Is your statin drug placing you in mortal danger? Unfortunately, it could be setting you up for heart failure as well as other conditions, including a deadly form of kidney disease. Many doctors believe high cholesterol is a main component of heart disease, and view cholesterol-lowering statins as life-saving drugs. Other physicians, however, report an increase in chronic heart failure which they connect with statins.
One doctor fighting to unmask the dangers of statins is board-certified Texas cardiologist Peter H. Langsjoen. "Statins kill people — lots of people — and they wound many, many more," Langsjoen wrote in an introduction to a citizen's petition filed with the FDA. Ten years ago, Dr. Langsjoen and other experts requested that the FDA require that statin drugs be labeled with a warning that they deplete the body of coenzyme Q10.
"All patients taking statins become depleted in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) eventually — those patients who start with relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs/symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly — in 6 to 12 months," he wrote. "Younger, healthier people can tolerate statins for several years before getting into trouble with fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness (usually with normal muscle enzyme CPK tests), and most ominously — heart failure."
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Langsjoen wrote that in his practice, he had seen a frightening increase in heart failure as a result of statin usage, a condition called statin cardiomyopathy. "Statins have become more potent, are being prescribed in higher doses, and are being used with reckless abandon in the elderly and in patients with 'normal' cholesterol levels," he wrote, adding that the United States is in the middle of an epidemic of chronic heart failure.
"Are we causing this epidemic through our zealous use of statins?" he asked."In large part I think the answer is yes. We are now in a position to witness the unfolding of the greatest medical tragedy of all time — never before in history has the medical establishment knowingly created a life-threatening nutrient deficiency in millions of otherwise healthy people, only to then sit back with arrogance and horrific irresponsibility and watch to see what happens — as I see two to three new statin cardiomyopathies per week in my practice, I cannot help but view my once great profession with a mixture of sorrow and contempt."
Additional side effects from statins include:
• Rhabdomyolysis. The kidney disease rhabdomyolysis, which is frequently fatal, is caused by the breakdown of muscle tissue usually damaged by medications (statins or corticosteroids), illegal drugs, or alcohol. Damaged tissues release a protein called myoglobin which degrades into substances that damage the kidneys. Complications include blood clots and cardiac arrest.
• Permanent muscle pain and weakness. Studies have shown that long-term use of statins can cause intense pain and weakness. A 2010 review of statins published in the journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports found that up to 15 percent of statin users experienced muscle problems.
• Mental confusion and amnesia. Low levels of CoQ10 caused by statins can trigger mental confusion, memory loss, and transit global amnesia. Former NASA astronaut Dr. Duane Graveline took a statin drug for only six weeks before he was discovered wandering and confused, not remembering his wife's name or recognizing his own home.
• Mood changes. A deficiency of CoQ10 caused by statins is associated with depression, increased hostility, and aggression.
• Liver damage. Statins can cause the liver to increase production of digestive enzymes. Fatigue, pain in the upper abdomen, dark-colored urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes are some signs statins may be damaging your liver.
• Diabetes. A study at Harvard Medical School released in January found that long-time statin users increased their odds of developing Type 2 diabetes by almost 50 percent. A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that taking two widely prescribed types of statins — simvastatin and atorvastatin — increased the risk of diabetes by 12 percent over five years.
• Peripheral neuropathy. Beginning with tingling and prickling of the hands and feet as well as temporary numbness, symptoms can escalate to burning pain and paralysis. Increases in the incidence of severe motor and sensory neuropathy increased by as much as 14 times, even when statins were used in relatively low doses.
Many other diseases may be linked to statins including cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In fact, the FDA recently announced that warnings would be required on statin drugs to indicate they may raise blood sugar and cause memory loss.
If you're taking statins, how can you tell if they are causing problems? It may be difficult, since the list of possible side effects can include everything from nausea to sexual difficulties to constipation. Adding to the difficulty, diagnostic tests may be normal in early stages.
And if you take statins and exercise, how can you tell if muscle soreness is caused by the statins or just by a strenuous workout? An article published in the journal Physical Therapy gave red flags that warn of possible muscle damage:
• If muscles are sore that weren't used in your workout.
• If you worked out — but didn't push yourself — and are so sore you feel incapacitated.
• If the muscle soreness after vigorous exercise doesn't go away within two or three days and lingers or worsens.
If you have any of the above red flags, see your doctor.