Question: I have been trying to get my husband to go off his statin medication because he gets muscle cramps in the backs of his thighs. Is there any alternative?
Dr. Brownstein's Answer:
Statins are one of the most prescribed classes of drugs in the world. It is amazing to me that so many doctors continue to prescribe these drugs, which have not been shown to prolong life.
The benefits of statins are slight — about a 1 to 3 percent decline in a recurrent heart attack.
Meanwhile, the adverse effects include brain fog, amnesia, and liver and kidney dysfunction, as well as muscle breakdown.
Reports indicate that as much as 50 percent of patients suffer muscle problems with statin drugs. Sometimes these problems are irreversible.
Statins do not make biochemical or physiological sense. I suggest that people take 300 mg of coenzyme Q10 each day to combat some of the adverse effects. Keep in mind that CoQ10 does not mitigate all of the negative effects of statin drugs.
If your husband’s pain is directly related to taking the statin medication, I would highly advise you to talk with your healthcare provider about stopping it.
I have written extensively about statins in my book,
Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do!