• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Statin side-effects only felt by those who believe in them – study

ladycatlover

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Liverpool, UK
Just noticed this on the Grauniad website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...to-negative-expectations-not-the-drugs-nocebo

“You only get the muscle-related symptoms when you know you are taking the drug,” Peter Sever, lead author of the study from the national heart and lung institute at Imperial College London.

He added that it was important to note that patients are not imagining their pains. “Patients genuinely get the symptoms,” he said. “But you cannot attribute that, in this case, to the drug.” :eek:
These statements rather remind me of several other people who I'm sure we all know and love...:rofl:

Study done on predominantly over 60 white men.

 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
I've just been reading that as well, lcl. It's very interesting, especially for the debate raging in the comments section below it.

It's a double-blind trial, but it was funded by Pfizer and it appears to use a lower dose of statin than is typical in the real world.

The whole thing is reminiscent of our situation, with many patients self-reporting massive problems with statins while various parties insist that the science shows them to be safe.

It's very similar to that "You may think you're ill but all the tests show that you're not so you're not" conundrum we've all encountered.
 

ladycatlover

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Liverpool, UK
@sarah darwins I haven't finished reading all of the comments section yet, but as you say it's very interesting. My doc wants to prescribe statins for me but so far I've managed to avoid them. Did see a dietitian who recommended the portfolio diet. After about a year on that my cholesterol ratio improved, though it didn't drop. After that year I was so sick of the diet I reached the point where I could barely eat at all, nearly everything I was supposed to eat tasted absolutely foul. So gave up on the diet and went back to eating what I could manage to eat.

Since last summer when diagnosed with diverticular disease I've been trying to eat a higher fibre diet. Breakfast is toast and hummus with chopped mixed salad (tomato, cucumber, sweetcorn, beetroot, celery, spring onion) dressed with garlic dressing. I'm sad to say that lunch is less healthy, especially in winter! ;) Too many stews! Though we do try and eat oily fish at least once a week - love trout in almond sauce! Will prob try and get cholesterol re-measured come autumn (hopefully my PIP saga will be over by then). I'm hoping the healthy breakfasts will have helped my levels by then!

The idea of taking pills that can lead to muscle pain, cog probs, and increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes doesn't really appeal. :eek: I have all those problems already! :rolleyes:
 

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
The idea of taking pills that can lead to muscle pain, cog probs, and increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes doesn't really appeal. :eek: I have all those problems already! :rolleyes:

I hear you!

Incidentally, I was prescribed statins a couple of years ago for an off-label application (migraine). I knew nothing about them, was unaware of any potential side-effects (and my GP didn't mention any). After less than a week I had to stop because of the most horrific, unspeakable nightmares. Every time I closed my eyes it was like a Stephen King novel in there. So you can add that to the list of 'side-effects that don't exist'!
 
Last edited:

keenly

Senior Member
Messages
814
Location
UK
Just noticed this on the Grauniad website.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...to-negative-expectations-not-the-drugs-nocebo

“You only get the muscle-related symptoms when you know you are taking the drug,” Peter Sever, lead author of the study from the national heart and lung institute at Imperial College London.

He added that it was important to note that patients are not imagining their pains. “Patients genuinely get the symptoms,” he said. “But you cannot attribute that, in this case, to the drug.” :eek:
These statements rather remind me of several other people who I'm sure we all know and love...:rofl:

Study done on predominantly over 60 white men.


Nonsense.

Statins are dangerous and deplete CoQ10. The backlash against them has worried Pharma shills. They have serious side effects which I have witnessed myself.
 

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,431
Location
UK
Statins produced the same muscle 'sensation' I get when I have failed to pace. After a short time, I relapsed quite severely and became confined to bed for three months. I have no doubt the exacerbation was on account of the statin.

I didn't realise at the time that they block CoQ10.
 

pogoman

Senior Member
Messages
292
Just noticed this on the Grauniad website...


That article is a crock of youknowhat lol
At least in the US the knowledge about statin (and fibrates) bad effects is growing and is now known to cause an autoimmune myopathy.

Interesting read about personal experiences of Statin side-effect by former NASA astronaut and Air Force flight surgeon Duane Graveline:

https://spacedoc.com/articles/my-statin-story-personal-experiences-main-menu

Mr Graveline passed away last year, his spacedoc forum is kind of dead but from it I found a Face Book group called Stopped Our Statins with over a thousand members.

Nonsense.

Statins are dangerous and deplete CoQ10. The backlash against them has worried Pharma shills. They have serious side effects which I have witnessed myself.

The myopathy from statins and fibrates has a name, usually referred to as Necrotizing Autoimmune Myopathy and can be verified by muscle biopsy.
Theres also two antibody lab tests, anti-SRP and HMGCR but not all with NAM will test positive, I didn't but muscle biopsy showed I have it.
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
@ladycatlover - niacin can very effectively lower cholesterol. My cholesterol was high for many years (around 250) but I would not even consider a statin. Anyways I started taking niacin for sleep a couple of years ago (two 500 mg. tablets) and on my last test, my cholesterol was in the normal range for the first time in probably close to 20 years. Also, things like psyllium are supposed to help as well.

Don't get time-release niacin, which has been associated with liver damage. And the kind you want is the kind that makes you flush, you get used to it. Non-flush niacin does not work. and niacin can be very helpful with sleep so taking it at night is great.
 

daisybell

Senior Member
Messages
1,613
Location
New Zealand
That article is a crock of youknowhat lol
At least in the US the knowledge about statin (and fibrates) bad effects is growing and is now known to cause an autoimmune myopathy.



Mr Graveline passed away last year, his spacedoc forum is kind of dead but from it I found a Face Book group called Stopped Our Statins with over a thousand members.



The myopathy from statins and fibrates has a name, usually referred to as Necrotizing Autoimmune Myopathy and can be verified by muscle biopsy.
Theres also two antibody lab tests, anti-SRP and HMGCR but not all with NAM will test positive, I didn't but muscle biopsy showed I have it.
That's very interesting. My father has just had a muscle biopsy - and I would place a bet that this may be what he has.....
 

Skippa

Anti-BS
Messages
841
Good grief, is no condition or treatment safe from the current extremely popular "everything is imagined"?

So what about the first folks who reported side effects... thye wouldn't have known about potential pains 'cos they were the first.

Just realised something else whilst thinking about this... False Illness Beliefs.

FIB.

Fibs. We're all telling fibs.
 

ladycatlover

Senior Member
Messages
203
Location
Liverpool, UK

Lolo

Senior Member
Messages
306
Location
AUS
Big Pharma would like to give statins to everyone, they have tried.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22779765 (2012)
"US Health authorities are currently pushing for anti-cholesterol drugs to be added to the public water supply."

And Britain has had the same discussion in 2004.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3931157.stm
"So maybe people should be able to have their statin, perhaps if not in their drinking water, with their drinking water. "
and '"We've long known that the evidence is really that you should be treating way down to really quite a low risk. '
Both quotes from a Dr John Reckless.:rolleyes:

I wouldn't be surprised to see statins researched for CFS, maybe in 10 years when it finally becomes recognised as a 'real' illness. And who knows what else in the meantime!
:nervous::cautious::eek::aghhh: