Statins for CFS?

[Valentijn]

I'm very (very) glad this thread exists. I have slightly elevated total and LDL cholesterol ("borderline high"), and a doctor wants me to take simvastatin for it ... even though it's already gotten lower in the course of a month or two without any intervention Not even discussion of lowering it a bit with diet, etc, just throwing a horribly inappropriate pill at it!

Anyhow, it's because I'd looked at this thread a month or two ago that I knew I should look into statins more before starting one, so thank you to everyone that shared your experience and the research. Even the common side effects read like a list of basic ME symptoms.

 

[Marlène]

Please be aware the statins lower DPP-IV enzym which is essential for your immunity.
This enzyme is responsible for the digestion of carbohydrates. Without this enzym, your opiate receptors are destroyed by exorphines, a toxic waste product of gluten. These opiate receptors are foudn in your brains, HPA-axis, gut and reproductive organs. The regulate your immunity, hormones, mood, etc.

It is linked to neuropeptide Y and several studies have linked this to ME already.

Don't be fooled by statins. It is rubbish. It is very bad especially if you have a mitochondrial disease or predisposition to it. Muscle wasting, dementia, hair loss, impotence, ... are often reported.
About 80 cardiologists and doctors have organised themselves to proof the dangers of this medicine but their research is refused in medical publications.

 

[Marlène]

I took it for years and every time again I was sick of it. I tried all names, all brands. In the end I ended up in a wheelchair, unable to talk. Up till today I don't know if it caused my M.E. but it sure contributed to it.

 

[Lotus97]

My old CFS specialist told me to avoid statins thou my cholestrol level was high. (He said something about they dont just get rid of the negative type but also the protective fats too.. and that if one had a heart attack while on one.. there is an increased risk of death.

The supplements Red Yeast Rice and Guggul are supposed to lower cholesterol, but they also lower Coenzyme Q10 just like Statins do. Is it possible that they work like statins in reducing good fats and increasing risk of death or is it just coincedental that they both lower Coenzyme Q10? I doubt there have been any studies on these supplements as far as death risk.

Something else to consider about Statins:

A new study in the journal Atherosclerosis shows that statin use is associated with a 52 percent increased prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to non-users. None of the participants in the study – 6,673 in all – had any known coronary artery disease at the time of undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA) – a non-invasive method that allows you to see coronary atherosclerotic features, including plaque composition. Arterial plaque is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and increases your risk of all-cause mortality, so clearly, anything that increases calcification and stiffening of your arteries is wisely avoided. And statins seem to fall into this category.

 

[jimells]

(this is for patients without prior heart disease)

In Summary, for those who took the statin for 5 years:

Benefits in Percentage

• 98% saw no benefit
• 0% were helped by being saved from death
• 1.6% were helped by preventing a heart attack
• 0.4% were helped by preventing a stroke

Harms in Percentage

• 1.5% were harmed by developing diabetes**
• 10% were harmed by muscle damage

http://www.thennt.com/nnt/statins-for-heart-disease-prevention-without-prior-heart-disease/

A few years ago a doctor wanted to order cholesterol tests. I told her, "go ahead, but I'm not taking statins". She cancelled the tests, so obviously statins were the only treatment she would've suggested. I suppose drug companies and their pushers, ahem, doctors, will not stop promoting these pills until the patients patents expire and they can't find a way to fabricate a new patent using the same dangerous compounds.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) is a steadily growing group of scientists, physicians, other academicians and science writers from various countries. Members of this group represent different views about the causation of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, some of them are in conflict with others, but this is a normal part of science. What we all oppose is that animal fat and high cholesterol play a role. The aim with this website is to inform our colleagues and the public that this idea is not supported by scientific evidence; in fact, for many years a huge number of scientific studies have directly contradicted it.

http://www.thincs.org/

 

[Valentijn]

A few years ago a doctor wanted to order cholesterol tests. I told her, "go ahead, but I'm not taking statins". She cancelled the tests, so obviously statins were the only treatment she would've suggested. I suppose drug companies and their pushers, ahem, doctors, will not stop promoting these pills until the patients patents expire and they can't find a way to fabricate a new patent using the same dangerous compounds.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is also used to lower bad cholesterol, by raising good cholesterol. Seems like a much more sensible approach than indiscriminately removing a substance very important for biological functioning.

 

[jimells]

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is also used to lower bad cholesterol, by raising good cholesterol. Seems like a much more sensible approach than indiscriminately removing a substance very important for biological functioning.

Perhaps even more important than the question of statins is the fact there is no good research to support the cholesterol theory of heart disease. Is there really such a thing as 'bad' cholesterol? My understanding is that some folks have a genetic disorder that causes extreme high cholesterol, but for the rest of us, elevated cholesterol is a reaction to some kind of problem, like a fever is a reaction to infection, not the cause of it.

 

[Lotus97]

When don't take Coenzyme Q10 I experience pain in my chest.

 

[peggy-sue]

Cholesterol can be reduced safely by taking plant stannols (Phytosterols) - about 2 g a day is enough.
That's the stuff they put in cholesterol reducing spreads and yoghurt drinks, but the stuff itself can be bought from reputable vitamin and supplement producers fairly cheaply.
It can also be reduced by taking a daily dose of a couple of grams of psyllium husk (soluble fibre - it's the stuff found in Fibogel) but again, it can be bought much more cheaply as the pure stuff from a health food store or supplement company.
I've been told my cholesterol is high.
I will not take statins under any circumstances, so I've been taking these food supplements - and I've managed to loose about 30 lbs in weight to get my BMI where it should be and to get my waist/hip ratio where it should be.
I haven't been back to get the cholesterol measured again though - I haven't been curious enough to put myself through another visit to the gp and I won't be doing anything differently anyway.

 

[Little Bluestem]

Is there really such a thing as 'bad' cholesterol?

The so-called 'bad' (low density) cholesterol is part of the covering of nerves.

 

[peggy-sue]

The covering sheath of the nerves is myelin, not LDL cholesterol, LB!

However, the whole "story" about cholesterol and heart problems is decidedly "iffy";
there is now serious doubt about whether cholesterol is actually the cause of heart attacks, but is simply either a correlate or something that arises as a symptom of them.

 

[Lotus97]

Something I've been wondering, but haven't really had time to look into is the relationship between cholesterol and inflammation.

 

[cman89]

Doctors need to stop with the cholesterol obsession. Its based on outdated theorizing. Heart disease is inflammatory not based on cholesterol. Statins have bad side effects on metabolism. Use niacin or play around with diet if you have to.....