this just in from AARP
This just came in by e-mail from the AARP organization: Cholesterol-lowering drugs (Statins) Why they are prescribed: Statins are used to treat high cholesterol. Examples: Atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). How they can cause memory loss: Drugs that lower blood levels of cholesterol may impair memory and other mental processes by depleting brain levels of cholesterol as well. In the brain, these lipids are vital to the formation of connections between nerve cells — the links underlying memory and learning. (The brain, in fact, contains a quarter of the body's cholesterol.) A study published in the journal Pharmacotherapy in 2009 found that three out of four people using these drugs experienced adverse cognitive effects "probably or definitely related to" the drug. The researchers also found that 90 percent of the patients who stopped statin therapy reported improvements in cognition, sometimes within days.
Pelousy and Boner must be taking these drugs.
Yesterday I learned that a Harvard study found a correlation between Viagra and increased melanoma risk.
Bad news for nudist retirement communities!