Posted on 09/26/2015 6:30:32 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Fears are growing over the side effects of cholesterol-lowering pills
Scientists have found the heart disease drug badly affects our stem cells, the internal medical system which repairs damage to our bodies and protects us from muscle and joint pain as well as memory loss.
Last night experts warned patients to “think very carefully” before taking statins as a preventative medicine.
A GP expert in the field said: “They just make many patients feel years older. Side effects mimic the ageing process.”
The new research by scientists at Tulane University in New Orleans has reignited the debate about statin side effects which many doctors say have been played down.
They include memory loss, muscle pain, diabetes, cataracts, liver dysfunction, diabetes, fatigue and memory loss. Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks
Professor Reza Izadpanah, a stem cell biologist and lead author of the research published in the American Journal of Physiology, said: “Our study shows statins may speed up the ageing process.
“People who use statins as a preventative medicine for heath should think again as our research shows they may have general unwanted effects on the body which could include muscle pain, nerve problems and joint problems.”
"This research reinforces what has long been suspected. The side effects of statins mimic the ageing process." —Dr Malcolm Kendrick, GP
The scientists who treated stem cells with statins under laboratory conditions found that after a few weeks the cholesterol-busting treatment had a dramatic effect.
Statins prevented stem cells from performing their main functions, to reproduce and replicate other cells in the body to carry out repairs.
The researchers found the statins prevented stem cells from generating new bone and cartilage.
They also found they increased ageing.
Professor Izadpanah said: “People at high risk of heart disease can reduce this risk by taking statins. However, considering the adverse effects of these drugs and their association with so many side effects, it is crucial people are fully aware of the risks before they take the treatment.” Vanessa Redgrave survives severe heart attack thanks to answer...
Dr Malcolm Kendrick, a GP in Macclesfield, Cheshire, who has studied heart health and statins, said: “Statins just make many patients feel years older. This research reinforces what has long been suspected. The side effects of statins mimic the ageing process.
“I observe patients on statins slowing down. Some are not affected, for some it is a relatively subtle process, but for many it is a serious side effect and one which disturbingly helps us confirm what we have long suspected.” The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the findings could save lives
Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks, but a 10-year NHS plan has already been introduced to prescribe the drug to low-risk patients with only a 10 per cent chance of a heart attack within a decade.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence claims this could save thousands of lives.
But critics say much of the trials data has never been made public and more work is needed to ensure routine use is not harmful.
While it is of most importance for those after age 50, the study I was referencing was from 2013:
A recent (2013) study found that high cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in subjects over 50 years was associated with lowered all-cause mortality. (2) Compared to those with cholesterol <190mg/dL, those aged 60-70 years with a cholesterol level from 190-230mg/dL had a 32% lowered mortality rate. Those with a cholesterol level from 230-308mg/dL had a 33% reduced mortality rate. For male subjects with a cholesterol over 308mg/dL, there was an insignificant 2% increase risk for all-cause mortality. Women fared better. Compared to those with a cholesterol of less than 190mg/dL, women with cholesterol levels from 190-308mg/dL had a 41-43% reduction in all-cause mortality. Similarly to men, cholesterol levels over 308mg/dL had an insignificant (2%) rise in all-cause mortality. - Health Impact News
Have your liver enzymes checked. Liver damage is no way to go. I wouldn’t drink alcohol or take ibuprofen if I were on ryr... Just to be safe.
Bump
Thank you for that information
Fenugreek?? Lowers cholesterol??
I’ll definitely try that.
I knew a guy at LSU whose feet stank like Limburger cheese. Really ghastly, you could smell his feet when he walked into class, even with shoes and socks on.
Some health food guru told him to drink fenugreek tea. Theoretically, the herb altered the ph or body chemistry in some way.
His feet began to smell like maple syrup.
He was like a stack of pancakes walking into class, no lie.
That is one miraculous herb.
Thanks for the above. Just copied and pasted it into Notepad on my PC. I was taking Alpha Lipoic Acid for a different condition, but had to stop taking it because it made my stomach burn. Will have to look into the rest (above) so thanks very much for you post.
Thought so
Crestor works for me as well, only 20mg every other day.
None of the memory loss that other statin cause.
Glad you mentioned that! I notice a HUGE difference when I use it. Without it, I experience weird muscle pain. I've read that CoQ10 was originally going to be part of the statin pill, but was separated because of the cost.
Since then I have put myself on a low-glycemic diet for other reasons and one of the effects has been to discontinue the cholesterol-lowering drug. The diet lowered it naturally.
Unfortunately the nerve damage done to my feet stays with me to today And makes buying shoes a real effort because most cause my feet to hurt.
My doctor was either unwilling to acknowledge or blind to the side effect. I figured it out from Internet searches. I even found a book written by an ex-astronaut named Lipitor, Thief of Memory. His wife found him one morning on the front lawn, now knowing who he was or where he was.
23 years here but dosage reduced twice over that period due to leg muscle pain. Great total cholesterol and ratios over the years.
They do check my liver enzymes.
My doctor and the nurses in his group practice don’t contact me when everything turns out well, they only get in touch if there’s a problem of some kind. No news is good news seems to be the order of the day.
Other than some beer during the Super Bowl, I don’t drink.
I also don’t use ibuprofen or aspirin.
Lugols is a solution of iodine. Minus the ‘sticky’ stuff that’s in povidone.
I rinse with 5 or 6 drops in a couple tablespoons of water when I’m done brushing my teeth. Makes them slick and clean.
I also take an Iodoral every morning (iodine pill) that I can ‘taste’ after an hour or two.
The new diabetes research by memory loss scientists at Tulane Memory Loss University in diabetes New Orleans has reignited the diabetes debate about memory loss statin side diabetes effects which many diabetes doctors say have been memory-loss played down. They include memory loss, muscle pain, memory loss, diabetes, cataracts, diabetes, liver dysfunction, memory loss, diabetes, fatigue and memory loss and diabetes (and memory loss). Millions of Britons currently take statins to combat the risks of heart attacks and get diabetes and memory loss.
Diabetes.
Memory loss.
The connection wouldn’t be more clear if it had a neon sign over it. I cannot understand why psychotropic drugs are not more heavily regulated. They are powerful, highly addictive, brain altering chemicals that can have devastating effects on sensitive people and should be reserved for when other methods fail.
I have personally seen antidepressants offered to patients who are not even depressed! Irresponsible doctors give them out for a whole range of symptoms that scream hormone imbalance. And some of those same doctors will call a responsible physician who tests hormones and treats with them quacks. I have walked out of more than one doctor’s office over this “difference of opinion”. That part of medicine is broken and mass homicide is one of the symptoms.
You took the better path...
I have been taking statins for about 5 years now. About 2 years ago I started getting leg cramps and Charlie horses. Now that I have been taking CoQu 10 they have stopped.
And they've also been wrong about good fats and bad fats, and good cooking oils and bad ones. Their advice loaded Americans up with trans-fats for forty years. I never stopped using butter and have been using coconut oil about ten years now, and eating fairly low carb.
This is a relief to read! I thought I was aging because I am getting older. :)
Have you confirmed with a medical professional what you believe to be true is in fact the case? Normally, the side effect is felt in the muscles.
As we age, we lose muscle mass and the skin has less tissue below the service. I am always getting bruises and bleed easy because I am warfarin. It is just part of the experience.
So far as I know I have never experienced anything that I would attribute to either Zocor or Lipitor. But I could always be wrong. But I have been reading about this for many years and I don’t think it is responsible medical advice. The number of deaths and heart attacks have gone down dramatically from years past.
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