Filed at 3:36 p.m. ET

BOSTON (AP) -- When the cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol was pulled off the market three weeks ago, Joan Gedies' doctor prescribed another, similar medication. But Gedies hasn't filled her prescription yet.

Like many other patients, Gedies is suddenly nervous about taking any of the popular medications in the family of drugs called statins, even though they have been shown to dramatically lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack.

Doctors say they have been deluged by calls from patients since Bayer Pharmaceutical recalled Baycol after it was linked to deadly muscle destruction.

``I've had patients call me who I haven't seen in three years who have been on a statin. A lot of these people wonder whether they should continue taking the drug in view of this red flag,'' said Dr. Richard Nesto, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington.

Bayer recalled the drug Aug. 8 after it was linked to 31 U.S. deaths and at least nine more abroad. About 700,000 Americans were taking the drug.

Baycol was tied to rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening condition in which muscle cells are destroyed and released into the bloodstream. The condition, which can cause extreme muscle pain, is occasionally so severe that patients develop potentially fatal kidney failure.

Doctors across the country have been busy reassuring their patients that the other popular statins -- Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Pravachol and Lescol -- are safe. But the recall has put some patients on edge.

``It just leaves you worried about statins,'' said Gedies, 68, of Beverly, who is diabetic. ``But I've been told that even though I'm eating as carefully as I can ... that it would be hard for me without one of these drugs to get my cholesterol down.''

In Miami, more than 100 of Dr. Ted Feldman's patients have called his office with concerns. In Phoenix, cardiologist Dr. Bruce Peek said: ``People are freaking out.''

Feldman said he tells his patients that the dangerous side effects linked to Baycol have been found in extremely small numbers in the other statins.

``Just because you have problem with a Ford Explorer, that doesn't mean that everyone should stop driving a car,'' he said.

Doctors are warning patients against going off cholesterol medication altogether and are urging them to switch to one of the other statins, which they insist have very low risks and can have lifesaving benefits.

Some patients are taking the Baycol recall in stride.

Tina Morgese, 75, a retired secretary from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., has been on Lipitor for about 18 months. She said she is not about to stop taking the drug, which has lowered her cholesterol significantly.

``I just went in for a checkup this week and it is normal,'' she said. ``It helped me out right away and I've had no bad side effects.''

Bob Richman, 65, of Winthrop, had been on Baycol since he had a heart attack three years ago. He said he is not afraid to switch to another statin.

``No matter what you do today, no matter what you eat or what you try, somebody is telling you that one out of 10 people are going to get this or one out of 100 people are going to get that,'' he said. ``If you sit and worry about it, you'll spend the rest of your life worrying about it.''