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.
Could also save national health care millions of $ conflict of interest? Let’s see the data
It’d be interesting to see a study on whether the use of CoQ10 mitigates or negates this effect.
High cholesterol has never been the cause of a single death...ever....anywhere
Actually, it seems that there is a range of cholesterol that is healthy... too much or too little causes problems. Too little cholesterol increases the risk of strokes, if I remember correctly.
I believe statins made my father very ill while he was still alive. His health took a progressive turn for the worse and I would never recommend them to anyone.
I have heard of a lot of people having muscle problems.
I have always said no to Statins when any of the docs I have seen in the past ten years have prescribed them. Glad I did. I keep my cholesterol under control with oatmeal. It is very effective, for me anyway.
Yes, that was one of the side effects. My father’s muscle tone deteriorated and was sore and weak.
For later
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
"Flu like symptoms" and muscle aches. I get them with even the mildest statins.
This all occurred in a space of about six months after starting those damn statins. I could not figure out what was happening. There were other very strange symptoms I will not go into here.
At the end of the six months, I realized the symptoms had all begun after starting the statin, so against my doctor's objections and arguments of why it was "good for me tom keep taking it and there were no side effects to worry about", I took myself off the pill from hell. . . and gradually all those symptoms went away.
My doctor finally grudgingly agreed I had a "rare unusual sensitivity" to statins and put it in my record to NEVER prescribe or administer any statins to me.
I am now fully recovered from those symptoms and I can again open boxes with my thumb nails, but I had to wait for my nails to completely grow out from the quick.
Wow. We know our bodies better than doctors do and you proved it. Good for you.
And guess who’s forcing hospitals to prescribe statins as part of meeting their “core measures” for heart attack and stroke in the US? The govt, of course.
Scary stuff.
The latest studies show that people with high-choesterol live LONGER than those with lower. It does matter if the lipids are high or low density with high being better for health.
I’ve discovered that COQ10, Vitamin C, Garlic, Hawthorn and L-Arginine will do wonders for your cardiovascular system, and Fenugreek will definitely help reduce your bad cholesterol.
You were wise to drop those statins when your body was telling you not to take them. I’ve never taken any and don’t plan to.
I’d like to see the study details and methodology, but I’ve felt for years that using statins as a preventative for people that are not at genuine *high* risk was unwise. Doctors have been far to eager to prescribe them with the already known (scary) side effects.
I refuse to consider statins. I have the final say on my health care.
I take Co-Q-10 and until just recently, statins. After increasingly sore shoulder muscles that left me feeling like a cripple, I stopped the statins two weeks ago. Already, there is some relief from the muscle aches. Unless my doctor lays serious consequences on me, I don’t intend to go back on statins.
Just finished up a Geriatric conference . New studies (2015) recommend statins for primary prevention of heart attack and stroke in those over 65. Who to believe???
I take Red Rice Yeast instead of statins.
It’s much cheaper....I buy it at Sam’s Club.....and there are no side effects that I know of.
I also take CO-Q10 and L-Carnitine.
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