Surprising side effects of cholesterol-lowering medications
Every action has a reaction, and the chemical effects of medications are no different. Statins, a classification of cholesterol-lowering medications, have a history of causing side effects that range from mild to severe. If you are taking a statin to reduce your blood cholesterol levels, or are thinking of talking to your doctor about starting statin therapy, consider the following known dangers of statin drugs.
First things first - what are statins?
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What are Statin Drugs?
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The first line of defense against high cholesterol is a healthy diet and regular exercise regiment. If those two actions fail to lower your cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe a statin-based medication to help regulate your blood cholesterol level...
Which medications are classified as statins?
The following medications are statin-based:
- Atorvastatin - branded as Lipitor and Torvast
- Cerivastatin - branded as Lipobay and Baycol. No longer on the market.
- Fluvastatin - branded as Lescol and Lescol XL
- Lovastatin - branded as Mevacor and Altocor
- Mevastatin
- Pitavastatin - branded as Livalo and Pitava
- Pravastatin - branded as Pravachol, Selektine, and Lipostat
- Rosuvastatin - branded as Crestor
- Simvastatin - branded as Zocor and Lipex
- Simvastatin+Ezetimibe - a combination drug branded as Vytorin
- Lovastatin+Niacin extended-release - a combination drug branded as Advicor
- Atorvastatin+Amlodipine Besylate - a combination drug branded as Caduet
Danger: Gastrointestinal disturbances
The most common side effects of statins are common to many drugs. Nausea, upset stomach, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and gas can vary from patient to patient. This may be a reaction to a combination of medications being taken or to personal body chemistry. It may resolve in time, or another medication can be prescribed to offer better results.
Danger: Headache, dizziness, and sleep problems
Many of these symptoms disappear on their own as a patient gets used to taking a new medication. However patients taking statins may start experiencing these side effects suddenly, after several years with no problems.
Danger: Weakness
Statin users are at an increased risk of developing polyneuropathy, a neurological disorder which causes weakness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet, and difficulty walking. For patients taking a statin for several years, the chances of developing polyneuropathy increase dramatically to 26% and higher.
Researchers are starting to question whether an increase in driving accidents in the elderly may be related to the use of statins, as many older statin users have reported driving mishaps related to misuse of the gas and brake pedals.
Researchers are starting to question whether an increase in driving accidents in the elderly may be related to the use of statins, as many older statin users have reported driving mishaps related to misuse of the gas and brake pedals.
Danger: Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is a serious side effect of statin use in which there is a rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. During the chemical necrosis of the muscles, the excretion of toxins into the body can cause kidney damage, disruptions in heart rhythm, and shock.
Danger: Acute pancreatitis
Some patients have developed severe pancreatic rot within weeks of starting a new statin therapy, or after several years of use. While the risk is increased for users of statins, developing it is still very rare.
Danger: Depression
One of the symptoms of having high cholesterol is that you feel good, and low cholesterol levels have been associated with depression and increased risk of suicide. Since statins reduce blood cholesterol levels, patients are more likely to be depressed and experience anxiety attacks.
Danger: Heart failure
The heart is a muscle, just like those in your legs and arms, and requires an enzyme called Co-Q10 to function. Co-Qu10 is used to convert food energy in our cells into energy for our body to use.
Statins create a block in the Co-Q10 development process at the same point where they inhibit the liver's ability to produce cholesterol. Without Co-Q10, heart muscle cells aren't able to produce energy, and a weak heart pumps blood less effectively.
Statins create a block in the Co-Q10 development process at the same point where they inhibit the liver's ability to produce cholesterol. Without Co-Q10, heart muscle cells aren't able to produce energy, and a weak heart pumps blood less effectively.
Danger: Food and medication interactions
Several drugs and foods also interact with statins, causing severe side effects. Grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and some antibiotics inhibit the ability for statins to be metabolized, resulting in higher statin levels and increased risk of muscle damage. Taking anti-coagulants such as Coumadin or Warfarin with statins also increases the effectiveness of statins, which can speed damaging processes.
What can you do?
Being an informed patient is key to understanding how your medical therapies affect your health. Medications all come down to science at the cellular level, and understanding why medications can have such devastating effects on your body is important to understanding how to effectively, and safely, manage your health. Talk to your doctor about your concerns to see if switching medications may be an appropriate option.
Additional resources about the dangers of statins
Statins are drugs that can mean the difference between health and illness for millions of people. Before you swear them off, learn more about the risks and benefits of taking them, and discuss it with your doctor.
- The Dangers of Statins
- My original article on Helium.com.
- Dangers of Statin Drugs
- A through look at studies done on statin drugs, by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.
- Statin on Wikipedia
- Includes scientific and chemical details of statins and related medical uses.
Learn more about cholesterol
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What Cholesterol Is and How it Works
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Are you one of the millions of people who knows about this nasty little thing called cholesterol, but really have no idea what it is, what it does, and how it affects you? You're not alone. Read on to find out just what cholesterol is, wh...
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- eccles1 eccles1 Dec 6, 2009 @ 8:15 pm
- I think my mother is taking these I'll check and see .. glad you made this lens !
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- Cynthia H Cynthia H Jan 4, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
- I restarted taking Zocor after telling my Doctor that Generic brand Simstatin caused a rash on my neck, made me bloat like crazy, and itching all the time. I started taking brand name Zocor again in August or September 2008, and after almost completing 30 pills (maybe 4 left in the bottle), I'm weak all the time now. I didn't know what was happening (thought I had a virus) but decided to reseach the side effects just today, and discovered this (I'd just taken a pill a few minutes ago, Ughh!).
Anyway, I'm not taking anymore. I was trying to do the right thing for my cholesterol but don't like this feeling of weakness, I get in the car and just feel sickly, and that I must eat immediately. I suspect the medication should be out of my system by March.
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- paulbarton paulbarton Nov 4, 2008 @ 4:20 am
- Hi - i love the lens - I was on Zocor for well over 10 years because i trusted my doctor. My knees are now shot to pieces and I'm unable to walk some days - I'm only 52 years old. If symptoms occur when you take statins then provided you can get off them inside 3 or 4 years then the effects are often reversible - sadly mine are not and I'm stuck with it. The ignorance surrounding what cholesterol is and does is painful and it sadly starts with the pharmaceutical companies, carries on with the government and the medics sadly either don't know any better or can't see beyond the flawed studies. The best site I've found to date is http://www.spacedoc.net. I'm going to finish this post and set up a group so that we can all share with respect to Statins and the alternatives.
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- judy s judy s May 12, 2008 @ 10:07 pm
- was on Crestor for 3 weeks, had headaches in am for last 10 days. gained 8 lbs and bloated so bad couldn't get rings on. went off it and 8 days later was back to normal. no liver problems with blood tests
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