The Truth About Statins

          Statins are a class of medicines that lower the level of cholesterol in the blood. They are taken by tens of millions of people around the world. Most doctors are convinced that they are very safe, in part because they are heavily marketed in medical journals, on television, and by pharmaceutical representatives who visit doctors' offices.

          But every day in my practice I see patients who cannot tolerate statins. In fact, I live with a man who has developed severe muscle pain on every statin on the market. My husband was started on statins after a trip we took to Italy in 1995 when he more or less overdosed on Prosciutto di Parma. When we came home his total cholesterol was over 300. His primary care doctor prescribed various statins over the years but his muscle aches interfered with his ability to run and lift weights, which he loves to do. Finally, he went on a strict seafood-vegetarian Mediterranean diet and his cholesterol levels, on diet and a nonstatin medicine that blocks the absorption of cholesterol, are satisfactory.

There are people who can take statins and not develop side effects. But nowadays doctors are advised to knock their patient’s cholesterol down to very low levels with high doses of statins. And cholesterol, far from being the villain it’s said to be, is a vital part of every cell in our bodies. How will muscles, brain cells, and nerves react if they are chronically starved of a chemical that is so necessary for their proper functioning?

There are other questions about statins that need answers. How solid is the science that is used to justify treating people with statins? What is at stake for the pharmaceutical industry (Big Pharma), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the medical profession, and most importantly, the people who take statins? Why do women seem to derive less benefit than men? Why do women report more side effects from statins? What questions should you ask your doctor if he/she wants you to take a statin? These are all critical questions to which we need unbiased, scientifically valid answers.

In researching these issues I pored over the studies that were used to justify treating people, both those with heart disease and healthy people “at risk” for heart disease, with statins. I spoke to my own patients who’d had side effects to statins, and to other people who heard of my interest in statin side effects and contacted me. I educated myself on the interactions among Big Pharma, the FDA, and the medical profession. It’s not a pretty picture. In exposing the shoddy science that underlies many of the “guidelines” that doctors are told they must follow in treating their patients, in exposing the rampant conflicts of interest among the FDA, Big Pharma, medical scientists, medical centers, and professional medical organizations, I risk being exposed to harsh criticism. But physicians must follow the dictum: “First do no harm.” I’m no longer convinced that long term use of statins in high doses does no harm.  This conviction led me to write a book, The Truth About Statins: Risks and Alternatives to Cholesterol-lowering Drugs.

If you or someone you love takes a statin you need to know the information that will be laid bare in “The Truth About Statins.” It might just save your life.