It is my experience that the cholesterol-reducing drugs known as ‘statins’ have been vigorously embraced by the medical profession as a largely safe and effective preventive for cardiovascular disease. Yes, the best available evidence we have is that this class of drugs have somewhat limited effectiveness. I wrote about this earlier this year.
Another side to statins, of course, is that they are not without risk. In particular, they have the capacity to deplete the body of a nutrient known as ‘coenzyme Q10’. Low levels of this substance in the body can lead to various symptoms which include fatigue and muscular pain.
Below, I have added in a piece which explore the issue of statin-induced coezyme Q10 (CoQ10) depletion in more depth.
Recently, researchers in New York, USA, tested the effect of CoQ10 supplementation in a group of 32 individuals taking statins who were experiencing muscular symptoms such as muscle pain [1].
Half the group was treated with CoQ10 at a dose of 100 mg per day, while the other half received vitamin E (400 IU per day) which might be regarded as a ‘placebo’ in this study.
After 30 days, those taking the CoQ10 saw a 40 per cent decrease in muscle pain severity and a similar drop in the extent to which this pain affected their daily lives. In contrast, the taking of vitamin E did not lead to any significant changes in symptoms.
What this study shows is that CoQ10 supplementation may be of real benefit for individuals suffering from the side-effects of statins. My advice is that if someone is taking or planning to take a statin drug, is that they should at least accompany it with some CoQ10.
References:
1. Caso G, et al. Effect of coenzyme q10 on myopathic symptoms in patients treated with statins. Am. J. Cardiol. 2007 May 15;99(10):1409-12.
The hazards of taking statins to reduce cholesterol and what you can do about it – 22nd August 2004
It seems barely a week goes by before some doctor or scientist is extolling the virtues of the cholesterol-quelling drugs known as statins. So great for is the enthusiasm for these drugs, that Department of Health recently decreed that one statin (simvastatin) should be made available over-the-counter (OTC). This at first sight might seem like a smart move by a Government concerned for our health and longevity. However, as was pointed out in an editorial in the Lancet medical journal recently, statin use in individuals without known cardiovascular disease has not been proven to reduce overall risk of death. With the NHS spend on statins expected to rise to �£2 billion per annum by 2010, it seems the Government’s move to make statins available to buy OTC may be motivated by a desire to save not lives, but money.
Another reason why I believe we should be somewhat cautious about rushing out to by statins from pharmacies as though they were sweeties in a sweetshop is that this class of drug is known to have the potential for side-effects which include liver damage, digestive symptoms, muscle pain, muscle weakness and fatigue. There is some evidence that at least some of the side-effects of statin drugs are a direct product of their primary mode of action in the body. Statins work by inhibiting enzymes in the body’s cells responsible for the internal manufacturing of cholesterol. Unfortunately, the very same enzyme suppressed by statin drugs is responsible for manufacturing a substance known as Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which plays a critical part in the reactions that generate energy within the body’s cells.
Several studies show that dosing up on statins can deplete the body of CoQ10. Bearing in mind CoQ10’s starring role in the generation of energy in the body, it is perhaps no surprise that individuals taking statins in the long-term can find themselves suffering from weakness, fatigue and exhaustion. CoQ10 seems to be particularly important for maintaining the healthy functioning of the heart muscle. This is why, as I mentioned in my column three weeks ago, that supplemental CoQ10 is a potentially useful agent in the treatment of heart weakening known as cardiac failure. Logic dictates that statins, through their CoQ10 depleting effects, might actually weaken the primary organ they are designed to protect.
Because it can take many months or even years after starting statin therapy for CoQ10 levels to be lowered sufficiently to provoke symptoms, it is easy for the drug’s role in fatigue to go unrecognised. Those taking statins, particularly in the long term, might do well to ensure a good intake of CoQ10. The richest dietary sources of this nutrient are organ meats such as liver and kidney. Other foods which offer useful amounts of CoQ10 include nuts, sesame seeds, oily fish and broccoli.
In addition, I recommend that individuals taking statins supplement with 50 – 100 mg of CoQ10 per day. For individuals who have symptoms of CoQ10 depletion such a muscle weakness, fatigue or reduced stamina, I suggest 100 – 150 mg of CoQ10 be taken each day, though even at this dose it may take some months for symptoms to abate. In the long term, however, CoQ10 supplementation can help those taking statins from falling foul of an energy crisis.
Very useful & informative
What do you recommend that a patient taking simvastatin do about myopathy? I started taking 20 mg of simvastatin/day three years ago and I have been shocked to see from beach photographs of me from that time how massive my muscle loss has been. No doubt some of the profound fatigue I have been experiencing is due just to the loss of skeletal muscle.
i had been on statins for 5 yrs when my muscle pain became very pronounced in that my left foot was so painful that i had to change to an auto car and could hardly walk for the pain.i left them off over 2 months ago and started a course of co enzyme q10.although some improvement still walk with a limp and cant walk far so is there anything else i can do or take for this muscle pain and weakness as my doctor doesnt have any answers for this problem.
I have been taking Simvastatin (following a triple bypass) for 5 years and have had pain in my left leg and have often said that I need to drive an automatic. About 2 months ago the pain became very bad and every night I have to get up and go downstairs, returning in the early hours after walking around a bit and also this prevents me being a disturbance. I find that my heart drugs cause digestive and bowel problems and would love to come off them but am too frightened to do it myself. My doctor does not seem to hear what I say and just asks me to try other drugs, usually one that makes me sleep all day and night. I prefer to have a life with pain! Although I eat the foods with CoQ10 already, I will try the tablets. All the best to everyone.
I have recently had a mild heart attack. The blood tests indicated that I had raised cardiac enzymes . An angiogram test showed that I have no damaged arteries and my heart muscles are OK. Of course I have been given the usual drugs to take but I am reluctant to take statins . The last time I had a cholesterol test it was 5, but the HDL could be higher. I have asked for another test when I would have to fast for 14 hours. However, my doctor would not let me do that. Is there anything I can do to improve my HDL and under the circumstances am I wise to stay off the statins?
I had been taking Atorvastatin [40mg/day] for several years, I forget how many, when I developed severe pains in my legs. I stopped taking it and spoke to my GP. He tried a lower dose but the pain was as bad. I have been off them for about 3 weeks now. The pain still wakes me at night but isn’t as bad. I will try the CoQ10 tabs, thank you. As with a previous reply, I eat foods which contain it but no longer eat liver…………perhaps I’ll start on that again. I don’t know what my cholesterol levels are like now.
i would like to say like most that have wrriten on this pagei was on stattins for about a year.i had terrible muscel pain and leg pain.doctor took me off the statins and have not had any since i still get pains in my arms.SOi am going to get some Q10 and start takeing them.wish you well.
You can reduce high cholesterol and reduce likelihood of heart disease and heart attack and a host of other health problems by minimising intake of salt and salty food. Lowering sodium intake also reduces excess weight without dieting.
Sorry Margaret salt has no effect on Cholesterol synthesis, and has very little impact if any on normal non-hypertensive patients.
Statins – I have been on Lipitor for nearly 10 years and gradual age related increase in chol levels were addressed last year by an increase to 40mg, as a runner (probably now just a jogger to be honest) I started suffering calf muscle pulls that crippled me for days and prevented running for a month at a time. Eventually I overcame my skepticism and ordered some 100mg CoQ10. Six months on and no further muscle pulls, so it might be circumstantial but I dare not stop! I found a patent application by Merck&Co filed in 1989 2 years before they launched Zocor (simvastatin) which was for simvastatin plus CoQ10 combination (application number 07/298535) indicating a concern at the time of their phase III trials!
dear sir,
my husband has been on 20mg simvastatin for a year and a half now. he has severe muscle weakness, is lethargic and in a lot of pain, he even cries out in the night with the pain in his wrists and arms. he has lost his cognitive skills, he can no longer open a bottle of pop let alone do his job. i think he has myopathy and his gp does nothing. his liver functions are raised and he takes 8 x 30/500 co codamol in 24 hours and 50mg voltarol x3 times per day damaging his liver even more.i have made him stop the statin drug and supplement it with plant sterols, a drug called cardioace that i bought from the health food store. can the side effects from the statin drugs be reversed as i cant bear the thought of him being in this pain for ever. please help us. thank you
wendy marshall.
My doctor started me on a cholesterol-lowering drug which I took for 2 years. After this period of time, I experienced extreme muscle fatigue, burning and overall “tiredness” of my muscles (I mostly noticed it in my arm muscles when doing laundry, tidying up after my kids, making up beds, etc.). I stumbled on an article about CO-ENZYME Q10. I began using it (200mg daily). What a difference! Mind you, my doctor put me through numerous types of cardiac testing only to find my heart was in perfect condition. I strongly believe my body was depleted of CoEnzyme Q10, hence my muscular fatigue. I feel so much better now and wish more doctors would tell their patients to go on this nutrient if they are taking statins. Wish I knew a long time ago what I know now.
I am really happy that you published this article, I too strongly believe that taking statins (western med.) is very damaging to the very organ it is suposed to protect. I was on crestor 10 mg per day for three months and it did lower my tri,and HDL, but it also gave bad neck, back, arm, chest and stomach pains along with being tired and depressed. As I now learned that this CoQ10 can help I will surely be trying it , and I did see it mentioned alot on other web sites and alot of people who are either on/off statins had positive things to say about it. After visiting my doctor I told him the bad side effects of this crestor drug so he switched me to lipitor 40mg which I am not taking. I am going to fight my high tri an HDL with exercise and eating right and I would advise that everyone who is on or planning to take this (western med) Statins of any kind stop and go the natural way take it from one who tried it and thos who are still on it . All the best !
Hello, I have taken Symvastatin for a couple of years and researched what I was taking. I have now been taking CoQ10 for about three months as the tiredness is a problem for me at work. I go to bed as early as I can and sleep well; how lucky is that? The CoQ10 is great and I am so pleased there is no adverse publicity on it so far.
Dopn’t be a vicitm of a doctor’s knowledge, research things, especially your own body and health.
Good luck and have a nice summer.
Jackie
I took Simvastatin for 4 years, and gradually muscle fatigue became so bad that by 1600hrs, I was virtually unable to walk or lift my arms. I had been complaining about this to my doctor for a year, and she never mentioned that it could be due to the statin. I had to self prescribe after doing my own research. I have now been off these devil pills for 6 months and got my life back. Unfortunately a recent cholestrol test showed 5.9 and I have been prescribed primvastatin as a solution. I am on the 4th day, no side effects at the moment. Has anybody got experience of this statin.
I’ve been fighting Gout like pain since starting simvastatin and after 8 months my Dr. told me about CoQ10 and I’m very optomistic. I started last week and I’ve felt better than I have in months.
I am taking CoQ10, 200mg. I take Vitamin D, calcium, Vitamin E 800 I.U, vitamin C 500 mg. I take them after my breakfast. It is OK to take all of them at the same time?
To Irene Mouton and all those who wish to increase their HDL levels.
About 3 months ago my Lipid profile should that all was well. However, my HDL level was at 38 in a range of 35 to 55.My wife’s HDL level was at 43.
My wife and I took 2 table spoons of virgin olive oil every morning with my Oats. After 3 months my HDL level was at 44 and that of my wife was at 49!
Try it . It works!
I am 61 and reasonably fit . I work out about an hour , 5 days a week. 35 minutes of walking / running ie about 3.5 kms, followed by weight training for about 30 minutes.I am 5.’10’ and 72 kgs!
The reports regarding nerve damage and muscle damage by Statins bothers me. After an angioplasty about 2 years ago , I was put on 40 mg of statins. ( Blood clot in my LAD after working out at the gym!)After a year I had muscle pain.
My Lipid profile was good with my LDL at 50 which is below the normal range of 60 to 150!
So my doctor reduced the dosage of Lipitor to 20 mg with 120 mg of CoQ10. No more muscle pain , but still worried about the long term effects.
Any suggestions are welcome!
I hope this helps some of you.
Cheers!
Ranjit
I was on lipitor for several years, developed severe muscle pain in my arms. Had to get Cortisone shots for relief. The doctor changed my meds to Simvstatin about three years ago, now I have developed the same muscle pain in both arms. she has now taken me off completely and prescribed CoQ10 and Pomegranate juice. Its been two weeks, still have the muscle pain. How long to reverse this.
I’ve been on Simvastatine 40 mg for more than two years, being part of the postpreventive stroke treatment (CVA. infarction).
Whatever the statine might have prevented – I’m very happy being off that ‘killer-drug’ (for me) since about 7 weeks now.
After about taking it for 1,5 years my muscles primarily worsened very slowly. Strong muscle pains in especially my legs and arms. Stiffness and even more weakness I’ve been already used to since my CVA (and/or since taking Simvastatine! – a loss in muscle strength immediately after my CVA/starting the drug of about 75% I myself estimate) of my muscles. After some months it worsened more and more quickly and in the end the deterioration was almost to be felt on a daily basis. I had problems to walk for about ten minutes. I had problems with simple things to do with my hands which need a bit of muscle strength. Almost shocked how I felt I stopped the Simvastatine, suddenly intuitively knowing that this was what was deteriorating my health more and more.
And I was right. 6 days after I had stopped with Simvastatine I started to feel better. After 10 days I was sure. I almost wasn’t able to get up from the sofa during evenings. It hurted too much to just get up. After 10 days my pain and immobility greatly had improved.
Around the same time the muscle pains started, also my problems with my intestines suddenly started. I got the diagnosis IBS but I still doubt and I more and more doubt it. My last acute bowl attack was the first while not taking the statine anymore and interestingly the strong pain I had to endure before was much less. Normally I suffered from the extreme pain in my belly during 10 to 11 days. This time I was done with ‘just’ 4 days. Also my belly since stopping the statine is much less blown up. My upper belly was like an air filled balloon, a very unconvenient feeling and at times even hurting too. My blown up belly is gone.
I do believe more and more the statine also provoked the so called ‘IBS’. I’ll know more about some weeks.
I’d be interested in the experience of others having suffered from IBS or abdominal pain b/c of taking statines. Did your pain stop after stopping taking the statine?
Are there people who suffered from as well muscular pain as abdominal pain induced by a statine? If so, please leave a message. I’d love to read from you. Many thanks beforehand!
Best wishes,
Tanja
PS:
As soon as I stopped with the statines I took about 100mg Q10 a day. I’m sure it also helped me and if I had to stake any statin again or might give an advice: never take any statine without at least supplementing it with Q10!
My husband has recently come out of hospital following a heart attack. He was given an angiogram and a was stent inserted. After taking statins for 15 years, he came off them at my insistence 2 years ago. His consultant put him back on statins whilst in hospital even though
though my husband was reluctant to take the Simvastatin 40mg which he discontinued two days later. I had previously been a senior nurse on a Cardio-thoracic ward and have been dubious about statins since they were introduced. In the mid 1990s my husband was persuaded by his G.P. to start Statin medication. Soon afterwards he complained of burning and tingling in his feet, he felt as though his legs were not functioning properly, pains in the back of the neck and across his shoulder blades and dizziness. None of these complaints have ever been connected by any medical worker as a side effect of statins. Over the next 15 years his gait began to weaken and on rising from a chair would perform what I have learned is nicknamed “The Statin Shuffle” ie. he would teeter from one leg to the other trying to ‘find his feet’ so that he could commence walking. I am now his carer and have been since the beginning of 2012 because the nerve specialist has diagnosed him with peripheral neuritis. Whilst my husband was in hospital in this summer I spent many hours on the computer and to my horror found so many websites eg. N.H.S, Merck & Co. (makers of Simvastatin/Zocor) and THE LANCET all record the side effects of statins which correspond with to all symptoms related in this blog. I plead with everyone on statins to take note of the leaflet which accompanies the medication, if any of the side effects are familiar then take Co-enzyme Q10 or better still stop taking statins. Just a final note my sister who lives in Australia has been on statins for quite some time On the 12 June 2012 she had one coronary artery blocked 95% another was blocked 91% which caused her to have a heart attack whilst undergoing having two stents put in. The second one had to be aborted. DO STATINS AVOID HEART ATTACKS?
Not in my research they don’t.
I stopped taking statins 5 years ago because of all over body ache, burning eyes, tinnitus, poor balance, numb feet, weakness, stiffness, fatigue, exhaustion.The aching is symmetric. At first I was on 40mg/day simvastatin, increased to 80mg. I complained of muscle aches after a few weeks, so, despite my protests, my Dr put me on the equivalent dose of atorvastatin. Soon after I read info on CoQ10 and stopped statins. My Dr had never heard of CoQ10. Two years later I read that CoQ10 (ubiquinone form) is not so readily absorbed as the reduced form ubiquinol. Although this was more expensive, I started taking it, 200mg/day. Unfortunately I am as bad as ever and last year lost my job because my brain slowed down and at times I felt so exhausted I couldn’t fight off sleep. A lack of CoQ10, caused by a statin, will reduce phosphorylation of ADP to ATP in the mitochondria, thereby interfering with energy production in every cell in the body. In my case I think that in addition, CoQ10 was in such low supply that its antioxidant activity, in an oxygen-drenched position in the mitochondria, was compromised and a large number of mitochondria mutated and are permanently damaged.
So CoQ10 has done nothing to help. Perhaps it’s time to claim compensation from somewhere, although I’d rather have my health back
Hi Fred,
I recognize a lot in your post regarding some problems originating from a statin, in my case 40mg of simvastatin (in combination with 5mg of amlodipin). Extreme muscle weakness bilateral, stiffness and musclepain. the pain and stiffness after stopping are predominantly gone as long as I take q10. the weakness stayed and is a huge problem for me. beside that i’m damaged cognitively quite strongly and my colon is very sick. before stopping the statin breathing became more and more difficult and my kideny hurted as well as there was pain in my heart suddenly. those last mentioned problems made me stop the statin while doctors had no idea what I was suffering from. fatigue is a huge problem too and now I’m exercisting/getting physical therapy, I’m yawning during doing so all of the time (about once an minute, very embarrassing).
I’m very sorry to read you’re suffeirng so much and already so long from the statin intervention. I’m now investigating my mitochondria too and will get the outcome in the end of September. I do think there’s something wrong in the field you described.
If you read the artcles of dr. beatrice golomb about adverse effects of statins you’ll find an alinea about the comparison in strenght of the divese statins on the market. your doctor seems not to have known that atorvastatin is about double strong as simvastatin. so, as far as i am able to interptete the medical decidion taken by him/her… I see you suffered strongly but instead of for example trying it with half the dosage the doctor gave you the double amount of statin plus a double strong statin, thus more or less four times as much as that from what you already suffered. it is no wonder at all you soon stopped the statin. the doctor should have known that the chance of even more problems by more or less giving the fourfould of the primary dosage, was huge or even logical.
200mg of Q10 a day is not much if you are suffering strongly from a statin. I recently took 500mg a day during a month. unfortunately I did not improve. you might try a high or very high (above 1000mg) dosage during a month to see if it can help. I’d like to advise you to contact dr beatrice golomb. eventually you also might take part in her statin study, especially b/c you’re also cogintively damaged.
wishing you all the best!
sandrien from the neds
Thank you for your kind reply Tanja. I should add I get short of breath quite often and my abdomen swells. Not a pretty sight. This happens along with all the other symptoms. Two or three months ago a rheumatologist said there was nothing wrong with my muscles. She decided this by pushing against my hands. Surely this is a blunt instrument, particularly as she didn’t know how strong I was before. She prescribed gabapentin, which seemed to help at first. She said I had Central Sensitisation Syndrome, an umbrella term for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromylgia, whose symptoms have a fair amount of overlap. I think she was saying that the brain’s neural map of the body was chugging away on the wrong neurotransmitters, eg glutamate or substance P. While it seemed to work at first, I still got flare-ups of symptoms, but as the dose is only 900mg/day it could be increased substantially. It is not known how it works, but I can say my anxiety level has dropped (another problem altogether), probably by stimulation of GABA receptors. I have noticed that cannabis helps my physical symptoms but I hate the mental effects. So it is interesting to note that a drug called Sativex has appeared. This is a mouth spray and is 50:50 THC:CBD. CBD has a large number of good effects and antagonises the psychotropic effects of the THC. Needless to say my Dr won’t prescribe it for me.
I’m also interested in the dramatic effects of repeated Trans Cranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on refractory pain and depression. I wonder if anyone else here has experienced the three things I have mentioned, viz gabapentin, Sativex, rTMS.
Good luck everyone
Fred
Hi Fred,
Do you mean beside the disfunction of your mitochondria and therefore lack of energy you’re suffering from CFS/fybriomialgia? or does the one provoce the other? At the moment myself I’m so very tired that when going to the physical therapist while biking 20 minutes I’m all of the time yawning while working out. about once a minute and cannot stop it.
I am sorry, I don’t have any experience with rTCM.
I forgot to mention that eventually still helping your brain to recover beside a huge dosis of Q10 Norwegian Cod Liver Oil as well as vit D are very important. Vitamin D beside Q10 is ‘eaten up’ by statins. As soon as I added vit D my depressive symptoms relieved quite quickly. Norwegian Cod Liver Oil is better absorbed by the body than omega 3 fats are I learned.
I’m sorry you still suffer from lack of breath. For me it quite quickly stopped luckily after stopping the statin. Like you I also had a swollen abdomen. that was one of the first symptoms bedside strong lack of muscle strenght. my upper belly became very swollen. indeed not looking nice. guess it was the liver suffering from the statin as well as the galbladder eventually. after stopping the statin this together with the muscle pain were the first problems getting better.
“Perhaps it’s time to claim compensation from somewhere, although I’d rather have my health back”
That’s why I mentioned that while you were suffering strongly from 40mg of simvastatin it was not at all suitable (expressing it nicely) of your doc to give you the double dosis of a double strong other statin, atorvastatin. Unfortunately we just can try all there is to be tried and hope and see whether still there will come some recovery from the statin damage. Seems to me given the outstanding strange advice and prescription you got after suffering from the simvastatin that asking for compensation should have a good chance. eventually there might be experience with that also to be found at the univ of san diego/statin study?
I’m so happy here noone did not even think of mentioning to me that I might try another statin. after having had so much pain in my colon especially plus muscles for many months and having found relief partially immediately after stopping and my colon slowly getting better each month with my brain unfortunately still waiting for recovery, I guess I would have laughed loudly if a doctor would have even tried to ‘sell’ me another type of statin. although having had a CVA with a family history regarding heartattacks I’d never ever take a statin anymore. I’d not accept to even live one more day of my life with a statin after it has destroyed my health on so many points and especially also in fields I never suffered any problem like my colon. I hope never again to having endure that extreme kind of cholic like pain I had so long with my colon. My colon was perfecly healthy before during all my life. Never ever been a bit of nervous and suddenly he was extremely sick. my sigmoid showed red blood points on the inside during colonoscopy. there was a flat adenoma and he showed to be extremely nervous.
I think given the long list of problems you suffered from the statin you also won’t make the choice again to ever again try any statin?
best wishes, tanja
Greetings from Statin Hell. Let me tell you abit about myself. I’m a 52 yo man and I have T2 diabetes. BP is under good control and so is the glucose levels. Just the usual bit of achyness and such from normal age. A touch of anxiety. Well, 3 years ago, out of the blue, I had a Sudden Onset Adult Panic Attack. Never had one before(or since) and it spooked me enough to asking my doctor about it. Being a GP that specialized in cardio, naturally he Immediately took it as some sort of cardio event and scheduled me(against much protest)to have a cardiac catheter done. Well, they found 3 blocked arteries and installed 3 medicated stents.(Men in my family, it must be said, have heart problems with little or no symptoms-until they drop over, so I was actually relieved that this was found in time-despite it probably having nothing to do with the panic attack symptoms I’d had, but, oh well..) Future danger avoided, I figured. After the stents were implanted, my surgeon put me on Effient and Zocor. All was okey after this until about 6 months, I noticed that I was feeling absolutely no energy, mental fog, malaise…all sorts of unseen before symptoms. Unfortunately, there was little that I could apparently do about it, due to the recent stents, so I just put up with it for 14 months until I could finally get off the blood thinner and lo and behold, I felt much better right away. The Zocor, I never paid much mind to-everybody over 40 seemed to be on it or another Statin so I figured it was just one of those things I would take for the rest of my life. It Did work well on my cholesterol, I have to say. It steadied it at about 105, although my doctor wanted it lower Still.
And so, everything was, until about a year ago when I noticed that my hair was falling out by the comb fulls. Alarmed, I talked to my doctor(a bald man) who thought nothing of it. Just normal male pattern baldness, he said-despite there being No bald men in either side of my family history. Not satisfied that I would Have to lose all my hair, I also was sent to a dermatologist(another bald man) who told me with a chuckle, the same thing. I sighed in frustration and shrugged that I would just have to go Bald, I told myself. All the doctors Vigorously denied that Statin drugs could be doing it-even though the testimonials online of it were endless. “Where did you hear That? On the Internet?” one sneered.
Then, about 6 months ago or so, I noticed my legs were feeling weak and shaky. I would get Tremendous painful lower back pain as well as hip sockets. There were days I could barely stand and walk. I would get up and immediately take Tylenol and Aleve just to be able to function. My knees-particularly the left one began to get Stabbing sharp pains at all different times-whether lying down doing nothing, walking, climbing stairs, etc, it made no difference. I even had to install a second railing on my stairs just so that I could get up and down them, even though it hurt Terribly so and took a great effort just to walk them. Even worse, I would get “stupid days” where I could barely remember my own phone number and address- and my IQ is 163. I was Always dizzy and getting rooms spins if I would move my head just so or look up or down-I always felt uneasy on stairwells. My wife would point to something and I would have to tell her “I can’t look down at that”. My right arm would have muscle spasms so violent they could be seen across the room. All sorts of fun… Now, everyone who takes a Statin knows that the pamphlet that comes with it says that if you Ever have any muscle problems in your legs, etc. that you should Immediately contact your doctor about it-and I did. “Nope, Must be the Diabetes”, he told me, “you Can’t stop the Zocor or you’ll Die.” This time I told him “Nonsense!”. Well then, it must be a stenosis in the lower spine-I’d best have an MRI and see, so I did. It showed Nothing. Hmm…must be Arthritis then I was told. Not much to be done about it, he told me. What about the legs? I was even beginning to have Sciatica pain by then. At times, it would feel like I was being Tazered in the legs. Even more frightening, symptoms that were almost MS-like began occasionally showing up. My lower left leg would some days be clumsy and I would stumble while walking. Once in a great while, it would even totally “disappear” for a few seconds. I had to walk with a Cane. In the market, I would lean on the basket like a doddering old Centenarian. Diabetic Neuropathy…Old age….Arthritis…etc. was the usual rubbish my doctor would tell me. I felt Old and Feeble and I Was. I actually began to prepare to Die-getting my cemetery plot in order, my life insurance, ppaying up bills, etc. I began to rid myself of many possessions so as to not leave my wife a mess behind.
And then, true Horror occurred. While sitting reading one night, all of a sudden I blinked and I had No Idea where I was, what building I was in, or even Who I was. I looked out the window and wondered what I was looking at. I may as well have been in Africa, for all I knew. It wouldn’t have surprised me to see giraffes and lions walking by outside. It lasted but a minute or 2 and then it was gone and I knew where I was again. “WTH was That??” I asked myself. Maybe I dozed off and woke up and didn’t realize it and was just confused…? Maybe..but the next day I noticed that I would have occasional Semantic Paraphasia episodes, where I would say the wrong word for something I was talking about-even though I Knew it was the wrong word. It was almost comical, some of the errors, but it was horrifying also. Thankfully, it cleared away after a day or 2 and only has reappeared once or twice since then, but I am always watching carefully for it to return. Who knows if it would happen while asleep? All I could think of was that I must have had a TIA. A mini-stroke. A “Waking Blackout” I called it. My doctor agreed and had an MRI run of my head and it found Nothing Wrong. Still horrified, I insisted on being referred to a Neurologist. The Neuro also thought that a TIA must have been the culprit and although the MRI showed nothing amiss, perhaps I could have “a block in the Circle of Willis” and recommended another scan to check That out. “What do they do for that, if it is?” I asked. “Nothing.”, he told me. Nice. So, I just have to wait until the Big Stroke comes along and kills me or turns me into a drooling idiot. And so it sat. Until I was looking up some bio’s on NASA Astronauts one night a couple weeks ago and stumbled across Dr Duane Graveline.
It seemed that Graveline had the Exact same thing happen to Him while his doctor had him on another Statin- Lipitor. The more I read what he had to say about Statins and the damages they cause, the more I realized that I was seeing word for word what was happening to Me. The “TIA” was “Transient Global Amnesia”, and it made Sense. Graveline was a NASA Astronaut And a Doctor, so I figured that he Must have some sort of decent intelligence to him-maybe I should listen to what he said and look deeper into it. I asked 3 different doctors that I was seeing at the time about it, and they all to a man denied that Statins had Anything to do with it. I stopped taking the Zocor Anyway- despite the terror of tripping off a heart attack. The Very Next day, I felt amazing. I could walk again without the slightest Pain-even up and down stairs-no trouble or pain at all doing so. My lower back felt great. My Mind cleared up again and was Crystal Clear Sharp- the 1st time in almost 3 years. Unfortunately, the leg problems persisted along with some minor(?) brain effects such as what I refer to as a “Brain Shiver” that feels like your mind “shudders” for a flash of a second and is okey then. The overall weakness, the unsteadiness at times and nerve pain-all still here. Sitting here right now, I have sharp shooting pains every now and then in my right hip, as well as nerve pain in my lower legs above my ankle bones. I take CoQ10 supplements(which I can’t tell if they are having any effect-hopefully they’re doing Some good.) as well as many others to try to be safe about the cholesterol. I have always eaten lean meats, avoided oily stuff, etc, but I still take Niacin, Calcium w/Vit D, Lecithin, Alpha Lipoic Acid w/Acetyl L-Carnitine, and Omega 3 Krill Oil. Scripted meds I take now are Bystolic, Imdur, Vasotec and Glucophage as well as an Aspirin daily. Are any of the supplements doing anything or any good? I have no idea. I do know, though, that my mind is still clear. I am told that I will need another stent put in soon. Apparently the Statin I took so faithfully didn’t do it’s job….but it Did cripple me up and may still put me in a wheel chair and perhaps even end up killing me yet. Like I said, All of the symptoms of the damage have yet to abate or reverse and I’m doubting that they ever will.
Will I ever be back to “normal”? I doubt it. I like to Hope, though, that I might be able to not Die anytime soon. Not that there’s apparently much if anything that a person can Do about it, I guess. But, in the meantime, if Your doctor tells you that you Have to go on a Statin drug, tell him “You First!”. Let’s see how They talk after a year or 2 or 3 of taking this poison. I can’t speak for Anyone else’s experiences with it, but I know that it’s robbed Me of my life as I know it. And now I live in Statin Hell for the rest of my life-however long it will allow me to Live, that is…
First of all let me give you a little history about this, back in 2006 my physician suggested I take Lipitor. I have been fortunate not to have to take any daily medications and I questioned the Dr. because 3 or 4 of my cousins with high cholesterol took Lipitor with bad results, so I declined. I had my physical this June and everything is great, blood work, B/P, heart, everything in the healthy range. The only thing is my cholesterol is high and I am overweight, like that was a surprise to me. However, active, exercise, feel good a little tired but I am 65 and I care for a 5 and 3 year old, that can make a much younger person tired, too. I take a multiple vitamin, low dose aspirin, fish oil, a probiotic, sublingual Vit B 12 and glucosamine w chondrotin. So now seeing another doctor in the practice, who I know and have seen before but she is insistent I take Crestor, better than Lipitor. I explained to her my concerns, I had hepatitis as a teenager and my liver may be a little fragile. Why mess up my numbers when this is the only thing off the range. She gave me the prescription in June, when I went back in September she asked if I was taking it and I told her I had not filled it yet. Her take was this is the only med I will take when so many people my age are taking a variety of medications. I filled the prescription and started taking it the end of September. Within 2 weeks I was fatigued/weak and severe muscle pain in upper legs and hips. I have some arthritis and I was thinking it had worsened and thought, too, my age was catching up with me. However, it was severe and extreme, mentioned it to a cousin of mine and she said she tried it, too, and that it damages muscles. So I stopped taking it, called my doctor spoke with the nurse and she said most definitely do not continue taking it. It has been 2 weeks since I stopped and I do not feel much better, very little difference. Will this work its way out of my body or is this permanent damage? I am upset by this when I had been so adamant about the concerns I had. Is there anything to take or anything I can do to change or correct this? Whoa, I rambled, so sorry. Any advice or comments will be appreciated.
Carol, I’ve done alot of researching on this and from what I can find out, it seems that most(70% or more) do Not improve the muscle problems with stopping taking of the medication- that it does look to be permanant. I do know that my own have continued, but Seem to be not progressing as Quickly, but it may just be my imagination. Apparently, the Statins actually Change the DNA of the leg muscles and once having done so, stopping the drug makes no difference. Personally, I have had Some relief from the terrible pains in the knee and hip joints, but I still do not notice much if any improvement with the muscle problems in my thighs and it’s been a couple of months now since I quit the medication. A good book to read is by Dr Duane Graveline-a NASA Astronaut and doctor. He has written several books on the subject since he also was affected by Statins as you and I are, but the first one you should read is probably “The Statin Damage Crisis”. Crestor Is Lipitor, by the way. It’s simply combined with another drug, but it is still Lipitor. My doctor still, idiotically, also keeps insisting that I should “try Crestor” despite his actually diagnosing me as having “Statin Myopathy”. It’s a different stain and they have different effects, he told me. Ridiculous-a stain is a statin. Period. I lost my mother to Lipitor and it’s side effects and this was 11 years ago. He also foolishly insists that the side effects will all go away if I stop the medication, but, as is more and more evident, most doctors seem to know little to nothing about statins side effects-aside from what they are told by the drug company reps.And, by the way – exercising the legs will only make the damage worse, just in case they recommend that for you to do.
Another follow-up from Statin Hell…2 days ago, I noticed the same sensation that I had previously had in my thighs but now it is happening in both my calf muscles. It is an odd feeling -like you need to stretch, but stretching does not relieve the symptoms. I’ve noticed twitching and spasming again in my right bicep as well. The “stupid days” are still with me and the speech problems come and go seemingly at their own will. I’ve been trying an absurd number and amount of supplements that are supposed to be of help, but nothing much seems to be improved -but rather it’s continuing to deteriorate and progress. One thing to worry about(and I worry about it Alot) is the fact that when your leg muscles break down, the resulting muscle debris has been known to clog and destroy your Kidneys. When That happens, you die. End of the game.
So far, I Still have not managed to get a single doctor to give me the least bit of help with any of this. The one I mentioned before still imbecilicly keeps on insisting that I at least “try Crestor”. Apparently nothing I’ve said or shown him has had the least bit of getting through to him, but he can only keep on parroting the same old “cholesterol is bad-lowering it with Statins is good” line. Different Statins have different effects, he told me. No thanks…for me to take Another Statin now while experiencing all these problems from the other one would be insane.
Right now, the supplements I’m taking would choke your average horse. I take 2000iu of Vitamin D3, a B complex of B6, B12 and B3, 1200 mg of CoQ10, 600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid and 1000mg of Acetyl L-Carnitine, 1000mg of Niacin, 1325mg of Soy Lecithin, 500mg of Omega 3 Krill Oil as well as 2000mg of 40,000stu Cayenne Pepper. Not to mention the Scripted meds of Imdur 30mg,Bystolic 10mg, Plavix 75mg, Vasotec 20mg, 1 325mg Coated Aspirin and Glucophage 1000mg and Diabeta 2.5mg. My pill box is one of those gigantic pill holders we all used to look at and roll our eyes when we would see them in the stores or on our grandparents nightstands. As far as I can tell, about the only thing that seems to have Any noticeable effect is the Cayenne Pepper. And that only gives you a bit more energy-it doesn’t help the statin damage.
And, Yes- I did, indeed, have the other cardiac stent installed in October, so now I have 4 of them. If they clog again-and I’m sure they will, the doctor told me that I’ll need bypass surgery-if I don’t die from the plugged stents first, of course. The surgeon, naturally, insisted that I had to “start back on a Statin or else”. I was actually speechless for a moment. I think it’s like the old Charlie Brown teacher’s voices in the cartoons the doctors must be hearing when we talk to them about this stuff. I told him that the Statin I had been on had Severely reacted badly with me and was Continuing to do even more damage, so how, in the name of Anything could he actually stand there and suggest that I take More of them? Just what kind of intellect do these doctors Have? “Well, you’ll die then”, I was told with a shrug. And so, there it sits. Will I be crippled? Die of a heart attack? Stroke out and be a vegetable? I’ve researched this out from every line of reasoning that I can think of and then some, and I can’t seem to find anything at all that can offer even the glimmerings of any hope. And the saddest thing is, that the drug companies Knew all this was likely and possible, but they went ahead and made sure that Millions of people all over the planet are taking these terrible meds- all for the profit. And it’s hard to fight Billions and Billions of dollars in profit, isn’t it? And more every single Day coming in….and more damaged and crippled and dying people coming in every day….Welcome to the new world of Statin Hell. Isn’t it nice?
I’m sorry to hear about your problems. I didn’t take CoQ10 when I started simvastatin and then atorvastatin. My Dr had never heard of it. I gave up statins 5 years ago and I too have been taking supplements, but I still suffer fatigue and all over muscle aches and weakness. I also have poor balance, supposedly due to cerebellar vermian atrophy. Now I’ve been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia (FM). These seem to be becoming more popular complaints recently. Is this the new excuse? It is a good diagnosis for doctors to give as there is no known cure and the diagnosis is not really a diagnosis but a description of the symptoms. There are a few symptoms that I should have for these two conditions, but which I don’t have. So I don’t believe it. It seems supplementation with CoQ10 doesn’t work unless you take it when you start statins. I’ve read that 600mg of the reduced form ubiquinol per day is required, but who can afford that?
I hear you there, Fred! If they can’t recognize what’s Really happening to a person, then they start trotting out all the usual old rubbish -Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, premature senility and dementia…or my favorite….”You’re just getting Old now…you have to Realize this sort of stuff is going to Happen!”. Well, the last I heard of, growing older does Not require being crippled up and in constant pain and trouble. Certainly, no one lives forever or stays 22 years old, but there’s absolutely No reason we should be falling apart like this after coincidentally taking a pill that was supposed to be safe and beneficial to us. Instead, all it’s done is destroy our lives and taken away our futures. I think the inventor of this medication belongs in prison…and throw in the heads of the drug companies who decided to go ahead and push this horror onto millions of people Worldwide just to make money. They belong right up there with Stalin and Hitler for doing this. I mean, this isn’t just a minor little inconvenience-it’s our Lives. The only one we Get and these people have taken away any enjoyment we might ever have had in our futures-what little futures we even Have, thanks to this medication, that is. I know that I never planned on spending what time I have left being all wracked up and ruined-just to make some corporations more obscenely richer than they already were. This drug fiasco makes Thalidomide look like a toothache. 10 years from now, what will happen to all the Rest of the millions who have been force fed this horrible stuff? It boggles the mind….
I agree with you William. Merck knew about the need for co-administering CoQ10 and twice applied for a patent for a statin/Q10 mixed pill. That all failed so they just went ahead with the statin anyway. Do you know the book “The Statin Damage Crisis” by Duane Graveline? On the back is a chart of the mevalonate metabolic pathway. Seeing how statins chop this pathway off at the knees, they would HAVE to cause damage. I read a paper recently descibing how statins interfere with calcium ion channels too, which would have far reaching effects on all cells and on the nervous system. I’m a bit concerned also about strange psychological feelings. These started only after taking statins too. The feelings involve anxiety but there are no words to describe them. I wonder if anyone else has noticed these mental effects
By the way, if, like me, you’ve gone off the idea of eating lambs’ liver, or oxs’ or pigs’, i recommend giving chicken livers a try. They are delicious, creamy and cheap, perhaps because most people, except the French, go “yuck” at the thought of them. Fried in butter, they are a delight to eat
You should absolutely be worried about mental effects, Fred. They Are coming. Since I’ve started taking these toxins, I’ve had more “stupid days” than I can count. I call them that, because you walk around like an idiot-hardly knowing your own phone number or able to add 2 plus 2 together. Then all of a sudden, your head clears up and you’re fine again. I’ve got an IQ of 163 but on Those days, I’d be shocked to see it was anything higher than 63 much less 163. You find yourself not able to remember things that should have been unforgettable. People’s names that you’ve known your whole life. A minute or 2 later, they suddenly come back to you. It’s like your brain is on a 2 minute delay system. But the true absolute Horror, is when you have a Transient Global Amnesia attack like Dr Graveline described in his book. Read over the 1st posting that I have here on this blog above. I had the same type of thing happen to me and I literally thought that I was having some sort of stroke. I’ve tried Alpha Lipoic Acid, Gotu Kola and a boatload of other things but nothing seems to keep these things from happening. It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced. Physical problems are One thing, but the Mind is YOU. If you change or damage the Mind, you’re changing You. When my Global Amnesia hit me, I was sitting down relaxing and reading. There wasn’t the Least bit of warning- All of a sudden, I blinked and had no idea where I was, who I was, Nothing. I kept looking around me and thinking “What’s happened? Where is this place?” Thankfully it only lasted, perhaps 2 minutes, but it was long enough to have residual speech difficulties for the next 2 days. And, apparently, it’s happened a few more times since in my sleep, as I’ve woken up on a couple of occasions with the same Paraphasia speech problems. You talk to your doctors and get Nowhere. Do test after test-see specialist after specialist, and no help. According to them, it’s never from the Statins -it must be from some other horrible deadly thing that you can’t do anything about.
Take today, for example, my mind is perfectly clear again, but the partial lameness in my lower left leg is back again. Hopefully, it’ll be gone by tomorrow, but who knows? There’s no way to predict Anything about the endless side-effects this poison is doing to us and our bodies. Maybe the leg will come back tomorrow and I’ll have another “stupid day” instead? Or maybe some New and unseen horrible symptom will show up? One wonderful thing about the leg muscle problems this stuff causes is that Sometimes, it destroys your Kidneys when it does it. Beautiful, huh. Maybe the next Global amnesia will last for days…maybe Months? And keep in mind this lovely fact….if this stuff destroys Muscles….what is your Heart made of? Yep-it’s one big muscle.
I just wish that there were Any doctors that would actually Listen to their patients and look up abit of research on what they are saying and realize that just Once in awhile all of their patients were Not idiots and should be heard out. Maybe they could find some way to Help us and Stop this terrible poison they’ve blindly made us take from just going on it’s own merry little way and ultimately killing us or worse. But That will never happen, of course. They would be opening themselves up for infinite lawsuits and damages and they will Never allow that to happen. Better that their many patients die slow awful deaths rather than They accept their rightful responsibility for doing this to us. I Like Dr Graveline, but if you thoroughly go through his books, you’ll see that he’s just as baffled as to how to stop or fix this nightmare as we are. An intelligent wealthy NASA astronaut Doctor, and he can’t save himself. Wow…what kind of hope does that leave Us? I Know we all die some day, and that’s the way it should be, but I Hate the fact that I Have to die because of some drug companies greed and my well-meaning but ignorant doctors not doing their homework. If there is a true definition of “Evil”, then This is it.
Hi William I’m so sad to hear of your problems. Global amnesia sounds terrifying and so far it hasn’t happened to me . . . except . . . If I drop off to sleep on the sofa in the day, which happens often, when I wake I think, where am I? Who’s house am I in? They certainly have a lot of books, and a nice piano. Then I realise it’s my house. I often wake thinking that my son is with me, but after about a minute I realise he isn’t. I’m often haunted by the feeling that my life was a dream, that it never really happened. Perhaps this is caused by being 67, retired and living alone, but then had it not been for statins I believe I would still be working. I’m a statistician and have a paid job to do, but I’ve lost my confidence. This after a successful 40 year career!
Good luck William
Fred
Hello Fred, I absolutely know what you’re talking about with the “Where am I? moments”. I get them too and call them “drifting”. I am always on the alert for them and watch constantly-not that a person can Do anything about them in any case, but it makes you paranoid in any case. I’m fortunate in the fact that I have someone to live with here, as I certainly couldn’t imagine being as you are, alone to watch for yourself. If I was, I would worry myself sicker than I already am over what might happen if this stuff kicks in and Doesn’t fade off after a moment or 2? Say it continued on for an hour? Or more? And who’s to say that it won’t? Then I’d be in a locked ward of a nursing home.
Right now, it seems to be simmering down for abit, but that only means that when it Does come back, it will likely be with some new and worse effect. I’d like very much to at least fight down this Fibromyalgia in the meanwhile. Have you had any success with yours? Who ever said “Grow old with me-the best is yet to come” should be kicked in the ear….lol Lordy, what a way to spend our “Golden Years”… Good luck to you too, Fred. Let me know what you find that works or doesn’t work and I’ll do the same on this end! William
I have been taking 10mg of Lipitor for 5 years and in the last year was first unable to walk fast and eventually had numbness and a weakness in the right foot and leg. The muscles in my right leg are less in size now than in my left leg. My toes began to feel like they were ready to fall off. In November of 2012 I talked my cardiologist to take me off of Lipitor only to have my primary talk me into going back on Lipitor. A recent Creatine kinase test showed high enzyme. My primary has now taken me off Lipitor. For the last month I have been taking COQ10 marketed by Simply Right which is Ubiquinone the oxidized version. There had been talk on various cites that the reduced form of COQ10 Ubiquinol was more available to the blood stream. although there is evidence that the Ubiquinol is oxidized in the small intestine to the oxidized form. A Japanese company has come out with a product called Q-gel which has emulsifiers in with the Ubiquinol to make it more bioavailable. The trick is to get the COQ10 source in a smaller molecular size and more lipid/water soluble. The COQ10 does not diffuse directly into the blood stream but is distributed by the lymph system. It ends up in the liver where it enters the Renal artery. The Q-gel is advertised to make COQ10 ,I believe I remember correctly,4 time more bioavailable than the Ubiquinone. Some sources add E-vitamin,Fish oil or Polysorbate in order to make the COQ10 more bioavailable. I would be interested in what brand or source of COQ10 other people have acquired. I bought a source from Healthy Origines. A pay web cite Consumerlabs.com have tested 48 brands of COQ10 to determine whether their capsules contain what they advertise.
Hello Ed, I’ve been taking Qunol Ultra CoQ10 at a 400mg a day dosage for some good many months now, but, as far as I can tell, to absolutely no effect. It is expensive to purchase and despite faithfully taking it, I have noticed no cessations or reversal of any statin damage-which is still continuing to progress.
Look up Alpha Lipoic acid for strengthening the muscles!!!!
I have been on a variety of statins since 1999 just prior and after having triple stents inserted in my heart. They included Lipitor to Crestor, both at 10mg. dosage.My Cardiologist shifted me to Crestor after it became available a few years ago due to muscle ache in my right lower shin bone area with the former drug. It worked okay until now but I had found stopping it and taking a health product milk thistle, a well recognised liver cleanser for a week to a fortnight when necessary, did help out until the next episode.Crestor has produced very good blood results with high HDL (2.1) and lowered LDL and trigycerides making a total of 4, considered a good optimal value. Recently I developed rather severe muscle ache and pain in my left leg muscle in my rear which shifted to the left thigh and lower down to the ankle much like a bad rheumatic pain. However after stopping the statin for 4 days the ache and pain disappeared seemingly totally. After another day without statin I started taking it at half dose-5mg I am coping without ache and pain up to 3 weeks now. Fingers crossed. Also I take blood pressure medications but BP is within normal limits. Since I feel tired and lazy I have also started on Omega 3 caps (1 per day) and CoQ10 at 30 mg/day since a few weeks and watching the situation. Cautious Trial and Error seems to be the only way forward while keeping in touch with my GP and Cardiologist since it is all a learning process.
The problem seems to be, that once this muscle problem begins, it never stops-despite any countermeasures a person can try. The slight numbness and clumsiness in my left leg below the knee, for example, now seems to be starting in my left Arm as well. I take 4-600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid and 400mg of CoQ10 a day and they have apparently little or no effect on this condition. I am considering beginning L-Carnitine to attempt to help the muscles replace, but I have reservations about it. Just last week, my Primary had me stop taking the Omega 3, as he said some studies had shown it to Possibly promote Prostate Cancer….lovely. And, yes-the mental effects are still here too. 2 weeks ago, I was simply sitting and Thinking about something when the oddest thing happened-my thoughts just seemed to stop and melt away and I was unable to recapture them or feel normal again for a full 20 minutes. An immediate trip to the ER ruled out TIA and Stroke and all scans came back fine, so I can only imagine that it originated with the Statin effects of earlier. Apparently, once you begin to have adverse side-effects from Statins, you can never again be free from them….
I’ve been on statins about 6 months. I suffer from fatigue and ‘brain fog’ Been taking a good quality CoQ10, 100mg daily. I see NO difference. My cardiologist informed me that CoQ10 doesn’t do anything that I’m wasting money. It is costing me 40 bucks a month.
Well, Bob, I can tell you that I’ve been taking CoQ10 for nearly 3 years now and have not noticed the Slightest bit of improvement of any kind. Sometimes I fool myself and try to convince myself that it gives a person a small bit of Energy, but apparently it doesn’t. For the last 6 months, I’ve stopped CoQ10 and have switched to the “better” Ubiquinol and now take 200mg of it a day, but for what, I have no clue. Desperation and grasping at straws, I guess. The muscle weakness has never improved one whit-if anything, it is actually wider spread to almost every part of my body, both upper and lower now, and the mental effects are slowly continuing to get worse. I now have considerable difficulty with typing out words, as I transpose letters quite abit-even when consciously watching for it. I’ve had 3 errors in just writing this small message out-thank God for spellcheck. The “Stupid days” still come and go and, if anything, seem to be more intense and frequent now. I still have trouble recalling certain words and names quickly but have to wait a few minutes before they come through. I have not slept a Good night’s sleep for longer than I can remember now. There are even nights where bizarre dream patterns show up that seem to mimic the real life occurrences, so this is definitely an actual brain problem. None of this crap was even Hinted at by any of my doctors before they put me on that poison. I would have been better off putting a bullet in my head rather than take that nightmare drug.
I started taking CoenzQ10 after I’d given up statins and I think I was shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted. I think the statins caused a lowering of Q10 , dolichols and other things, leading to oxygen damage to the mitochondria. Another approach is to take 1 or 2 teaspoons of D-Ribose, especially with black coffee. It might have immediate beneficial effects straightaway or it might take weeks. A shortage of adenine can also be a problem. This used to be vit B4, but we make our own, so it’s not a vitamin. There are special forms of it, but care is needed as it can cause cyanide poisoning
Thanks for your reply. What you are experiencing is almost identical to my symptoms. I’m always fatigued, sleep is disrupted and I forget things. I reduced the mg on my own from 20 to 10, hoping that will make a difference. My LDL/HDL has always bee good before Crestor but the cardiologist at the UC Medical Center in San Francisco wanted me to go on statins.
Unfortunately, Bob-sad to say, but since you’ve begun to feel effects, it’s pretty much too late. The effects are permanent and progressive. I’ve researched this outrage until I’m blue in the face and can Not find any way out of it. Nothing seems to make anything better. IF we had been told to Begin heavy dose CoQ10 the same time we began the statins, we might have had a chance-Might. But if you feel effects, the damage is already planted. We’ll never know now. The problem too being, that most of our doctors are as uninformed of these side effects as their patients are and few if any ever bother to read up on them or pay any attention to what they Do hear about them. We Trust our doctors to know and take care of us. Apparently we shouldn’t. They only listen to the drug companies-their patients who are experiencing these things are written off as complainers, whiners and hypochondriacs-or just plain stupid. But what a cost to find all this out.
Whoever invented these Hell drugs should be in prison. Our Lives have been stolen forever. All of our futures, our plans, our lifetime desires, our families, our spouses-All of them destroyed. We’ve been permanently cheated out of what time we all have left us by these miracle drugs. Lower cholesterol? “Statins don’t prevent heart attacks” my doctor told me when I saw him. They don’t?? Then why in the name of Pete have I been Given them? “Oh, but you are still Alive!” They tell us. For what? So we can suffer and be miserable for what time these poisons have given us to live? Gee thanks. At least death by heart attack is usually fairly quick. But These drugs trade that for a slow misery death. A great trade off.
Can someone please say something about mental effects other than cognitive deficits? I’ve always been prone to anxiety and depression, but these seem to have been aggravated by statins. Not being able to get out much owing to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue (sic) leaves me feel locked in my private world. Other people are to me like water to a plant. I’m 67 and I often feel dragged into the abyss, where my memories seem like parts of a dream that never really happened. I feel trapped and cosmically alone. However I bounce back and then
feel full of bliss. This may be Bipolar II but I feel like it’s got worse since taking statins. This may be because I had to give up work, with all the healthy shared goals and quasi-family that are so good for mental health.
In addition to symptoms of chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia my co-ordination and balance are poor. Occasionally I go to walk forwards but walk backwards instead. I recently fell off a stage owing to lack of co-ordination. But then I tend to have hypotension. I have tremor in both hands, stomach region and knees when standing. Some of this sounds like Parkinson’s but being symmetric it kind of rules this out. All symptoms started when taking simvastatin 80mg and then atorvastatin 40mg. High doses, and no recommendation to supplement with CoQ10. I gave up statins 6 years ago, but I’m no better and probably worse
I wonder if the wobbly walking and tremors couldn’t be due to the attack on the leg muscles(and other muscles, of course) from the Statins. I know that myself, I’m as unsteady as a 99 year old. When I stand up, I have to get myself planted before I dare try to take a step. I’m always off balance and absurdly unsteady now. I haven’t fallen-Yet, but have certainly come close. I also get room spins when I lie down, but that could possibly be unrelated, I don’t know. I’m rather doubting now, though, that I’ll Ever feel well and stable again. I’ve been contemplating trying L-Carnitine to try to help build up the muscles that were lost or weakened, but who knows how it will work and, of Course, it’s fairly expensive…
I have heart problems, so I fully realize that my future isn’t exactly a long one ahead, but it sure is a terrible shame that what time I Do have left to me has to be spent feeling like this and dealing(if you can call it that) with all of these unnecessary problems that I would Not have had if it hadn’t been for over-zealous and under-informed but well meaning Doctors following the recommendations from their drug reps to push this nightmare chemical onto me. Sometimes, I think the heart attack I avoided would have been better in the long run…