Differential effects of simvastatin and pravastatin... (Statins)

Journal of Lipid Research ^ | 2009 | Weijiang Dong, Simona Vuletic, and John J. Albers

[TennesseeGirl]

Inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase (statins) are widely used medications for reduction of cholesterol levels. Statin use significantly reduces risk of cardiovascular disease but has also been associated with lower risk of other diseases and conditions, including dementia. However, some reports suggest that statins also have detrimental effects on the brain...

...Our data suggest that simvastatin and pravastatin differentially affect expression of genes involved in neurodegeneration and that statin-dependent gene expression regulation is cell type specific (excerpted)

[TennesseeGirl]

For anybody that's interested.

[Rennes Templar]

Don’t take these drugs. Many other safe ways to lower cholesterol.

[wendy1946]

Basic reality is that if your blood pressure ever goes to zero, you’ll die. Blood pressure is one of those things I refuse to worry about.

[grame]

I wonder if there is an ‘English version’. But thanks for posting. Plan on bringing this up on my next dr visit. Especially with long term usage history.

[dangerdoc]

Thank you Dr. Templar.

[aShepard]

So, I’m on Simvastin!

When will I die? Is there a better drug?

When will the cosine, of the tangent, of the hypotenuse trigger the sinewave of my anal fart to the significant level of -15.2 to +27.3?

Why post this Sh*t?

[goodnesswins]

You are right.....Niacin and other supplements have been found to lower cholesterol as well....with less side effects....Drug companies are even getting OUT of the biz of the cholesterol drugs now!

[antidemoncrat]

Thousands of people, me included, have spent a good portion of their lives working to defend this country from the likes of Communism. I have been taking statins for a long time. I hope this study is saying that my mind will essentially get to the point where I will no longer remember that a bunch of whiney Liberals voted a man into the Presidency that is destroying our Republic.

[LeonardFMason]

High blood pressure is what is known as “the silent killer”.
Untreated hypertension, over time, will destroy your kidneys. I had an Aunt that died this way. She ignored her high blood pressure for years. One day she went into complete renal shutdown. Her kidneys had stopped working. She died in a couple of days.

[SERKIT]

When promulgating your esoteric cognitations or articulating your superficial sentimentalities and amicable philosophical and psychological observations, beware of platitudinous ponderosity. Let your verbal evaporations have lucidity, intelligibility and veracious vivacity without rodomontade or thespian bombast. Sedulously avoid all polysyllabic profundity, pompous propensity and sophomoric vacuity.

[Alex Murphy]

Ping to read later.

[Mad Dawg]

I am told by MDs that my personal history with statins is no more frequent than with placebos. But I have taken three statins which have quickly taken away (temporarily) my sense of taste, affected (somewhat less temporarily, but differential diagnosis is hard on this one) my memory, and given a temporary but severe mood disorder resolving into depression, which lingers for months after I quit with the drug. I'll never touch 'em again. These were awful experiences and they scare the crap out of me.

One reason to post this stuff is that I worry about people who didn't have a counselling background and might not be able to articulate what was happening to them, who would start on statins and end up being misdiagnosed as depressed or even as having Alzheimer's -- which is what I was afraid I was getting the first time I took the medication.

A lot of GP or family practice docs not only don't know much about psychiatric disorders, but don't have a lot of insight and are inclined to think that mood disorders just wouldn't be a problem if people just chose to tough them out. They can be looking right at memory loss and depression and not see them.

It was pretty clear that my former doc resented my for being in the small set of people who have neuro- reactions to the drug. And if I hadn't realized something was up and remained on the drugs another couple of weeks, I probably would have tried to off myself, with unpleasant consequences whether I succeeded or failed.

As you can imagine, I have strong feelings about this.

[libh8er]

A close relative of mine is exhibiting Parkinson like symptoms which I believe is from long term use of lipitor (statin). Parkinson’s does not run anywhere in the family, not even in the far extended family. I did some Google searches and it looks like a major investigation is underway to determine if there is a link between statins and Parkinson’s Disease.

[freedommom]

The fact that statin drugs are two-edged swords is known to few. It is no wonder doctors are confused about this class of drugs.

When a statin reduces cholesterol, it is, at the same time, reducing synthesis of CoQ10, dolichols, selenoproteins, Rho, glutathione and normal phosphorylation by a similar amount. This, I believe, is the cause of the thousands of side effect reports largely unknown to the medical community.
go to
www.spacedoc.net
for more info

[FrankR]

"High blood pressure is what is known as “the silent killer”. Untreated hypertension, over time, will destroy your kidneys. I had an Aunt that died this way. She ignored her high blood pressure for years. One day she went into complete renal shutdown. Her kidneys had stopped working. She died in a couple of days."

I'm 64 now; when I was around 48-50 I was diagnosed with high BP...I ignored it. About 5 years later I finally went on "Diovan"...but, refusing to think that I might actually die someday, I cold turkey'd the drug for 4 days...I had a cerebral Hemorrage and was life-flighted to Atlanta where I remained hospitialized for 4 weeks.

Luckily, I had a good doctor and he saved my life, with the only residual effect being a slight loss of periphrial vision in the upper left quadrant.

After that, it was discovered that I had a large cyst on one kidney, and very high creatnin levels, not quite up to the dialysis level, but getting there. I had 65% use of one kidney, and about 80% of the other.

In 2004 I had a renal bypass to restore blood flow to the kidneys which somewhat improved the function.

Now, after having to endure all that, if I had it to do over again I would definitely heed the warnings of the first doctor who told me I needed to be on medication...it would have prevented all of this.

So, Wendy1946 (I'm Frank1945) and my friendly advice to you is if you have chronic high BP...handle it now before it destroys those little capillaries in your kidneys, brain, and whatever.

I was too stubborn and had to learn it the hard way.

[radiohead]

<It was pretty clear that my former doc resented my for being in the small set of people who have neuro- reactions to the drug.

I’ve had that feeling too. I was put on a statin maybe 6 years ago. I’m a Type II diabetic and as soon as I went on the drug, my blood glucose shot up to the 400’s and stayed there. I took myself off and the doc tried another statin. This time, the bgs went to about 250. I tried to tell her that my mother can’t take statins, having had the same result. The doc kept telling me there’s no reason diabetics can’t take, indeed, they should all be taking, statins. Apparently my family history, weird as it may be, didn’t mean anything. It was only after the 2nd statin that the doc thought I might know what the eff I was talking about and changed my drugs.

I went off the cholesterol drugs when I went vegan. Everything is fine now and I don’t have to worry about side effects from 20+ years of using these powerful drugs.

[libh8er]

Thanks for the link. I will check it out. I am really interested in this because it’s affecting me on a personal/family level.

[wafflehouse]

So, I’m on Simvastin!
When will I die? Is there a better drug?
When will the cosine, of the tangent, of the hypotenuse
trigger the sinewave of my anal fart to the significant
level of -15.2 to +27.3?
Why post this Sh*t?

It is certainly true that scientific research might not interest a majority of the people.

most uninterested people would move on to the next article rather than post something idiotic.

maybe this is important "sh*t", but you would never know. go back to watching American Idol

[WVNan]

I have low BP and have always had, but my Dr. says my high Cholesterol is genetic and has been pushing me forever to take the Statins. I have steadfastly refused. I have tried all of the promised natural methods to lower it to no avail. Finally, common sense tells me that if it is genetic then I got it from my forebears. My mother, father, both grandmothers, both grandfathers, and greatgrandmothers all lived past 90 without considerable problems. I should worry? I’m healthy, hardly ever catch colds, am hyperactive and still working at 76. I’ll pass on the drugs.

[wendy1946]

Sounds like a case of old age to me. I’ve seen what statins do to people and will happily take my chances with old age...