Statins long term damage?

Question

Hi there,

I have been on Statins since my early 20's and I am now 36yrs old.  Mum and dad side of the family have heart disease and I tested positive for hypercholestorolemia when I was age 5.

Lately I have been answering a lot of questions on statins and I KNOW that if you have hypercholestorolemia, diet and lifestyle changes alone can not safe you from developing Coronary Artery Disease, so I take my statins without fail.

Now I am just wondering:  does the long term use of Statins cause any other health issues later in life?

Thanks guys,

erijon · Accepted Answer

That's a controversial question, but let me point out that NO studies have been done to prove any long term damage from statins. Remember, statins have been around since 1987 so they have 25 years of data to look at. In fact, as researchers are starting to do meta-analysis which roll up almost 200,000 participants in multiple trials do not show any long term damage or reactions. In fact, statins users are still protected from their use for up to 5 years after stopping their use.

Here's an interesting article about a study, the Heart Protection Study 2, which tracked the long term effect of statin use on over 20,000 participants, it's a great read.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/556067


Hope this helps,

Jon

erijon · Answer

Agree with Ed, other than cost, Crestor is superior.

ed34 · Answer

why the urge to switch?

AngieMiles · Answer

I'm on Crestor now and have been for about a year.  I'd like to switch to Simvastatin.  Do you see any problems?  I have a strong heart for a 64 year old but I am a diabetic.

Smiley2000 · Answer

No.  My mum just kept us on a good and healthy diet and we all thought that we would not need medication.

I started the statins later on, when I was 24.  We bought a house in 2002 and had to go for bloodtests and then the Bank declined my life-insurance cover due to my high Cholestorol.  Since then I have been on Adco-Simvistatim and then my numbers got worse and GP changed it to Lipitor and later Crestor and Aspavor.  

I am still on Lipitor 10mg and I am 1,67m and keep my weight around 60kg.  I used to exercise a lot (Taebo, spinning, aerobics) but since my heart surgery in 2008 I could not get myself back to the gym and became very inactive.  Turns out it is easier to become unfit, than fit!  And I think that the 5hrs that they have you on life support/bypass, really scrambles with your heart-rhythm and stamina.

I do Kidney-tests every now and then (U & E) as I still take Diuretics (Lasix) and I had an operation about 2 weeks ago and my liver and kidneys were tested and tests were normal.  My last Angio was in 2007 and that was normal to.

ed34 · Answer

I just have a liver function blood test once a year. After 5 years it's all going good still. Surely you didn't start taking statins at the age of 5?

Statins long term damage?

Is cholesterol lower drugs needed for these readings

Does this mean blockage?

whats wrong with my heart

Heart peak

Is cholesterol lower drugs needed for these readings

Does this mean blockage?

whats wrong with my heart

Heart peak

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community