Statins?

[[dr...]]

I've been on statins for decades now. I remember I had a co-worker who said they were evil. (He prob had never had benzos though)

 

I'm wondering if there might be a link between them and longer term effects I am experiencing now: Depression, anxiety, bad dreams, fog, dysphoria, etc.

 

Maybe I should try stopping. Has anyone been through this? Is it worth the risk? How soon before you can determine a connection? How soon to lose the statins effects so you know what's going on?

[[bl...]]

I am with your colleague on this when I will never take a stating while I have a pulse and will never have my cholesterol tested, I am a biochemist and have researched statins and am trying to get all of my husband's relatives off them who have been on them for decades as their dad died of a heart attack young. I would rather die quick of a heart attack than a slow degenerative disease any day. All my humble opinion of course

[[bu...]]

My doc is one of the most respected physicians here in a very "med-centric" region (4 major teaching hospitals in about a 50 mile radius).  He has been my doc for over 30 years, and has safely guided my through several significant health issues, including benzo withdrawal.  He is very conservative about both prescribing, and about diagnostic procedures.

 

But he is powerful advocate of statins.  I have no history of high cholesterol, but I am a senior.  He has rarely ever gotten upset with me, but when I told him I was going to stop my simvastatin, he got pretty assertive...so I stay on it.

[[fi...]]

I had muscle pain, hair loss and insomnia while on statins.  (I was on Livalo, by the way).  I am off of statins now and my doctor recommended that I not go back on them due to the side effects they caused in me.  He said that diet can help some as far as cholesterol is concerned.  You might talk to your doctor and see what he thinks.

 

[Note:  I did have a carotid doppler to make sure that there was no plaque in my arteries to make sure I could stay off of statins].

[[Li...]]

I have a VERY strong family history of heart disease and have a stent myself (placed when I was 49). I've been on statins since I was 18, with the exception of when I was pregnant and planning to get pregnant. I wouldn't be here right now if I weren't on statins. While I agree with the fact that most people don't need them, some people do need them. 

[[Gr...]]

Interesting.  I know some people who were on them and went off of them mostly because of side effects and concerns about the effects of taking statins.  I've heard that you should try to avoid them and fix things with diet if you can.    I've read more than one article about the bad side of statins and it really did scare me.  I would be very wary of taking them.

 

I recently read the book "How Not To Die" and that guy advocates a plant based diet to fix everything.  I've gone mostly vegetarian since reading it.  It said a lot of stuff about diet and heart health.

[[me...]]

Statins are great--for the pharmaceutical companies! A "lifestyle" drug that people are supposed to take forever. I'm too tired right now to link to articles about why taking statins is not a good idea, but they have horrid side effects, and very little overall upside (I'll try and come back later). You would be much better off focusing on lowering your triglycerides, and raising HDL cholesterol. This can be done through diet, and is much better for you. I encourage anyone on a statin, or contemplating one, to do some serious research on the subject. Don't just take everything the doctor recommends, most of us are here for that very reason.

[[bl...]]

Well said meowie how did our ancestors cope without preventative lifestyle drugs, if they are so vital our species would have died out but if you eat loads of processed non-foods you are likely to be causing a lot of inflammation which are then countered by expensive drugs. Cholesterol is demonised but we're it not for cholesterol we would have no cell membranes potentially linked to some of the side effects of statins. A very small proportion will benefit from them but if you are female and feel ok as they were never tested on women and Swedish study show no benefits at all for females. Everyone has to die of something and I think a heart attack is one of the best way to go personally.

[[bu...]]

Hmm...am I going to take some unsubstantiated advice from a message board, or the advice of my trusted doc of 30+ years??  Tough decision. 

 

I told him I didn't need to take them because I have no heart disease risk factors.  He said "You're 74 years old, that's a risk factor."

[[dr...]]

Statins are great--for the pharmaceutical companies! A "lifestyle" drug that people are supposed to take forever. I'm too tired right now to link to articles about why taking statins is not a good idea, but they have horrid side effects, and very little overall upside (I'll try and come back later). You would be much better off focusing on lowering your triglycerides, and raising HDL cholesterol. This can be done through diet, and is much better for you. I encourage anyone on a statin, or contemplating one, to do some serious research on the subject. Don't just take everything the doctor recommends, most of us are here for that very reason.

 

Why do you say not much upside to statins?

[[dr...]]

I had muscle pain, hair loss and insomnia while on statins.  (I was on Livalo, by the way).  I am off of statins now and my doctor recommended that I not go back on them due to the side effects they caused in me.  He said that diet can help some as far as cholesterol is concerned.  You might talk to your doctor and see what he thinks.

 

[Note:  I did have a carotid doppler to make sure that there was no plaque in my arteries to make sure I could stay off of statins].

 

How did you pin your symptoms down to the statin? Did they subside when you stopped?

 

If you're like most people here you have a lot of symptoms anyway. How do you separate them out?

[[me...]]

Here's a start:

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150220110850.htm

 

https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-statins-dont-save-lives-in-people-without-heart-disease/

(Chris has written a lot on the subject, google "chris kresser statins"

 

http://www.drperlmutter.com/tag/statins/

 

https://www.bewell.com/blog/the-truth-about-statins/

 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-statins-produce-neurological-effects/

[[fi...]]

I had muscle pain, hair loss and insomnia while on statins.  (I was on Livalo, by the way).  I am off of statins now and my doctor recommended that I not go back on them due to the side effects they caused in me.  He said that diet can help some as far as cholesterol is concerned.  You might talk to your doctor and see what he thinks.

 

[Note:  I did have a carotid doppler to make sure that there was no plaque in my arteries to make sure I could stay off of statins].

 

How did you pin your symptoms down to the statin? Did they subside when you stopped?

 

If you're like most people here you have a lot of symptoms anyway. How do you separate them out?

 

All of the aforementioned symptoms subsided within weeks of going off of the statin (and they started a short time after going on the statin). 

[[me...]]

Here's a great article (don't read if your blood pressure is already high!), he addresses the statin controversy in the middle of the article:

 

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/corruption-academic-medicine/

[[dr...]]

Wow. I don't see any difference between the bad effects of statins and extended benzo w/d, at least for me.

 

I'm going to see if I can stop for a few months at least.

[[Ph...]]

Hmm...am I going to take some unsubstantiated advice from a message board, or the advice of my trusted doc of 30+ years??  Tough decision. 

 

I told him I didn't need to take them because I have no heart disease risk factors.  He said "You're 74 years old, that's a risk factor."

<<He said "You're 74 years old, that's a risk factor.">>

 

This statement makes no sense.  He really said that?  Justifying the presribing of statins based solely on age, in the absence of any other reason to do so?  At what age does your doc think everyone on the planet should just line up and start taking a statin?  70?  60?  50?  At birth?

 

 

[[bu...]]

Well, here's a flash.  Being 75 years old does dramatically increase one's risk of a cardiac event! 

 

 

Like I said above, am  I going to trust my  well-respected doc of 30 years who has successfully seen me through several health crisis, am I going to trust some random opinion from a message board?  Hmm...!!