Here's the thing - the literature on statins says that overall they reduce the overall incidence of dementia - probably vascular. We know the risk factors, genetic and otherwise for muscle side effects. We do not know the risk factors for the cognitive effects. We need to know so the right people can get them and those of us who will lose mental abilities - memory related or otherwise don't even take the chance. I recognized mine in time and it was fully reversed after I stopped. It may or may not operate via changes in myelination in the brain - the turnover of that is very low. There are other products downstream including sex steroids that could have significant influence. I personally WISH I could take a statin for the protection from heart disease, and I deeply wish we could look at the genetics and characteristics of people who have had credible cognitive reactions.

I have also been concerned about the lack of studies of alternatives to statins for people who really can't take them. Some alternative drugs have really been dropped because they do not add additional lipid reduction when added to a statin, which is no big suprise, and that may be a huge mistake on the level of the WHO HRT studies that did not recognize the differences between estradiol and modified estrogens. They act very differently at various estrogen receptors and in particular on their effect on coagulability.

You should know that red rice yeast is a form of natural mevacor--

I wish just one attorney would step up to the plate and take our cases- Statin use definitely causes changes in the brain stripping away the much needed cholesterol. My husband now in late stage ( and two years since my post on this) can still read anything you put in front of him. He has no incontinence issues, he just cannot use his brain function for anything else it's like he's frozen in time. Warren maybe we could start a petition and draw the attention of a lawyer out there willing to buck big Pharma & the FDA, they did it for the diabetes that was caused by statins.

Looks like thousands are suing the statin industry: healthimpactnews

Any lawyer willing to start a class action against the statin industry? I will testify! The bums should be put out of business - together with everyone at the FDA who had anything to do with statin approval.

Are you trying to destroy our wonderful multi-billion dollar Statin drug industry? It's making many executives very rich. You a liberal or something?

There is a prevailing belief that memory loss is common and inevitable, so they don't blame the med. My own experience was that two weeks after I got off the mevacor, I could literally feel the fog lift from my brain. I think I still do have some residual effects, even 8 years later.

Want to add spoke via email today to another member here. She had just picked up a 30 day supply of Namenda and her insurance co was turned down she had to pay for them and was told that all insurance companies are dropping payment for this medication.

"It is possible for me to lose my memory but not my mind." Thank you for that. I posted last Oct on this thread, it is now January and no decline in my husband except memory. I feel he had been on Statins long enough for them to strip away the protective barriers of the brain for which there is no reversal- so could the drug companies that produce the statins and sell them for $$$ per month have actually caused the rise in Alzheimers Disease symptoms in our Country? When they ran their tests on statins prior to them being approved did not one scientist note that memory loss (and Diabetes) could be an unwanted side effect and just closed their eyes and moved the meds along, knowing that would produce a need for more drugs

Very interesting article. I think you have to balance the benefits of a drug against the side effects. If the benefits are trivial, then any side effects are too much for me. And the benefits/side effects that matter are the ones happening to the person taking the drug. Who cares if some giant cohort don't get some side effect if you are getting it. Personally I wouldn't take benzodiazepines because sleep problems can be handled effectively in far safer ways. But I might take a cancer drug with horrible side effects if the payoff is getting the cancer under control.

I think a major problem is the way older people are pressured, bribed and bamboozled into taking drugs without any attempt to handle medical problems in a less invasive way. This leads to taking multiple drugs which interact in ways no one seems to understand or care about. All the drug stores are wooing me by offering me 20% discounts on certain days, obviously hoping that I will buy drugs eventually at their particular store. Doctors pressure patients to take drugs and have no alternative to offer, even when there are alternatives. What is the point of doing studies if no one pays any attention to them?

I had to quit the colest meds because memory issues

If someone has a healthy diet and reasonable exercise, why worry about cholesterol being "high"? We were created with a nervous system that depends on cholesterol and a body that regulates it as needed, despite what one eats. A lot of the newer drugs work by altering the body's normal biochemistry; they know more than God?
BTW. red yeast rice is a natural statin, the one that mevacor is made from.

After noticing the memory loss along with muscle cramping, I took my mother off of these horrible medications and found a natural alternative. I am definitely in agreement.

Chi, I like Your exercise machine! I remember years ago seeing that in a commercial. It reminded me of a skier. I tried looking for those kind of small, non-electrical exercise machines but.... can't find it here. I once saw a small electric treadmill at Kmart several Xmas sales ago. I didn't buy it and regretted it.

Gotta be brief; have an early day tomorrow:

93 yr old Mom on statins for the last 15 years with advancing dementia---never before in my family. While on two different statin drugs she had another heart attack. Did doc ask "what is wrong with this picture?" Noooo. Simply prescribes another statin.

Last spring I took her off all meds except for low-dose aspirin WITHOUT bothering to consult the Big Pharma shill aka cardiologist! There has been some improvement, but at her age and considering how long she was taking that crap I didn't expect much, just hoped to stop the steady decline. She's on Ubiquinol (CoQ10), Omegas, Pro-biotics and as healthy a diet as we can coax her to eat. (Forget exercise, unless you count moving from bed to easy chair to kitchen chair to lawn chair, etc.)

Eat meat and dairy from grass-fed cattle, NOT grain or corn fed. The CLA fat helps protect the brain from dementia and has other health benefits. (Although I eat mostly home-grown & local foods, I LOVE the Kerry Gold butter from grass-fed Irish cows!)

Check out Dr. Graveline's story at spacedoc/index.php

Exercise is the best cure-all there is, done properly.
It doesn't take much.
I finally stopped by a 2nd hand store, and found a walking machine
[read: it's got 2 boards to put feet on and swing them back and forth, like walking]. It only cost about $10, and DH was able to disassemble it to put it in his tiny car to get it home.
Depending on how one leans or uses the handles, it can be a work-out on both upper and lower body parts, as well as core-muscles.
There's little chance to fall down--I can use it even on days when feeling less-able--just change how I use it a bit.
Definitely worth it! Not noisy at all, does not need electricity.
Just have to stop using it as a hanging place for junk!

I have to say that I do believe statins are harmful to most people. They have not been around for too long. My Dad was on them and had side effects. He also had 3 heart attacks. In my family genes high cholesterol is there. Nothing seems to lower it. I think I need even more exercise. Sounds like you may have an exceptional doctor specializing in your situation. Most general Physicians just take their pad out and write them not taking in mind all the history, and asking the right questions. I was having a physical 4 months ago and asked my lame doctor, are you going to look up my nose and he said no. ( I have a LONG history of sinus infections). He also last year missed a UTI.. Healthcare is not so good, I listen to my body. There is a big discrepancy about statins right now. I take red rice yeast and Holistic Medicine.

It is always a matter of risk/benefit assessment, isn't it? Drugs can do bad things, but so can the disease they are intended to manage. Coy's father died in his forties, of "hardening of the arteries." So did one of Coy's brothers, and a sister. Two other brothers died in their sixties. Coy jogged, gave up smoking, and followed (more or less) the heart-healthy diet with all of its twists and turns over the years. He took whatever his doctor prescribed. He lived to 86. He was sometimes bitter about that. "Here I did all that effort to extend my life only to get dementia! I wish I could have died of a heart attack, like my brothers." Even in retrospect it is hard to know whether he would have been better off with or without the drugs.

I have Metabolic Syndrome. In my early 30s my cholesterol was 1500 and my triglycerides were 11,000. (At these off-the-chart levels the exact reading is not especially meaningful. 1200? 1500? You're in trouble!) My PCP sent me to the head of the U's lipid research clinic where I continue to this day. I don't bother to read articles about statins. I follow the advice of the doctor who follows -- and actually does -- research for a living. I know there are risks. There always are. Doing nothing is a huge risk, too. Lifestyle changes are important, but are not sufficient.

I think Reverseroles is asking an important question -- what would your health be like if you didn't take the drugs? What benefit could the drugs add? Most situations are not as dramatic as mine, but it is always about risk/benefit. And that is a very personal decision.

There are now Statistics about statins. They are not proven to work as once thought. Dr.Whitaker is a very well Holistic Doctor. I have been taking his "Cholesterol Essential" and my Cholesterol has gone down from 371 to 250. Still high, runs in the family genes. I was a vegetarian and a string bean and had high numbers. I am walking 4 times per week and kicking into an active lifestyle. But in my twenties, thirties and forties I was super active and still had high numbers. My dad passed and Mom declined fast so I was taking care of them and now Mom is in Assisted Living. I tried a statin for 3 days and had severe muscle pain and read up on them and according to the latest finds now that there is history on statins, they are not all they thought. I choose to not take them..

Reverse, my doctor says that my cholesterol is based on Lifestyle/Hereditary. It is NOT based on food because that comes out on my lab work as perfect. He told me that I can eat all the right food but it will not lower my high cholesterol. To lower it, I would need to EXERCISE daily - at least 30 minutes a day.

Because I was caregiving 2 bedridden parents, and my doc insisted I exercise, the only way to do it was after work. But, I can't do that if I come home to do my shift of caregiving. So, fave sis got me an electric treadmill and we installed it in the bedroom. I didn't really use it because mom had needed constant suctioning or else she would choke to death. I ended up using the treadmill's handles to hang all my purses, and the treadmill floor as my storage for boxes. 2 days ago, I cleared it out and I'm now going to use it daily - 30 minutes a day. Day 1, I only did 12 minutes. Last night, 30 minutes. I just got another baby monitor - hopefully this is better reception than the first one I bought. I need to hear well thru the monitor while I'm in my bedroom using the treadmill. Dad would be all by himself in the livingroom. That treadmill is a bit noisy. I have to make the TV volume loud in order to hear the show while simultaneously reading a book, and listening out to father. That was how i was able to get to 30 minutes. TV alone was sooooo boring.

Are you able to find an exercise bike or a treadmill to bring in to your home? These things cost so much but would be worth it if it will help to lower your cholesterol. Eating habits are important. When I was driving home today, I also decided that I will start to eat a fruit every day. Since I don't like bananas, I will eat apples and grapes. Tonight, I forced myself to eat sardines. Trying to eat healthy....even though my doc said that it won't lower MY cholesterol.

For those of you who dont take them, how high is your cholesterol though? I got afraid when mine was so high. I am also overweight, have controlled HBP and a family history of heart problems. My heart is fine but I am considered high risk on paper unless I take the meds and my total cholesterol goes down. My dr swears statins help prevent dementia by keeping arteries clear. Watching my Mom every day with severe dementia, I have to blame statins, or, antidepressants.

I've read several articles which said that statins would not help people older than seventy, so my father has stopped taking them. Many doctors say that having cholesterol that is too low can hurt your brain.

When my husband was first thought to have dementia, 8 years ago, I asked if it could be the Statin he was on, Dr said, stop the Statin for three weeks and let's see if there's a difference, there definitely was, my husband sprang right back to the way he was prior to the med. Six months later, Heart Dr at Bethesda put him back on a Statin as he had confirmed A-Fib, I balked at it, but we tried, memory again sank, Dr changed the Brand, same memory loss problems. He is 83 in late stage 6 Alzheimer's, most people would not even know it, he can read anything, punctuating and discussing what he read, now the Doctors want to rethink what part the Statins had in this, just last week his Dr sent for the PET scan disk done last year at Bethesda, a team of Drs are now interested in this, as they have never seen a late stage patient with the abilities my husband has remaining in his brain. let's hope this starts the ball rolling, way too much money being made on these meds. I personally stopped taking them.

This article is past-due to get the word out that statins can screw with memory.
The brain depends on good fats/cholesterol.
Statins also strip CoQ10 out of the heart muscles--very bad, and largely why statin-takers can have heart attacks from taking those. The heart is utterly dependent on good levels of CoQ10--but it suffers greatly because of Statins stripping it out.
IMHO, the risk: benefit ratio does NOT work right.
NOW we need a clear, concise article listing what foods help raise the good HDL, and lower the bad LDL. Fish oil is among them. So are whole-cooked, dark-red beets. So are whole, cooked, dark red or purple carrots w/ a good oil.
...and there's always exercise!

That is a very, very small study.

Also, I did a LOT of research on the subject--the latest studies have shown that older women live LONGER with higher cholesterol! Our brains need it! And blood cholesterol levels don't have anywhere near the effect on heart health that the mfg's claim. One study that claims 50% reduction in heart issues; it's actually the difference between 2% of study participants and 3%; and the total mortality rate with HIGHER in people who were on the statins. BTW, my heart attack was 13 years ago and I have NOT had any cardiac issues since, and have been off the meds for almost 10 years. .

In my own experience--absolutely, they do. I've been there, done that, found myself forgetting customers' orders--totally out of character for me. And forgetting them totally-no recollection of the conversation at all. I also had the characteristic muscle pain, and was beginning to develop a Parkinson's-type hand tremor. Stopped the med; the tremor stopped immediately, the muscle paid diminished rapidly, and in a couple of weeks it felt like a cloud cleared from my brain. This was about 7 years ago, and my memory still is still not as good as it was. I have a cousin who had a heart attack about the same time I did (2001) and the last time I saw him was in 2008 and he was mentally a mess--couldn't find places he'd known for years, never did make one connection for an event he was supposed to meet me at, kept losing his phone; his doctor had told him his life depended on the meds. Last time I talked to his sister she said he is almost totally disfunctional. Many doctors don't take this seriously because they don't take their patients' questions seriously, just chalk it up to "getting older". I had another friend who quit a job because she developed memory problems and muscle pain after being put on statins; her descriptions sounded just like what I'd been through My experience was that it came on the with the drug, left with the drug. And the statistics showing benefit are presented in a misleading way.

This info doesn't surprise me. I have high cholesterol but saw a show where a famous TV doctor had on two heart doctors who indicated that they do not prescribe statins to female patients. One of the things statins do is increase your risk for diabetes. I know this first hand as I had a blood test while taking the statins and had a "prediabetes" score for my blood sugar. I then saw the show, heard the info, and stopped taking my statins. A couple of months later, I had the blood work done again and while my LDL/HDL levels changed for the worse, I had a perfect blood sugar score. So you might want to add this to the list of reasons why a statin may not be for you. I'd rather risk the odds of having high cholesterol than dealing with diabetes. The guest doctor on TV said that the statins don't help if you haven't had a heart attack. He only prescribes them after a woman has had one.

Bookluvr, I hate to read about your past troubles, poor kid! I also am scared to death of the statins.I started lipitor last week due to a 310 cholesterol. I went to call for propane gas and I couldnt think of their name, I was dumbfounded. LAst night I dreamt 2 of my adult children died. No one can tell me these dont fool with your brain. I asked for pravastatin because I had read it doesnt pass the brain barrier but the dr said I would have to take 40mg of that verses 10 of lipitor and I believed him. I have that deep deep fear of dementia also.

I found out that I had a heart murmur when I was in my mid-thirties. Like a car after it passes the warranty, when I had reached age 40, my body started having aches/pain. Age 41, while trying to find what was causing severe abdominal pain, I was falling all over the place and my hands couldn't block my fall. I would watch myself fall in slow motion and literally slam hard against whatever was in my way. Stomach pains were the complex ovarian cysts - major surgery to get it out. Falling was due to subacute endocarditis - 6 weeks of IV antibiotic, bedrest and echo showed endocarditis..... Worst abdominal pains, with cold sweats, shivering, throwing up and pooping - all at once. I thought I was dying. Gyne thought that I had ovarian cancer - sent me to Hawaii for hysterectomy and biopsy. If cancer, I would have a better chance fighting it in Hawaii than home. Negative on cancer but severe endometriosis - which attached to my inside bowels.

I've researched everything I can find on endometriosis. I avoid a lot of stuff that would make it grow back - that includes hormonal pills, soy products, wheat, etc... It will grow back but I don't have to feed the darn thing to make it grow big faster! So, no hormonal therapy for me. Anyway, on this island, 1 person dies of cancer every 3 days. That gives you an idea of how bad the cancer rates are here. Take those hormonal pills long enough, and I think you get cancer. Or was that a heart attack?

I tried to take my Pravastatin pill tonight after dinner. I took one pill out - and I just can't. I'm just so scared of getting dementia. Mom and her mom had Alzh. Mom started showing signs around age 52. I'm 48. (or is 49?) So, I'm still struggling to get myself to take the pills.