Turns out, statin drugs are even worse than we thought

Muscled Out

Here we’ve been thinking all along that statin drugs are pretty bad for you.

Now it turns out…they’re even worse than we thought.

Weakness, tenderness, pain

How do we know that statin drugs cause muscle problems? Because the website for Lipitor (the world’s best selling statin) tells us so: “LIPITOR can cause serious muscle problems that can lead to kidney problems, including kidney failure.”

The site goes on to describe “muscle problems” as “weakness, tenderness, or pain”

But according to researchers at the University of Bern and Tufts-New England Medical Center, the correlation of statin-induced muscle pain to injury is unknown.”

To explore this, the Swiss/New England team took muscle biopsy samples from more than 80 subjects:

• 44 subjects had been diagnosed with statin-associated muscle problems
• 29 of those subjects were still using a statin drug when the biopsy was taken
• 15 of those subjects had already discontinued statin use for at least three weeks
• 19 subjects were taking statins but reported no muscle problems
• 20 subjects were not statin users and reported no muscle problems

As reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, analysis of the samples revealed that 25 of the 44 patients with statin-associated muscle problems also had muscle damage.

In addition, the researchers state their surprise in finding “structural muscle injury in patients who had discontinued statin therapy for a considerable time.”

We should have seen this one coming a mile away: Muscle pain prompted by statin use is not only a problem, it’s also a symptom of a far more serious problem.

This you won’t believe

There was one sentence in the CMAJ study I found completely amazing.

All the way at the end of the study, it’s the very last line in the conclusions: “Alternative treatment strategies for patients with muscle symptoms need to be evaluated.”

Now that’s something I never dreamed I’d see in a mainstream medical journal. Ever!

As for evaluating alternative treatment strategies – no problem. We’ve got it covered.

Everyone knows the first two steps: 1) Exercise regularly, and 2) Eat a balanced diet of fresh, whole foods, minimizing intake of processed foods and sugars.

Next up: Niacin (vitamin B-3) has been shown to help manage cholesterol levels. But when taken at therapeutic doses (1 gram or more daily), liver enzymes should be monitored, just as they would be (or should be) with a statin drug.

Policosanol – a compound of fatty alcohols – has also developed a reputation as an effective alternative to statins. In his Nutrition & Healing newsletter, Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., states: “Research is accumulating to show that policosanol is more effective than the most ‘popular’ (among mainstream doctors) patent medicines for lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.”

And finally, the true danger in narrowing of arteries is not so much the presence of cholesterol, but rather the effects of oxidation and inflammation on LDL cholesterol. And there are a number of non-drug treatments that can help control both of those factors, including omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins C, E, and K.

If you or someone you know is experiencing muscle problems related to statin drug use, check the e-Alert “What’s Your Problem?” (5/15/08), which offers suggestions for alleviating muscle pain.

Source:
“Association Between Statin-Associated Myopathy and Skeletal Muscle Damage” Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 181, Nos. 1-2, 7/7/09, cmaj.ca