Wait a moment.Your statement about the study you are citing that
nifedipine (brand name Procardia) causes more heart attacks in
hypertension sufferers than no treatment at all is not entirely accurate.
That study was RETROSPECTIVE and studied people who WERE treated for
hypertension with nifedipine or some other type of anti-hypertensive
drug. The people treated with nifedipine had more heart attacks than
those treated with other drugs.
BUT the study has some scientific flaws: (1) It could not compensate for
prescriber bias toward various drugs, meaning the sickest people (already
prone to heart attacks) may have gotten the nifedipine because it is
relatively easy to tolerate compared to some other antihypertensives.
(2)the study was based on the IMMEDIATE-RELEASE form of nifedipine (ie,
10mg capsule) which has never been FDA approved for treatment of
hypertension. The approved form of nifedipine for hypertension is
SUSTAINED-RELEASE such as Procardia-XL or Adalat-CC. These forms of
nifedipine were not covered in the study. I am not shilling for the drug
companies, they've screwed me over enough in my lifetime. But the way the
media is jumping on this from the scare-tactic angle is unconscionable.
People who need medication may stop using it for no good reason.
Except for the fact that the media can be unilateral in reporting a story
and we just assume a free press is an accurate press.
L.Hagens, RPh
