Are Statins Safe Medicine?

While millions of individuals take statins such as Lipitor and Lescol to lower their cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack, they may simultaneously be raising their risk for memory loss and other medical problems. This week, the FDA acknowledged a link between the cholesterol-lowering drugs and negative side effects, especially for women and individuals over 65 years of age.

NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman joined Today's Matt Lauer to discuss the downsides of statins such as memory loss, diabetes and pain, that are often overlooked by the 30 million Americans who use them.

Comments

[hwshockeymom]

9 minutes ago ( 2:31 PM)

I started taking lipitor 1 month ago, my thumb slipped out of socket within two weeks of starting, then last week my shoulder slipped out of socket. I maneuvered it back in, but last night it slipped out again. I use the word slipped, because there was no drastic movement that caused this I just went to stand up from a sitting position, and my shoulder slipped out of socket!!

[PersonalityPlus]

03:43 PM on 05/03/2013

I have read several comments on here and also have researched information. Scared I am. I just started a statin . 5 mg. Crestor every other day. My overall cholesterol# was 214. My triglycerides 106. My HDL 46. My LDL 147. I'm now scared to death on this Crestor! I'm not knowing what at all to do now!

[Jesse EngAmer]

06:34 PM on 03/08/2012

Just last week the FDA acknowledged the side effects but said they weren't significant or dangerous. This week they again are acknowledging the dangers. Clearly they're trying to please someone in Big Pharma. Check out this article from Natural News about the FDA's relationship with the industry: http://eng.am/mXtMkx

[hepotter]

08:49 PM on 03/04/2012

I'm 69 years old and I've been taking statin drugs for over twenty-five years. I'd just like to point out to your readers that..that.......Rats! Forgot was I was going to say.

Hepotter

[Lindytindy]

11:03 AM on 03/04/2012

Avoid statins, they are bad news, yet another drug they pushed on us without understanding the side effects. I'm on Zeta will Niacin now and all is well. They will really try to push those statins. Today you must beware of all professionals, they seem to all have agendas other than your welfare. Same goes for financial advisors. You have to become knowledgeable yourself and question their judgment. I use WEBMD a lot and use that information to manage my doctor.

[Lindytindy]

11:01 AM on 03/04/2012

Yes beware, I experienced muscle weakness and pain to the point where I could hardly walk. No statins, everything returned to normal. Also make sure you do not have sleep apnea, that can cause diabetes like symptoms, high blood pressure and cholesterol. If you snore, feel tired all the time, fall asleep while watching TV, have trouble focusing and remembering things, go see a sleep doctor. The first step is a questionnaire, that's all. Then a sleep test, then a CPAP machine. Although be careful, after using the CPAP machine for a week I had a low sugar episode because I was on a high dose of Metformin.

[wkapriel]

10:58 AM on 03/04/2012

Statins made me a cripple and when I questioned my doctor about it, he blamed it on bad hips. I cut his prescribed dosage in half and improved in 3 days. Cut it completely and I was 100% better. Fired the doctor, told the new doctor what I did and why, and that if there was a statin in any of the replacement medications, I would do it again. Most of the "combo" medications still have a statin component. I'm on Zetia with a supplement of Niacin now. Statins are bad medicine on which Americans have been sold a bill of goods.

[carolecray]

09:26 AM on 03/04/2012

I refused to take Statins, because of bad side affects. I did my research and now take WelChol. My cholesterol is now lower than what they originally was. We are all cookie cutter people and it's time the medical community realized that.

[LouDischler]

08:59 AM on 03/04/2012

For those who have stopped taking statins but never fully recovered, you might want to try PQQ--pyrroloquinoline quinone--which when taken with CoQ-10 stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis. It worked for me within days. (Mitochondria are the energy producing organelles in every cell that can be damaged by statins.)

[Mailman]

09:37 AM on 03/04/2012

I did the same thing and got the same results.

[alafonse]

08:40 AM on 03/04/2012

I tried two statins and both made me sick within 48 hours. So I decided they weren't for me. (I have metabolic syndrome with glucose intolerance.)

I'd been taking regular vitamin E.
About a month ago I switched to Gamma E Tocopherol with Sesame Lignans. My latest cholesterol dropped 20 points to 201, plus my triglycerides went from elevated to normal.

[ARTHURANS34]

07:00 AM on 03/04/2012

good genes are better than a good diet. as a neurologist, half of what id do is take folks off statins. they have so many wierd symptoms that they end up in my office. the trouble with the side effects is that they can start at any time. you might be on the drug for a few years then start having strange problems and no doc will tell you it is the medicine. if you are on it and have a new symptom, get off the drug of a month, it wont kill you and may save you a trip to the doctor.

[eml256]

11:25 AM on 03/04/2012

My husband developed Parkinsonism after 4+ yrs on Lipitor for primary prevention. He was an avid jogger, exerciser, good eating habits, non smoker, etc. His father died age 98 due to complications of a hip penning operation; mother 93 and well--plays bridge 5 days/week and golf.
No history of PD in family. He does have genetic variation in a gene coding a transport protein responsible for moving statins into liver for Phase II detoxification. Seems individuals who have been studied have evidenced plasma statin levels from 120% to 400% above normal. Toxic levels. lest one think these 2 variations rare, one occurs in 26 to 32% of caucasian pop. the other in 6 to 9%. Hardly rare, given the millions taking statins. We have yet to find a physician who agrees this is due to statins.

[ARTHURANS34]

12:41 PM on 03/04/2012

sorry to hear about your husband. noone knows what causes most cases of pd. some are genetic, welding and manganeese exposure or drugs, but the vast majority have no known cause at this time. we don`t even have a biomarker to diagnose pd. i hope i live long enough to see a cure for pd and ms. i have been a neurologist for almost 40 years and at least now, we have some pretty good treatments for both diseases, but they are not good in all patients.i wish you and your husband luck

[jgc711]

04:31 AM on 03/04/2012

i stopped taking lipitor about three months ago and lo and behold, my back pain is gone...when i was on lipitor, i could not get up in the morning and there were days when i thought i would be crippled...before i was prescribed with lipitor, i used to take oat bran with niacin and i have my cholesterol under control...and then suddenly it was no longer available...i suspect those greedy pharmaceuticals have something to do with it...i was also diagnosed with diabetes while i was on lipitor...

[jswendner]

09:58 AM on 03/04/2012

I know a guy who was homeless and had his trailer repo'ed.. He quit taking lipitor and got his home back and a new truck!

[eml256]

11:27 AM on 03/04/2012

I can only wish for you that your statin continues to work really really well and that you continue taking it for your lifetime

[hepotter]

08:59 PM on 03/04/2012

Well....for your information, I'd like to inform you I take statins and that..that....Zap! Forgot what I was going to say again.

[jbeachboy32]

12:07 AM on 03/04/2012

what are they and why would people take them?

[Dave503]

11:40 PM on 03/03/2012

Believe and act as you wish - and suffer the consequences.

[ajsm49]

10:46 PM on 03/03/2012

I was Rx. a Lethal Dose for over a year, by my Phyicans. And, after a year of; Blurred Vision, seeing Halos, extreme Joint Pains, Terrible arm, feet, leg Cramps, Swelling of my abdomen on the left side w/ Blk.&Blueing and Yellowing skin of my legs. My Pharmacy finally caught this Grave Mistake! "They" refused to prescribe it for me, anymore. I feel the damage has been done, to me though. And, I will soon be seeing a Lawyer, about this; BOOBOO my two/three Dr's. made! But, this will not, bring me back to the good health, I once, was in, before I started taking Zorcor... I was in shock, when I was told by the Pharmacy I traded with...That, I was on a "Lethal Dosage" of 80 mg. of Simvastatin. The Genaric of Zocor.And, they refuse to fill the Rx. any longer! So, if anyone is being Rx. this drug, at this large Dosage. RUN DON'T Walk... Right away...Talk to your Pharmacist... For you could become real sick,perhaps even die, a slow painful death, as I was! Thank God , for the CVS Pharmacists of Fort Worth. For,I was Blessed, that night!

[docmark]

03:17 AM on 03/04/2012

You must have taken at least two pills / day because the highest strength available for Zocor is 40 mg. The first pharamcist who dispensed the medication should have caught the mistake immediately, because virtually every pharmacy has an automatic alert system which kicks-in when the pharmacist enters the prescription into the computer (it's been installed in every pharmacy for quite a few years). The pharmacist is alerted (assuming they didn't recognize it right away, since Simvastatin is so common) to the excessive dose.

By law, they must contact the physician about any prescription irregularities (excessive dosage, drug interactions, medical conditions that containdicate a specific drug etc.). Once the physician has been made aware of the problems, he/she can either change the Rx or acknowkedlge the dose and approve it if medically feasible (cost/benefit). Zocor is often given in combo with niacin, but the Simvastatin strength in a single dose never exceeds 40 mg. With such extreme, multiple adverse reactions, I would think you would've immediately contacted your physician, rather than wait for an entire year !

These drugs can cause such reactions and most patients who exhibit severe symptoms, simply stop taking them (as directed in the large, dark print given with the prescription), and contact their physician immediately. With 2 (or 3) physicians and several pharmacists, I would think one of them would've caught this "grave mistake" (especially if you mentioned those multiple adverse reactions).

[LouDischler]

10:26 AM on 03/04/2012

From the Zocor Lawsuit Center:

"An FDA analysis of trial data demonstrated that low doses – between 20 and 40 milligrams – had minimal risk of developing serious side effects. However, those risks became much greater at the 80 mg dose – 25 times that of a 20 mg dose, and 7 times that of a 40 mg dose.

"Those seeking Zocor lawsuit compensation allege that the drug manufacturer Merck & Co., did not adequately investigate the dangers of the highest dose that was yet so commonly prescribed."

[bob23455]

08:22 PM on 03/07/2012

The highest tablet strength available for Zocor (and its generic simvastatin) is actually 80mg. In June of 2011 the FDA and Merck came out with new prescribing information regarding the increased risk of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis at the 80mg strength (and lower strengths if on certain other concomitant drugs, such as amlodipine, diltiazem, etc). This new prescribing information did not say that the 80mg dose was "lethal," but did say that only patients who have taken the 80mg strength daily for at least 1 year without any interacting drugs and without any history of muscle pain or weakness should be allowed to continue at this dose. Also, no new patients should be increased to the 80mg strength due to the increased risk of myopathy. Prior to June of 2011, 80mg was not considered a lethal dose, which is probably why the doctors and the pharmacists did not mention the problem at first.