Statin Drugs: Right Choice for You?

Statin drugs are used to lower high blood cholesterol levels. You may be wondering if they are the right choice for you.

If you have high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend statin medications

• These drugs work by reducing the liver’s production of cholesterol and by increasing its ability to remove harmful low-density lipoprotein from the blood
• Statins appear to reduce triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein
• They can lower cholesterol and are one treatment option

Although once considered miracle medicines, statin drugs are not the panacea they were believed to be. Patients have experienced serious side effects and experts are now urging caution.

Statin medications may give people more than they bargained for

• Statin-induced amnesia: some people have temporarily lost the ability to recall their name or how to find their way home
• In all tests with rodents, statins have caused cancer. Because cancer takes a long time to develop in humans, the tale remains to be told.
• In one trial, women taking these drugs experienced breast cancer rates that went up alarmingly

Statins and CoQ10

Did you know that using statin drugs could lead to a depletion of CoQ10? CoQ10 is important to the heart’s functioning and those who are deficient can experience heart failure!

CoQ10 depletion in humans, in fact, can lead to a decline in left ventricular function. The heart is a muscle and it cannot work properly when deprived of this enzyme. Because of this risk, patients taking statin medications often supplement with CoQ10.

Other Side Effects of Statins

Polyneuropathy or peripheral neuropathy may also result from statin use. People taking statins are more likely to develop this condition (characterized by weakness, tingling, and pain in the hands/feet).

Muscle weakness and pain are the most commonly experienced side effects related to use of statin drugs. Active people may experience greater problems.

Statin Medications

Statin medications are routinely prescribed for high cholesterol levels

• Lipitor
• Lescol
• Mevacor
• Pravachol
• Crestor
• Zocor

After weighing the potential harm that may result from use of statin drugs, some people opt for alternative remedies. Whatever course you decide upon, make sure to discuss your treatment approach with your doctor or another health practitioner, before attempting to balance or lower your cholesterol levels.