I guess this is one area where my sensitivity to medications pays off. I have been on one statin or another since my first heart attack in 1995. But at very low dosages as with just about everything else I take.
Of course with me and my crazy body I take them not to lower cholesterol but to raise it. Some of the statins will both lower the bad stuff and raise the good kind. When I had my HA in 95 my good cholesterol was at 3, it is suppose to be above something like 35 or 40. The last time it was checked I was all the way up to 25.
Dennis
The links work fine JB. Thanks for sharing them.
This information about statins has been around for some time now. As far as I'm concerned, the medical community and FDA seem to want to downplay the potential dangers of statins for some reason.
That second link you shared is a perfect example of the double-talk used. The guy being interviewed finds several ways to say, "Well they can do bad things but don't worry yet." So when do we worry? When we can't find our way home?
I hope this news indicates a coming turn a round about statin enthusiasm is in the works. If so, it will likely come in dribs and drabs over many years.
You know, when Cox-2 inhibitors helped people live without constant arthritis pain but were discovered to have potential to cause heart attacks they were pulled from the market almost immediately. People in pain and their doctors were robbed of making personal choices about acceptable risk.
Darvocet was an extremely useful pain reliever (even if it did need a little lower acetaminophen punch). Again - withdrawn from the market because of 'heart rhythm' problems when used by the elderly. Duh, the elderly have heart rhythm problem WITHOUT taking Darvocet! Again, personal choice about acceptable risk vs. acceptable pain levels and narcotic use were taken away from individuals when the government decided a 40 year old drug was too dangerous.
But for some reason, statins are given an untouchable status. No matter what happens.... give statins to everybody. YES, this has actually been proposed. Talk about big pharma influence. It is rampant here.
I think I'll keep my slightly elevated level of cholesterol. I might need some around to make myelin! Yup. Cholesterol is essential for proper brain and nerve function.
I wouldn't tell anyone to stop their prescribed drugs. In fact, in very small doses I believe the anti-inflammatory properties of statins may actually be quite beneficial. I just think we need to be a lot more cautious than these warnings indicate (and that is just my personal opinion).
I took Lipitor and/or Zocor for somewhere around ten years. Then I stopped. Within a day or two my head started to clear and I felt more alert. I was talked into trying red yeast rice later (a 'natural' statin). After two doses I was struggling to dig out of the mental fog again. NEVER again. For me, I need to live clear headed and am willing to accept the cardiovascular risk that MIGHT go with that.
Talk to your doctor JB. Maybe you can trial a reduced dose? I think this is one more area where doctors will eventually have to admit they simply do NOT know as much as they always presumed they did.
Mary