Muscle Damage Caused by Statins (cholesterol lowering drug)

I would be very surprised if you see this on the front page of the newspapers or the headlining story of the 11 o'clock news: PERMANENT Muscle Damage Caused by Statins! Statins are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol and have recently been implicated in cases of muscle damage; in many cases this damage was considered to be permanent.

PERMANENT!

Take a look at this article at Forbes.com - if you're a research buff, you can find the original research paper from the Canadian Medical Association Journal here.

If you'd like the cliff-notes summary, here it is: if you are taking a statin drug to lower your cholesterol there is a 53% chance you will suffer muscle damage because of the drug. If you are taking a statin there is an 18% chance you will suffer permanent muscle damage because of the drug!

Yes, you read that correctly, 1 of every 5 people taking a statin will have permanent muscle damage.

Did you know a statin called Baycol was removed from the market because of a high incidence of system-wide muscle destruction? That was in 2001, and it was only one drug. There are 5 other major statin drugs on the market: Zocor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Lescol, and Crestor.

Do you or someone you love take one of these drugs? Chances are good the answer is "Yes" as statins are the highest selling drug in the United States.

Known risk factors for muscle pain include old age, high doses of statins, exercising vigorously while on statins and certain medications (including warfarin (Coumadin), cancer drugs, oral medications for fungal disorders and certain antibiotics, which interfere with the removal of statins from the body). This means if you are taking a statin and exercise to better yourself, you are at a higher risk of damaging your muscles. And if you are taking other medications concurrently with the statin you are at a much higher risk of damage.

If you are currently taking a statin and are experiencing muscle pain or weakness, I would URGE you to consult your medical doctor with this information readily available. Print the Canadian study and bring it to him or her. Let the doctor know you demand a HEALTHY alternative to this garbage.

I get worked up talking about this stuff because it's so easy to prevent high cholesterol in the first place. If you have high cholesterol and would like an excellent alternative recommendation, please give our office a call. I will gladly sit down with you and help you improve your life!

Dr. Scott
www.hilltopwellness.com

*If you would like to read Dr. Mercola's commentary on this information (I did and the information was invaluable), you can read his article on statins HERE - and please feel free to use my email address if you are prompted to log in - hilltopchiro AT gmail.com)