Note: The following is a commentary only, and is not meant as medical advice. And if after further study you are of the opinion that you may want to get off your statins - also be aware that to go off any medication suddenly is not advisable - find out the correct way to do it!
Have you been to a cardiologist? Does he (she) have you on a statin drug? Or maybe its 'just as a precaution'? You may want to investigate just what these were meant to do and what they do that they weren't intended to do - or 'side effects'.
But first, what are some of the 'statin' drugs; their names? Notice the pharmaceutical term always has 'statin' in it.
•Advicor® (niacin extended-release/lovastatin)
•Altoprev® (lovastatin extended-release)
•Caduet® (amlodipine and atorvastatin)
•Crestor® (rosuvastatin)
•Lescol® (fluvastatin)
•Lescol XL (fluvastatin extended-release)
•Lipitor® (atorvastatin)
•Mevacor® (lovastatin)
•Pravachol® (pravastatin)
•Simcor® (niacin extended-release/simvastatin)
•Vytorin® (ezetimibe/simvastatin)
•Zocor® (simvastatin)
Now, what are they meant to do? They lower your cholesterol level.
So what? Why do I want to lower my cholesterol level? Because high cholesterol is supposed to be linked to cardiovascular disease.
But PLEASE note - there are a lot of studies out there that show this is NOT the case; that high cholesterol may be present in some of those with cardiovascular disease, but it is highly contested as to weather or not it causes the problem. Also, as mentioned in the article to follow, the benefits of these statin drugs is limited to those in their 50's and the absolute risk reduction is only about 2% - yes, 2%!! That's like putting an additive in your car's fuel tank that helps keep the tip of your spark plugs a little cleaner - but oh, by the way, it puts holes in your gas tank!
What do statins do that they weren't meant to do? These are the side effects that you are not usually told about or the doctor is not aware of.
READ ALL ABOUT IT! (and while you are there, notice there are many other articles about statins and cholesterol)
Brief list of possible side effects:
Statin drugs have a remarkably diverse set of side effects which may take months or even years to surface:
•Heart failure
•Alzheimer's disease
•Sepsis
•Cognitive and memory impairment
•Reduced libido
•Muscle pain and weakness
•Increased risk of:
•Diabetes
•Multiple sclerosis
•Hemorrhagic stroke
•Cancer
•ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known commonly as Lou Gehrig's disease)
