First of all-please don't stop drugs without consulting your doctor. I was listening to "The Peoples' Pharmacy" this morning. This is the gist of the show: statins are linked to cognitive problems. FDA didn't publish these findings until the drugs became generic. As previously thought-now discounted statins DO NOT PREVENT AD-so scratch that one. It is now accepted that muscle pain is indeed linked to the use of statins. The rest of the program was about coconut oil and as the speaker mentioned-"the viral video" now making the rounds. The speaker was an Indian MD from the Duke Inst. for Brain Science. He felt the low incidence of AD in India was linked to poor reporting and low life span. Brain damage usually begins 10 years before symptoms show. Aricept may preserve function for 6-12 months but will not change the outcome of the disease. Like we don't already know this. He feels the hope is in finding tests to reveal the beginnings of the disease and in finding drugs to prevent or forestall the damage. http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/28/fda-warns-of-memory-problems-with-statins/
For what it is worth, I have always thought some of my husband's behavioral issues began when he started taking statins in his late 30s/early 40s. He was diagnosed with EOAD or FTD at 53. He complained for years of the muscle pains, but of course his primary care physician insisted he keep using them because his cholestoral was so high. I suspect no way to prove this, and maybe not the only factor, but I would never take them myself.
pamsc, thanks for that link. What a thorough article! Most my family takes statins, and are aghast that I don't. But I gotta say, this article just confirms my objections to pharmaceuticals....
we are just hearing about Statins here too..my DH has been on 80mg a day for his cholestrol for years...I'm only on 5 mg. Now I'm wondering if this had anything to do with his AD. Just this morning they talked on the news about coconut oil...what to do?
Natural medicine practitioners have preached the evils of statins for years and years. When one of my dh's docs ordered statins for his high cholesterol (way lower than mine - maybe 180-200), I refused to give them to him because I already knew about the side effects. The mainstream medical community has been so totally sold on the statins for so long that their judgment is totally clouded. Even if they didn't cause the problems that they do, my thought is "why give a man a drug to keep him alive longer so that he can suffer longer with the ugly disease of AD?" Come on- don't these docs have any common sense? We actually have a friend who's doc put him on statins and within days he was wandering around his neighborhood in a stupor. He quickly stopped taking the drug. Same as with all drugs, is the benefit worth the side effects?
I have already shared that on day 3 my husband could not remember who he had spent the day with or what he did - he spent the day training the new assistant managers in the park we were managing. 2% have this severe of a reaction. There is an astronaut (maybe have been mentioned in the above articles since I have not read them) who by 6 months did not recognize his wife. He went off and was fortunate to regain his memory loss. He is a doctor and is back on them but advocates a low dose instead of the high dosages. Red yeast rice will also lower but, like statins, will produce muscle and joint pain.
I have lowered mine from 220 to 180 by eating almonds and taking garlic and niacin. My husband's has stayed a steady 222 which I do not consider high enough to take anything for.