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Yeah but, they are still being given to all the fat old people. Statins increase the risk of diabetes, and they cause muscle pain and weakness, and cataracts. Ever wonder why every old person is getting cataract surgery?
Statins probably cause other miseries if taken long enough. Yet they are one of the best selling prescription drugs.
Statins do have side effects, but the risks as compared to benefits for those with high risks are still low.
Statin risks as you describe are real, but low in frequency. Except muscle pain which is quite common and usually alleviated with a dosage or statin change.
Liver damage, induced diabetes and cataracts are not commonly associated with or aggravated by statins.
I seldom go to medical doctors, but last time I went, a very fat doctor told me I would die if I didn't take statins. My HDL was very high for some reason. High HDL is NOT a risk factor for CV disease.
Well, it is true, I WILL die if I don't take statins. And I will die if I DO take them, but I won't be as healthy.
One of the worst things about statins is they cause muscle pain and weakness, making people less likely to exercise. And exercise is the BEST way to prevent heart disease! NOT THE STUPID DRUGS!
HDL is protective, and we never want to lower it.
If the statin is causing muscle pain or weakness, then the dose or medication needs to be changed. Almost anyone can take statins long term without significant side effects. (not that everyone should)
Statins do have side effects, but the risks as compared to benefits for those with high risks are still low.
Statin risks as you describe are real, but low in frequency. Except muscle pain which is quite common and usually alleviated with a dosage or statin change.
Liver damage, induced diabetes and cataracts are not commonly associated with or aggravated by statins.
I've known a few people who were talking statins.
All stopped taking them because the side effects were terrible. All are still alive today.
All stopped taking them because the side effects were terrible. All are still alive today.
Anecdotal.
I've prescribed statins to high risk people since the '80's, and most patients can take them long term without side effects. Quite a few require a dosage change or a switch to a different stain due to side effects. Most common being muscle aches.
I had muscle aches with Crestor, but not with pravachol or simvastatin. My anecdote.
Almost all my patients from the '80's are now dead.
I've prescribed statins to high risk people since the '80's, and most patients can take them long term without side effects. Quite a few require a dosage change or a switch to a different stain due to side effects. Most common being muscle aches.
I had muscle aches with Crestor, but not with pravachol or simvastatin. My anecdote.
Almost all my patients from the '80's are now dead.
I would guess most patients from the 80s are now dead. Or at least >75.
Statins do have side effects, but the risks as compared to benefits for those with high risks are still low.
Statin risks as you describe are real, but low in frequency. Except muscle pain which is quite common and usually alleviated with a dosage or statin change.
Liver damage, induced diabetes and cataracts are not commonly associated with or aggravated by statins.
Statins are toxic, for some people those side effects manifest clinically, for others the damage will remain subclinical for some time. I also think given the high-risk status of many Statin users, the damage it's doing is not always clear, as they often have a range of bodily problems.
But why are Statins are toxic? Statins inhabit a vital enzyme, that leads to an excess of reactive oxygen species. Where this is first felt is the muscles since ca2+ is being oxidized by them. But this is leads to multisystem effects in longer term.
Now, do the benefits out weigh the risk? Well, you tell me. For every 100 patients who take statins, 1 will have a benefit, the other 99 will get nothing but toxicity.
This toxicity is slow, but ultimately deleterious.
Statins are toxic, for some people those side effects manifest clinically, for others the damage will remain subclinical for some time. I also think given the high-risk status of many Statin users, the damage it's doing is not always clear, as they often have a range of bodily problems.
But why are Statins are toxic? Statins inhabit a vital enzyme, that leads to an excess of reactive oxygen species. Where this is first felt is the muscles since ca2+ is being oxidized by them. But this is leads to multisystem effects in longer term.
Now, do the benefits out weigh the risk? Well, you tell me. For every 100 patients who take statins, 1 will have a benefit, the other 99 will get nothing but toxicity.
This toxicity is slow, but ultimately deleterious.
If you were engaged in patient care with high risk patients dating back to the '80's it would be obvious to you of the significant benefits. There are known risks, and we watch out for them. But by and large nothing serious long term.
In all my years I put one patient in the hospital with muscle damage from simvastatin. Turned out to be minor, and she recovered off the med.
Without big pharma I would have been dead a few years ago. Congestive heart failure, blood cancer, bph, high blood pressure, permanent afib. Keep those drugs coming. They are my lifeline.
If you were engaged in patient care with high risk patients dating back to the '80's it would be obvious to you of the significant benefits. There are known risks, and we watch out for them. But by and large nothing serious long term.
In all my years I put one patient in the hospital with muscle damage from simvastatin. Turned out to be minor, and she recovered off the med.
The issue is when we place people on an intervention to prevent a certain event, and that event doesn't happen we're likely to attribute the lack of that event to the intervention. This is human nature. And why we do double-blind RCTs.
But more to the point, you were probably monitoring their LDL periodically, and noting 'improvement.' However, there is increasing data showing LDL is not linked to atherosclerosis and higher levels may improve all cause mortality.
Now, imo, they would have been better off radically changing their diet to avoid all refined and processed sugars. Only sugars they should get is from fruit (no fruit juices even).
There is a range of data a lot of our autoimmune issues (and diabetes 2 is now understood to be autoimmune vs metabolic disorder) are due to the Western diet. Like I said earlier, 70% of our immune system is in our gut. Bacteria thrive and multiply off sugar. The western diet injects sugar continuously into the gut, allowing bacteria to proliferate and causing our immune system to do work putting them in the proper concentrations. This is continuous.
I even know people who opted for a low sugar diet for metastatic breast cancer when their PCP recommended chemotherapy. Their cancer went into complete remission without chemo, stunning their PCP. Of course, why this happens is not well known, but if your immune system is in a constant inflammatory state in your gut due to your diet, it maybe less efficient elsewhere.
I don't get sick, and one of the reasons (I believe) is I practice intermittent fasting. On a normal day I eat in 6 hour windows, but every month I go 2-3 days without food completely. This, I feel, allows my immune system a break as your digestive system basically shuts down, and can focus elsewhere.
Of course, things like low sugar diet and intermittent fasting don't make anyone money.
Without big pharma I would have been dead a few years ago. Congestive heart failure, blood cancer, bph, high blood pressure, permanent afib. Keep those drugs coming. They are my lifeline.
You might ask why you developed CVD in the first place. It could be due to big Pharma. Though I don't know your history. Anyways, glad you're alive but I would radically change my diet.
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