Lately statins, a class of drugs utilized to reduce levels of fats, including cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, have become big news. Why? Because they are so amazing and save lives? Actually, quite the opposite. It is the dangerous side effects of statins that are making headlines everywhere from major news outlets in Great Britain, to NPR in the US.
Statins are a pharmaceutical used to treat heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the US. According to the CDC, more than 600,000 people die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) each year; in fact, 1 in 4 deaths in this country are caused by it.1
Statins are big business. As many as 1 in 4 Americans take this cholesterol lowering drug to prevent the risk of coronary artery disease. Pharmaceutical companies make $29 billion annually from statins which are marketed under brand names such as Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, and Crestor to name just a few.
Potential Side Effects Caused by Statins
So, what is the problem with these cholesterol lowering drugs? It is the numerous side effects they cause. Over the years many studies have reported on a very wide range of negative side effects caused by taking statins. Below are just a handful of these disconcerting findings which span from neurological issues to diabetes.
1. Inhibit Neurological Health
Statin users have a higher incidence of neuropathy, memory loss, and depression2
2. Inhibit Omega-3 Fatty Acid Production
Statins increase the production of omega-6 fatty acids which compete with omega-3 fatty acids through various pathways, yet, studies demonstrate that it is omega-3’s that are protective against the risks of CVD3
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3. Weaken the Immune System
Statins interfere with the body’s use of CoQ10, a substance which supports the immune, nervous, and musculoskelatal systems, and at its most base level is absolutely critical for mitochondrial health 4
4. Increase Insulin Resistance
One study found that a variety of statins impact carbohydrate metabolism negatively, and increase the incidence of new onset diabetes (NOD)5
5. Reduce Quality of Sleep
A study by the American Heart Association found that the statin Zocor caused such severe muscle pain in some of its users that it disrupted their sleep patterns.6
Millions of Americans who haven’t been diagnosed with heart disease are taking these drugs to lower slightly elevated cholesterol. Personally, I’m very glad I dodged this bullet. My cholesterol is over 200 and as a middle aged woman I am the perfect candidate for this class of drugs. When offered to me I turned statins down as I was told side effects could include muscle aches, flu-like symptoms, and more. I had no interest in compromising my daily quality of life for an unclear long term gain.
As someone diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a severe neurological disorder, I am very fortunate that I said no to statins. Why? Because the brain is 2% of the body’s weight, but contains 25% of its cholesterol.7 In my continuous, ongoing investigation to heal this condition and rebuild my myelin sheaths, I have found that I need more fat, not less!
So how do I ensure my cholesterol levels are healthy? I went on a Grain Free diet in 2001 which has helped me maintain low levels of triglycerides, ranging between the 30’s and 50’s. It is thought that a Paleo diet can help to reduce triglyceride levels because it is free of grains, and therefore very low in omega-6 fatty acids.
In 2014, I went on a high-fat Keto Diet which has helped my neurological issues, given me more energy, and has not increased my cholesterol levels whatsoever.
Numerous studies and articles such as the ones I have linked to above show that statins may be dangerous for your health. Do you take statins? If so, what side effects (positive or negative) have you experienced? If you don’t take statins, why did you say no?
Sharon says
Elana, thank you for all you do for all of us looking for answers. I was reading some of your instagrams on Pilates and wondered where you bought your machine and if you follow a particular program. Thanks
Elana says
Hi Sharon, I have been working with a wonderful friend of mine privately for over 10 years here in Boulder, though I started Pilates in 2000, and began doing yoga in 1993. My darling friend ordered my equipment several years ago and I love it!
Lee Torrence says
I had done yoga pretty much every day of my life from 18-50. As I approached 50…say 45 it became harder and harder for me to do yoga. My muscles didn’t want to stretch. I got off gluten (5 years now) and I’m pretty good but still have problems with my toes and legs. I just wonder if you still do yoga, or do you have problems stretching your muscles, too.
Elana says
Hi Lee, I’ve been doing yoga since 1993. I have a very gentle routine that I do at home which takes 20-30 minutes. I do it a couple of times per week and it find that it keeps the aches and pains at bay :-)
Barbara says
I love my pilates machine and really miss it when I am in Florida for 6 months. I have problems with my feet and with the machine I can do all the exercises and my feet are fine. worth the money.
jhon says
Howard, thank you for your points. I’ve long believed this about the US healthcare system.
tnx from: jhon
John says
I think it is important for the public to recognize that most of the “scientific” research in favor of cholesterol-lowering statins is flawed and fraudulent.
The most reliable evidence has long tied statin use with memory problems, muscle disorders, liver damage, cataracts, nerve damage, pancreatitis, erectile dysfunction, brain dysfunction, diabetes, and with an increased risk of cancer and higher mortality (statins only somewhat reduce the risk of non-fatal heart attacks).
The physiological mechanisms of how statins do serious damage are also well understood, such as by their impairment of oxidative cell metabolism, the increase in inflammation and cell destruction, the lowering of cholesterol and steroid hormone production, the promotion of pancreatic injury, etc. – rather thoroughly explained in this scholarly article on how statins, and a cholesterol-lowering popular diet pill advertised by Dr. Oz, promote diabetes at http://www.supplements-and-health.com/garcinia-cambogia-side-effects.html – look at Figure 7 to see how irrational it is to block the production of cholesterol!
Yet despite of the existence of that scientific knowledge, the medical business and the public health authorities keep ignoring it and continue to recommend statins to diabetics and make claims that they have a low risk profile despite that they are also significantly linked to cancer and higher mortality (just look at the propaganda put out by the Mayo clinic on statin drugs: “the risk of life-threatening side effects from statins is very low”).
And because of such medical propaganda, few people are aware that the medical claims of benefits of statins are mostly based on junk studies conducted by people with vested interests. And, logically, it’s mostly the corporate medical business and other people with similar vested interests tied to it (eg, mouthpieces, hacks) who promote the alleged value of these highly lucrative products.
Also, older people with HIGH cholesterol live longer than those with low cholesterol levels (see above mentioned article for numerous scientific study references confirming this).
Because the cholesterol-heart disease theory, or rather medical dogma, is wrong, the use of statins is also wrong by logical extension.
So the real truth is that statins have almost no real benefit in the very vast majority of users. They do more harm than good (read Uffe Ravnskov’s “The Cholesterol Myths” and Malcolm Kendrick’s “The Great Cholesterol Con”). It’s one of many “scientific” scams of the mainstream medical business.
Jessica says
I have very low blood pressure, am very fit, eat a grain free low carb diet and feel great. I have had so called high cholesterol for the past 5 years. There is no family history of high cholesterol and have refused a statin each time it was brought up. I have no plaque build up, and basically told previous doctors that if they could not explain why my blood pressure is extremely low while I had high cholesterol, (I am borderline hypotension) then I would not even consider a statin. Just high cholesterol was not enough for me. After a recent move to a new state and a new physician, her opinion was that because I was healthy in every other respect, the anomoly of high cholesterol was not worrisome, that some people are just like that. I was told to continue my good eating habits, and if my health changed, to re-evaluate. I think it is important for physicans and patients to look at causation and other considerations, not just a cholesterol number before jumping for a possibly dangerous drug with side effects. Just my opinion….
Lee Torrence says
Thank you. My husband is in the same position and your post makes him feel more comfortable with his decision to not take the statin. What happened to him is one year they told him he’d have to take statin to deal with his high cholesterol. The next year, before his physical, for a week he at only salads and foods with NO cholesterol. His level was in the normal to high range but not in the danger zone!
Patricia Stalteri-Grubbs says
Hi,
I have studied this and read about the over-use of statins in our country. One of the best sources for this for me has been Joseph Mercola, who i follow pretty closely and implement his recommended lifestyle as well. I am a fitness trainer who remains quite fit, but do have familial hypercholsterolemia (very high cholesterol, sometimes as high as 300-400 total). However, i have resisted using any statins and do not take any medications. I follow primarily a paleo diet, do not buy grains and do not purchase breads for my kid’s lunches (i have five kids). Ive always wondered if I’m at higher risk because i don’t medicate, i just really don’t trust western medicine on the whole and don’t at all trust pharmaceutical companies! DO you have any advice for someone like me?
Elana says
Hi Patricia, thanks so much for your comment. I’m not a doctor and we are all biochemical individuals so it’s challenging to provide solutions given this context. I would recommend finding a great functional medicine doctor who can engage in a full discussion of the pro’s and con’s of statins and high cholesterol with you. I think there’s a resource online that lists functional med docs across the US. Good luck and keep us posted :-)
Stephanie says
Hi Patricia & Elana!
I am so glad I came upon this post. I was looking to make some healthy soup and bam, here this was. I was just talking about my high cholesterol with my husband, when I got it tested (6 weeks after giving birth), it was 260. Both LDL and HDL were high. Low blood pressure. Extreme family history of heart attacks. My dr said we will retest in 6 months. I was wondering if anyone has info on nursing or pregnancy and elevated cholesterol? How long does it take to lower post delivery? How do I know when and if to medicate? I have heard that high meat content diets actually raise cholesterol? Is there a recommended diet or food list to eat/avoid?
Ruth Newman says
I am in the very same boat with high numbers and I agree with you totally. When I did try statins for 2 short periods of time I hurt my tendons from exercise. I will not take them.
Bill Streisel says
I use to take statins. I started researching side effects. Finding side effects, too numerous to list here, was a real eye opener. These side effects scared me. Do your own research but for me, primarily sore muscles, I stopped taking statins. Ultimately, Cholesterol is needed for many aspects of your health. Anyone contemplating statins should first exhaust all other dietary options. Even then, I would be very concerned about the long term effects of statins. If you are reasonably active in your daily life and watch your diet, I would not take statins.
Jill says
I began taking Crestor early June. About 1 week later, I lost the hearing in my left ear. Little of it has returned as the nerve damage was severe. The Drs don’t believe the statin was related- the diagnosis is unknown virus causing Ménière’s disease. I can’t help but think the statin had something to do with it. I do have high cholesterol and some plaque buildup. I’m feeling very torn about how to proceed…
Janis says
I also had a sudden hearing loss and was eventually diagnosed with Menieres. Many feel that Menieres is an autoimmune disease. My doctors think mine is because when I took prednisone, my hearing improved. That makes sense to me.
Just my opinion, but I doubt the statins caused the hearing loss.
Nicole says
Interesting discussion!
What to do when a doctor WANTS you on a statin? A “natural” health professional/nurse practitioner told me that I had markers for genetic high cholesterol. (This was eating largely paleo, at the time whole30.) I had low triglycerides, no inflammation, good blood pressure, but slightly-too-low HD. LDL was high, and wrong particles (making total cholesterol somewhat high). She gave me red rice yeast, which made me feel a little gross, and then I’d read it was essentially a statin (albeit, natural), and she hadn’t told me that at all. That practice went out of business. It was almost a year ago. I believe that statins aren’t a good idea. But, how does one find someone who assesses the risks in a true fashion? I know if I were to go to my regular PCP, she’d have me on a statin very fast, despite no inflammation and low triglycerides.
My main reason for not wanting them is that my grandfather died of Alzheimer’s, and was on statins (and had bypass surgery in the early 1980s). He was afraid of cholesterol. If Alzheimer’s is thought to be Type 3 diabetes, and involves a dearth of brain cholesterol, it doesn’t make sense to suppress cholesterol. It seems like there should be another answer.
Patricia Stalteri-Grubbs says
Nicole –
I am in a very similar situation as you. Please read my comment and also note that my mother died of end-stage Alzheimer’s. i am uncertain what is best for me, but also refuse to take statins at this point. Most physicians look at me as is I’m crazy and freak out at my cholesterol levels. i am super healthy otherwise, low BP, great blood sugar levels, fit, not obese, never have been, never smoke and do not drink or take any drugs. Let me know if you get any answers!
Nicole says
Patricia, I will let you know! I haven’t been in for a regular physical in several years, though had the “natural” practice take blood last February. I am trying to remember fish oil, and try to get the 10000+ steps a day, and have been lifting weights 2x/week for over 3.5 years. I don’t know what else to do at this point! I don’t always eat great, and aspire to eat even better, though I don’t like being too rigid in that regard. Anyway, good luck! I don’t think they’re right about cholesterol, but conventional medicine seems to be behind here.
Jane says
I had the side effect of joint pain, and when I stopped as an experiment, the pain vanished within 24 hours. My cholesterol runs high, but a VAP test, which looks at actual particles, instead of a mathematical calculation which the usual test utilizes, showed that all my cholesterol was light and fluffy. So I worry less. I am a sensitive celiac and pre- diabetic,am mostly grain free, mostly Paleo, and tend towards ketogenic. I try to get in a it of exercise, for many reasons. I disagree with the pharmacist chiding you. If you take charge of your health, and do a bit of research, you discover that mainstream medicine is geared towards pharmaceuticals, and is unwilling to look at lifestyle and food. Yet, study after study shows that life style intervention often supersedes the drug, in type 2 diabetes. As a sensitive celiac, where the only management is through diet, you learn a powerful lesson about the impact of food. I am glad that there are drugs out there, in case lifestyle intervention fails. Not sure putting half of America on statins benefits anyone but Big Pharma.
Penny R says
My doctor wanted to put me on statins for a cholesterol level of 239. I declined. He kept talking about the increased risk of heart disease. I countered with the study that women in particular have an increased risk of developing diabetes from statin use that doesn’t go away with stopping the drug. He said the risks of developing diabetes was worth it to get my cholesterol down. I’m a nurse and I know the increased risk of cardiovascular disease with diabetes. I think I’ll take my chances. I’ve been almost grain free for 3 months and I will have another cholesterol level done in 2 months. Looking forward to the results. My level dropped by 20 just stopping wheat and wheat products.