While listening the People's Pharmacy on NPR this morning a caller was temporarily caring for his mother who was diagnosed with AD. He forgot to give her the statins and realized that her "personality" and memory were returning. Others also noticed the change in her. I have always felt that my husband's symptoms were accelerated when he started a statin.
My husband can definitely relate. He has tried Mevacor, Lipitor and Crestor. What the pharmacy prints out and passes out with their prescriptions fails to mention what the direction sheet from the drug company states. In the case of the last drug he was given (and came off of ), Crestor, the direction sheet which I requested from the pharmacist states: The following adverse reactions have been identified during Post-approval use of Crestor: arthralgia, hepatitis, jaundice and memory loss. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a populations of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. All we know is it caused confusion in my husband many years ago and the doctor is still trying to put him on these because according to him, it causes no problems with memory. My husband refuses to take them. DH said it was like blank spaces or black holes in his memory.
My DH was on Lipitor for a year prior to his diagnosis, although his subtle personality changes were already in progress (i.e. we were already suspecting, but not addressing yet that he had AD). His Chol. level was dangerously high, so I never questioned it. BUT long time later, when I was reading about statin/AD controversy I stopped it. More than a year. He still progressed, but may never know if stopping slowed whatever progression the AD was gonna take anyway. Ya know, I mentioned last fall that PCP was NOT HAPPY with me for stopping it and insisted we restart. I didn't. Took the paper scrip and didn't fill it. Now, with all these hospitalizations since end of January it was given in the hospital (they assume I'd been giving it), and I just let it go now. So much issues with his UTI, A-Fib, med interactions, major med changes, and resulting psychosis I don't know what the H is going on.
Guess what? Our neuro took DH off all statins months ago. I had was never aware of the statin/AD controversey. Neuro just told me to stop them and DH was complaining of leg cramps so I thought it was for that. Neuro never realy said why. Hmmm. Good thing, I guess.
There is some very interesting info on the web about one of our former astronauts who went through a startling decline while on statin drugs, and since DH had been on Pravistatin for a few years I hoped that might be the source of his memory loss---have also suspected the chemo for lymphoma six years ago, but now I am resigned to the AD DX, just wanted to cling to hope a bit longer. DH is still on the statin, wants to do everything he can to reach the ripe old age of 120+. Doubt it would be easy to convince him otherwise.
My dh has never been on statins, but I am. In my case, I think, at the present time if I were to stop my statins (Lipitor) I would soon have a heart attack. Sometimes, I think we each have to weigh our individual circumstances.
I know a lot of people who are on statins and they don't have AD - yet.
MMarshall, did the leg cramps go away after going off the statin? My DH started having leg and hand cramps and I gave him 6 oz. of tonic water - drink it right down - and that took care of the cramps! He is still on statin, but no more cramps.
I think this subject of statins and AD is all over the board, with lots of studies, but no conclusions. Some say it MAY prevent - but again, of course no conclusions.
A small group of people will have memory problems on statins - something like 2%. My hb was given them last summer and by day 3 he could not remember who he had spent the day with. I researched that night and threw them away. And his doctor refused to even entertain the idea that could happen.
If you research you will find people who have had such severe reactions of memory loss it is never recovered. Like with all drugs, some people are more susceptible to the adverse reactions. But, I have a feeling as they are used longer, there will be other undesirable side effects - seems to always be happening. Just look at all the attorneys advertising to file a lawsuit if you used such and such a drug. Seroquel seems to be the latest one due to the link with diabetes.
The muscle aches and cramping are common with the statins. Many people never associate them with them and doctors refuse to admit it is one side effect. Just as they are adamant about memory loss with them. I take Red Yeast Rice for cholesterol and even though natural it also has that side effect. Wish someone would study why that is a side effect of anything that lowers cholesterol - natural or synthetic.
Doctors need to be educated but, unfortunately we also have to be more educated as to the effects of drugs and supplements. Sunshyne does an excellent job of researching many of these, but we also need to be proactive. It is never ending job to research and try to make the best choices for ourselves and LO.
As for statins preventing AD - I would vote more for the theory of being a type of diabetes. I also put some interest in that small company in CA (I think) who are researching to see if the process that stops the brain from developing at a point and destroys any future development in the fetus has somehow reactivated itself causing the destruction. (I think I got that theory right).
It's also the case that beta blockers can cause memory loss etc especially when you first start. I take both a beta blocker (atenolol) and a statin (lipitor) and have not had major problems that I notice or can attribute to the drugs. They've kept me stable for years.
I've taken Lipator for several years. It worked really well and I had no side effects but decided maybe I could do without it. I watched my diet, drank pomgrante juice every day, took fish oil and flax oil and vitamins and worked out in the gym 3 times a week. I went back after several months, proud of myself for doing so good. My blood test was not good and my kidney function had gone down. I'm back on Lipator.
DH has just started on 40 Mg of Simvastatin after his heart attack. Sure hope it doesn't cause more memory problems. I had no idea statins could cause memory problems. Another thing to worry about. <sigh>
Remember only about 2% have the memory problem. Dazed - I would keep up the fish oil and other things, they can't hurt. My sister has cut her statin use down to the smallest doze due to fish oil she gets from our naturopath. It is so concentrated it would take 20 1200mg pills to equal one teaspoon of the concentrate fish oil. It does not taste like fish oil - lemon flavored. It cost about $50 a month but I can't afford that.
My husband has taken Zocor for 15 years. When he first started having trouble speaking, long before his diagnosis, I read an article about statins possibly being the cause (or some of the cause) of AD and other dementias. I stopped them immediately for several months. Unfortunately, it did not help my husband and his cholesterol jumped very high. He is now back on them but at a reduced dose since he too had trouble with leg pain that went away when his dosage was reduced.
My 82 year old DH takes so many drugs. I go back to an earlier conversation we all had about "why" so many drugs. His brain will never get better, and I was thinking recently that in his living will, he clearly states that if there is no chance of recovery or returning to a semblance of the life he had before, he did not want the doctors/hospitals to use unnatual methods to keep him alive. I know at the time, we were thinking of the terminal stages of cancer, brain injury (flat brain wave) caused by accident, or other such thing. I am always reading about things to make him feel better, but the "HE" that I'm helping is NOT the man he used to be. I wonder, if he was able to enter this conversation, what he would want me to do? He doesn't comprehend anything as complex as this.
Exactly Nancy B. That is why in another thread I brought up about my FIL being on nemenda when he is in the final stages. It is the only drug approved for the final stages. I was asked on that thread why would we want to shorten his life. Reason: it isn't a life, just an existence.
If it were me - I would include drugs to drag it on with the others you listed. That would included statins, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. That is just me.
I'm afraid to mention this to the doctor. I fear they would think I'm trying to "hasten his death" or worse. I keep wondering, though, if this is part of what his living will was saying. He is up and about, - but he is sooooooooo not mentally there. Today, I prepared his routine bowl of mixed fruits, bananas, watermelon cubes, canaloupe cubes, strawberries, and blueberries. He eats a cereal bowl of that fruit every day. Today, he said he didn't like it. He swore the canaloupe was NOT canaloupe. I had one half left intact and showed him that it was, indeed, his favorite of all those fruits. Nope, - he said it wasn't.
No problem...picking my battles and this won't be one. (I ate his!)
Nancy, I DID talk about all of this with my husband's doctor. We decided that right now we would make some minor changes to his drugs. A generic instead of Lipitor. The generic for Razydine so I could afford the drugs. Leave the Metaforam alone (if he could test his blood we probably would have raised it, but he can't take care of himself with that anymore).
We talked about hospice. Not yet because he isn't anywhere near ready. We talked about anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety drugs. He doesn't need them now, but I can have them if he does need them.
We even talked about not replacing his pacemaker battery. No problem with that but he did want me to try to find out how much longer the battery had since he couldn't get an answer. Turned out that the in-person testing we do twice a year INCLUDES testing the battery. His has about 4 years to go.
In short, the question about my "hastening his death" did not come up, and it almost certainly won't come up if you talk to the doctor too. But when the time comes to take him off certain drugs, we are both ready for that conversation.
I remember being so startled about 18 years ago when my husband was in the hospital for an extended stay (Valentine's to St.Patrick's) for a staph infection flare-up. He couldn't take penicillin and was being given expensive, foley-catheter Vancomycin. Our doctor said, you know, since you have power of attorney, you could order me not to give him antibiotics at all. This is when he was in his mid-sixties. I was really a bit startled! NOW, come to think of it...
Yes, dear Briegull, yes I know............ Eighteen months ago, DH suffered his third severe intestinal hemorrhage in 12 months. I had been there for hours and left to go to the bathroom. It was about 2 AM. When I came back in, his nurse was sitting at his desk out in the hallway. I stood there for about 3-4 minutes and then walked into DH's room. His saline bags were empty and his blood pressure was down to 50 over/some off the chart lower number. DH was completely unresponsive and ice cold. I called the nurse, and when he came in, his professional remark sounded something like "Oh SHIT!".. and he began pushing buttons,ringing the call bell, grabbing saline bags, hooking two up to one pole and as soon as a second nurse came running in, they began squeezing the bags with both hands to force fluids into his veins as fast as it would go. He had six blood transfusions over the next few days. Eventually, they found a tiny aneurysm in the small intestine and were able to seal it.
What if I had stopped to grab a coke...I had been standing by his side in the ER Trauma room for over 6 hours. I was so tired. What might have happened - if I had dozed off.
What I was saying is: if it were me with the AD or other terminal illness, I would not want to take BP, cholesterol, insulin or any other meds that would hasten my death. If I had AD and were past the stages of knowing anyone, I would want the drugs stopped that slows the progression. Pain meds and in the case of some AD patients anti-psychotic to keep comfortable and safe. That is not the type of life I want - just existing. My SIL has gone through lumpectomy, chemo and radiation for breast cancer, then mastectomy. I, personally, would not. I have lived 56 years and ready to go home to my maker. I have no desire to run up huge medical bills or linger on. That is me.
Of course, and that is what you said, Charlotte. I just mis-read your sentence.. I'm sorry. It's been a challenging day, shall we say, and I've used up my allowable brain cells for 3/9. Pray for a better day tomorrow.
Charlotte-at a young age I had a lumpectomy, radiation and bilateral mastectomies. I have lived to see my children finish college, met my granddaughter and seen the collapse of my husband. FTD aside-live has been worth living.
Thought this was interesting. Just shows you how people get brainwashed by the doctors and pharmacies - 'it is good for you despite the dangerous side effects!"
Cholesterol Anxiety Created by Phony Lipid Hypothesis By Bob Livingston • Feb 25th, 2009 • Category: Bob Livingston, Health, Personal Liberty Articles Cholesterol Anxiety Created by Phony Lipid Hypothesis
Modern Americans can be persuaded to believe anything. It is not enough to lead a man toward the sale of a drug. He must also believe that a drug and the doctor who prescribed it will help him. Illegal drugs are on the fringe but legal drugs have subdued the whole population without one in a million suspecting it. The drug business is a commercial enterprise that has nothing to do with benefiting public health.
The following is “Statin Woes”:
"Go to www.askapatient.com and click on ratings and then Lipitor®, where you will find almost 700 comments on the cholesterol-lowering drug. What is interesting is the very high number of patients reporting side effects, including severe fatigue, joint pain, digestive problems, craving for fatty foods, difficulty breathing, thinning hair, depression, lack of concentration, memory lapses, thoughts of suicide, nightmares, peripheral neuropathy, paralysis, dizziness, painful charley horses, weight gain, blurred vision, headaches, insomnia, difficulty walking, rashes, blisters, slurred speech, eczema and ‘itching all over.’ Yet most of the ratings are positive, with patients expressing satisfaction at bringing their cholesterol levels down, and persevering in spite of the debilitating side effects. Such is the level of cholesterol anxiety engendered by the phony lipid hypothesis. Perhaps ‘complete decline in the power of reason’ should be added to the list of side effects from cholesterol-lowering drugs." (Quoted from Wise Traditions, Fall 2006 Volume 7 Number 3)
Cod liver oil is all-natural and cheaper than Lipitor®, and can even boost your memory.
I myself took statins an for awhile I was so sore I couldn't even put my pants on with out sitting down m,y legs hurt like sin,I finally told the doc I'll take my chances but no more statins,once I quit everything went back to normal
Me too ol don. I took them for 4 months lower the cholesterol 100 points then the young doc looked at my liver function test and said "I think I will let you suffer for 4 more months." when I said "what the hell did you say??" he started explaining that my liver enzemes were "off the charts" and that I should be in alot of pain (mucscle pain, dark urine etc) that was the last day I took that poison. I started drinking dark grape juice, increased the fish oil, put cinammin in everything, even coffee and I will NOT ever again take that poison. of course I do need to increase my physical activity but honestly I do not know when I would do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some supplements to lower cholesterol are: CoQ10; Garlic (good for a lot of things); Fish Oil - high dosage is really needed. My sister takes a liquid fish oil where 1 tsp = about 20 1200 mg fish oil capsules. It runs $50 a month for it which is out of my budget. Psyllium powder which in Metamucil works; Red Yeast Rice is a proven one but it does cause joint pain like statins. In fact, it was the ingredient in the original statin drug. The story goes that when the first statin drug came out, they took the supplement companies that sold Red Yeast Rice to court due to their patient on Red Yeast Rice. I also eat Almonds cause my HDL went down. I too need to exercise more.
Total cholesterol is not the issue; it's "inflammation" or our body's ability to deal with factor that increase coronary inflammation. That's the primary benefit of statin drugs. They are a potent anti-inflammatory. The fact that statins lower cholesterol is irrelevant. The standard 'lipid profile' (200 or less and lower for those at high risk) does not determine if someone is at risk of heart attack or stroke. 50% of people with normal or low cholesterol levels still have heart attacks and strokes. The VAP test measures all sub-fractions and each has a different cause/remedy. One example: when an underlying condition is not corrected (such as undiagnosed or under-treated thyroid conditions) artificially lowering cholesterol does not remove the risk.
RYR is a statin (as Charlotte mentions) can cause all the same side effects. RYR contains mevinolin or lovastatin, same as Mevacor. Merck holds 2 patents for a combination drug - statin + CoQ10, but to date has not produced said product. Supplementing with CoQ10 is essential for all that take statins as statins deplete this essential nutrient that provide energy to all of our cells, especially our heart and brain. CoQ10 does not lower cholesterol, but is essential for cell energy.
Dr William Davis of The Heart Scan Blogs recommends the following to control 3 key coronary risk factors: (1) low HDL, (2) small particle LDL, (3) Lipoprotein(a)... * Niacin--increases HDL, reduces small LDL, and reduces Lp(a) * Elimination of wheat, cornstarch, and sugars--Best for reducing small LDL; less potent for Lp(a) reduction * High-fat intake--Like niacin, effective for all three (Yes, fat is good for us, especially organic butter and VCO-virgin coconut oil) * High-dose fish oil--Higher doses of EPA + DHA north of 3000 mg per day also can positively affect all three, especially Lp(a)
One caution re: therapeutic doses of niacin - niacin can cause elevated homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a rick factor that most Dr's do not monitor. The B vitamins, specifically folic acid, B6 and B12, help to control homocysteine which should be 6.3 or less.