007, Teva Neuroscience G.P.-S.E.N.C., Montreal, Quebec H3A 3L4 | Powered by Intouch Solutions, Inc. This site is intended for Canadian residents only.