Statins

[Justit]

There is a lot of controversy around statins. Some cardiologists seem to recommend them to nearly everyone, while others warn that these drugs have many side effects and harm your muscles, bones, hormones, cognitive functions and just about everything else. Statins definitely lower cholesterol levels on paper, but they do not seem to have a meaningful impact on the body’s actual cholesterol balance and cholesterol-related processes. What are your thoughts or experiences with statins?

 

[JohnnyDoe]

We could call statins a billion dollar scam.

Statins are drugs that block your liver from making cholesterol. Doctors hand them out like candies to anyone whose lab results show a number slightly outside a reference range invented by pharmaceutical committees. The sales pitch is “they prevent heart attacks”. The reality is they boost profits.

Cholesterol isn’t your enemy: it’s an essential molecule for hormones, cell membranes, and brain function. Statins inhibit the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, reducing your body’s natural production line, and also a bunch of other molecules, like CoQ10, dolichols, Ras, Rho. Result: your testosterone drops, your brain fogs, your muscles ache, your risk of diabetes rises, but your doctor will tell you that’s “just normal aging”.

Statins reduce a number (LDL) but don’t meaningfully reduce all-cause mortality for most people. The benefit is statistically very tiny and clinically irrelevant unless you already have a serious heart disease. In contrast, the side effects are serious and life threatening: persistent fatigue, memory problems, liver damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and destruction of CoQ10, what your cells need for energy.
The tragedy is that millions of people swallow this poison daily because they trust white coats more than biochemistry. It reminds me of the cure-it-all mercury treatment, so much in vogue in the past: totally useless for curing anything, highly toxic. Amongst many, Paganini died from it in 1840.

Cholesterol is never the problem; inflammation, insulin resistance, and processed food are.

 

[Justit]

Great example of mercury treatment, modern statin therapy seems strikingly similar.

Interestingly, the largest studies reporting benefits of statins have been sponsored by pharmaceutical companies rather than conducted independently.

From what I observe in real life, some people taking statins experience significant side effects, including but not limited to severe brain fog, strong muscle pain, and long-lasting painful cramps at night, while others feel nothing. However, all statin users show noticeable liver damage in blood tests. These liver parameters improve, and the side effects disappear once statins are discontinued (at any age!) demonstrating that the muscle pain and brain fog were not due to aging.

Statins became widely prescribed starting from the late 1980s.
Alzheimer’s disease increased significantly starting from the late 1980s.

But current researches seem not to support statins causing Alzheimer’s disease. Just wondering if it really is a coincidence…

 

[JohnnyDoe]

Here is the information leaflet of a random statin (they all are about the same): https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.13311.pdf
They really outdid themselves with this one: you get a drug that is marketed as the safeguard of your arteries, yet the fine print reads like a medieval curse.

Contraindications

• Previous stroke
• Kidney problems
• Underactive thyroid
• Repeated or unexplained muscle aches or pains
• Personal or family history of muscle disorders
• Liver disease
• Age above 70

Side effects

• Aggravation or onset of myasthenia
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle tenderness
• Muscle pain
• Muscle rupture
• Red or brown urine
• Rhabdomyolysis, including irreversible cases
• Kidney damage secondary to muscle breakdown
• Nasal inflammation
• Sore throat
• Nosebleeds
• Allergic reactions
• Elevated blood sugar
• Headache
• Nausea
• Constipation
• Gas
• Indigestion
• Diarrhoea
• Joint pain
• Back pain
• Abnormal liver function tests
• Loss of appetite
• Weight gain
• Low blood sugar
• Nightmares
• Insomnia
• Dizziness
• Numbness in fingers or toes
• Tingling in fingers or toes
• Reduced sensitivity to pain
• Reduced sensitivity to touch
• Altered taste
• Memory loss
• Blurred vision
• Tinnitus
• Vomiting
• Belching
• Upper abdominal pain
• Lower abdominal pain
• Pancreatitis
• Hepatitis
• Rash
• Itching
• Hives
• Hair loss
• Neck pain
• Muscle fatigue
• General fatigue
• Feeling unwell
• Weakness
• Chest pain
• Swelling of ankles
• Fever
• Urine test showing white blood cells
• Visual disturbances
• Unexpected bleeding
• Unexpected bruising
• Cholestasis
• Tendon injury
• Severe allergic reaction with potential airway obstruction
• Hearing loss
• Gynecomastia in men
• Constant muscle weakness
• Myasthenia gravis
• Ocular myasthenia
• Double vision
• Drooping eyelids
• Difficulty swallowing
• Shortness of breath
• Sexual dysfunction
• Depression
• Breathing problems
• Persistent cough
• Fever related to respiratory issues
• Diabetes

 

[Justit]

I know people who feel no side effects on one statin brand but feel terrible on another; others who insist they never feel anything at all (they only see liver damage in their blood tests); and then there are those who experience severe side effects with every statin they try, no matter the brand.

When you ask them why they keep trying if the medication makes them feel so bad, the answer is always the same: “Because I need to lower my cholesterol and my doctor prescribed it…”

People often assume they’re healthy just because they see certain numbers in their blood tests, without understanding what those numbers actually mean or why they matter. In the process, they forget the most fundamental indicator of health: genuinely feeling well, not just having the “right” numbers on a piece of paper.

It’s quite strange to chase “perfect” cholesterol numbers while dealing with liver stress, reduced insulin sensitivity, muscle pain (just to name a few). Yet so many people still keep doing it!