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My wife has been taking rosuvastatin (Crestor) for the past ten years, me, atorvastatin for maybe three years. Out of the blue, 3 or 4 years ago, my wife started experiencing muscle pain (arms, legs, stomach...), weakness, muscle twitches and spasms (especially in her left calf), debilitating fatigue, trouble sleeping, brain fog, higher blood sugar (but she is obese)... You should see her walk up or down stairs! She looks like she's 90! This has greatly impaired her ability to work. She has had long sick leaves and is starting to consider retirement, at 55! Of course, she has had so many tests for neurological disorders, blood works, MRI, EEG... She is now waiting for an appointment to see a rheumatologist, but I honestly doubt he/she will find anything. She really feels completely alone in this struggle. Of course, we have considered fibromyalgia, but she doesn't seem to have all the symptoms, and besides, doctors don't seem to be taking that illness very seriously, even if it has been recognized as a real illness. She still has no diagnosis 4 years later! I believe doctors probably think it's all in her head, or all related to her obesity. Needless to say that her work insurance company is not making things easy. So, all this to say that I firmly believe her Crestor might be the culprit. She did try stopping it for 2 months, but it did not make the slightest difference. Of course, her cholesterol level went back up and her doctor was pissed that she stopped the medication. The doctor told her to start taking it again, and obviously she doesn't believe, like many many other doctors, that statins are to blame. Normal CK levels is NOT proof that everything is alright. What makes me angry is that the doctor didn't even offer to change for another molecule, like maybe Repatha. So in the meantime, my wife is still suffering and feels like a big useless larvae. It makes her cry a lot. Yes, she has taken antidepressants, but it did not help. She says she doesn't feel depressed anyway. She just has no energy for anything anymore. She's actually a psychiatrist, so you can imagine how important it is for her to keep her cognitive abilities... Anyway, I am convinced that her Crestor is the culprit. I have seen many people saying it took at least a year for the symptoms to go away after stopping statins. So stopping two months like she did is most probably not enough. She has been taking the medication for 10 years at least. It surely is different from someone who took the medicine for two weeks! I am trying to convince my wife to change the molecule for one without statins. I have no idea if Repatha is covered by insurances here in Canada. This thing is extremely expensive!

God thanks we now have LDL-direct and NMR. EVERY time LDL-c was +25-30% then LDL measured and measured was in the range <90. Despite of that, the doc just stated that she does not have it in her "cock book", LDL-direct or NMR to assess LDL, 🤣 and I am the subject to get statins.

Russ, thanks for the video. I never knew how LDL was calculated. Have a good week.

This is all very interesting. However, here are two important points. As Dr. Malcolm Kendrick and Dr. Robert Cywes and Professor Bart Kay point out, whether your LDL-C is 20mg/dL or 250mg/dL, it makes ZERO difference since LDL particles (or ANY lipoproteins) do not damage the coronary endothelium and therefore DO NOT CAUSE atherosclerosis. Secondly, every single LDL-C "threshold" (i.e. 70mg/dL or 55mg/dL, etc.) that the cardiologists keep MAKING UP every few years is based on ZERO experimental data!

from a 2009 paper ""Importantly, CoQ10 crosses the blood-brain barrier in animal studies. Matthews and colleagues demonstrated a 30%-40% increase in cerebral cortex mitochondrial concentrations of CoQ9 and CoQ10 at 12 months in mice,2 and Smith and colleagues found brain levels of CoQ9 and CoQ10 to increase with oral supplementation in R6/2 mouse models of HD.8 Central nervous system penetration of oral CoQ10 in humans has not been studied."

How can insulin resistance, something that raises your heart disease risk 6 times (500% increase), or full blown type 2 diabetes, 10.8 times (980% increase) be LESS dangerous than a raised ldl, which increases your risk 1.4 times (40% increase)? These are the risks from the Women’s health initiative. It makes no sense to continue a statin if you develop insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

Any alternatives to COQ10 -- like foods? I am pretty sure those pills will kick off my heartburn. I am gearing up for a trial of 5 mg Crestor on alternate days. Have dodged statins for 15 years, but at age 70 I'm starting to see plaque on CIMT, and CAC is 0.51. (Not trying to fix LDL of 200 but will track inflammation markers, especially those Bale and Doneen cite.)

Your doctor is not inclined to agree for you to stop taking statins. I was taking 1200 mg a day of red yeast rice. I got my doctor to accept my desire to use this instead of conventional statin medication. The more I researched red yeast rice capsules, I concluded the side effects are no different than usual statin meds.

I did not discuss it with my Dr cause after showing her my side effect list (including blanking out and burying a cd in my tomato patch) and she said she'd give me another one...I told her she did know it caused diabetes and that shut her up. I then tapered off and end of story. I'm in a different state and found out I'm a lean mass hyper responder.

The FDA proving they are in the pockets of big pharma. Lord forbid them losing money

IF the benefit of taking a statin is lowering inflammation then IMO it would be useful to know their inflammation level via hsCRP before one stops taking a statin. HsCRP is non-specific (a cold could drive it higher, etc.) so take higher levels (>3) with a grain of salt. The other “benefit,” at least according to Dr. Brewer for a low dose statin, is to calcify any soft plaque. No idea how long that takes. Some influencers say never take a statin without taking coQ10/ubiquinol.

WORSE THAN STATINS COMING OFF WAS OMPROZOLE ,GURD ACID WAS TERRIBLE, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CAPSULES CURED THAT IN A WEEK

I stopped after only four months. The effects were awful (and no, I had no muscle pain, just a raft of other complaints). I felt my doctor was experimenting on me after noting a high triglyceride count ("Off the charts," she said). After stopping, the effects disappeared. That was over 20 years ago and no doctor since has ever recommended their use and my triglyceride count is not of worry.

You mentioned that if a patient cannot tolerate statins, a patient may have to consider another therapy to minimize the risk of ASCVD. All the literature that I could find on the PCSK9 inhibitors demonstrates that this class of drugs does an excellent job of lowering LDL-C. However, since we know that lowering LDL-C does NOTHING to minimize the risk of ASCVD/MACE, why even consider PCSK9 inhitors because they offer NO anti-inflammatory effects whatsoever?

After being nagged about statins by my PCP I had a stroke. Fortunately it wasn’t debilitating, but I’m left with numbness on my face and right side and forgetfulness. The ER doc said it wasn’t a stroke but my eventual MRI said it was. The neurologist prescribed a statin. 🙄 so far I’m not taking it bc I decided to try Nattokanese and Creatine for better blood flow. My cholesterol is 204.

Russ, do you agree that the ONLY way that statins work in secondary prevention is by curtailing INFLAMMATION and CLOTTING? Lowering of LDL-C has absolutley NOTHING to do with the tiny (if any) beneficial effects of statins.

People need to change lifestyle and what they are eating. They need to quit sugar and bad seed oil . Next they need to increase good oils and fats into their daily diet.

Russ, thank you for video. I am glad that i never started on Statins.

Heart disease is not a statin deficiency.

My neighbor had an episode in my back yard. She had been on L stat 2 weeks. Didn’t know who she was or where she was and was drooling. Paramedics came and had her call and go to her dr. That Dr told her she had an earwax issue. Drs are enablers for the pharmaceutical industry.

IN UK WERE I USED TO LIVE, THE MEASUREMENT FOR NORMAL WAS 5 AND WHEN I HAD ANGINA MINE WAS 3.8 WAS VERY GOOD, I THOUGHT I WAS WELL OVER THAT THE WAY THE SPECIALIST WERE TALKING ,AFTER 6 MONTHS MY CHOLESTROL WAS 2.8 WHICH THE NURSE SAID WAS MINT, BUT ACTUALLY IT TURNED OUT TOO LOW

LOW DOSES FOR LONG TIMES LOKE ME 20 mg FOR 10 YEARS IS AS BAD AS ANYTHING, STATINS SHOULD ONLY BE USED TO LOWER CHOLESTROL AFTER HEART PROBS FIR LESS THAN ONE YEAR, AFTER THAT VOME OFF THEM GRADUALY AT DAME TIME TAKING ALL THE NATURAL NUTRIENTS YOU NEED, LIKE C0Q10 WHICH STATIONS DEPLETE, CHOLESTROL LIKE YOUR PERSONAL AMAZON DELIVERY WHICH SENDS NUTRIENTS ALL OVER YOUR BODY WITH NUTRIENTS IN IT, STATINS SLOW THAT PROCESS DOWN,

Thanks, Russ, for another fine video! But from my perspective, statins kill cells, which is how they reduce cholesterol. Cholesterol is used for our immunity, not to mention our brains need cholesterol. Currently, I'm upgrading my brain with Patrick Holford's advice as he says 40% of the world's population is dealing with some form of dementia his team of researchers has concluded that people don't have to suffer from it as just 1% of it is a genetic disposition. So I'll never be on a statin as it's considered a herbicide.

FORGOT TO SAY WHEN THE HOSTPITAL DOCTORS SAIDA I MUST STAY ON THEM FOREVER THAT MADE ME WANT TO STAY ON THEM AS I DIDNT WANT TO DIE WHICH MADE ME THINK PEOPLE ARE FRIGHTENED TO COME OFF THEM IN CASE THEY DIE LIKE I THOUGHT, I MANAGED WITHOUT THEM FOR 55 YEARS ON THEM FIR 10 TILL I GOT BRAVE AND THOUGHT SOD IT, IS IT HALF A MONEY MAKING PROFIT DRUG?

HOW LONG DID THEY TAKE STATINS ? I TOOK THEM FOR TEN YEARS AND TOOK MYSELF OFF THEM AS I HAD NUMB FEET BURNING FEET WEAK CALFS, TIREDNESS, FEEL LOT BETTER OFF THEM EVEN WITH THE ANGINA I HAD IN 2006, BEEN OFF THEM 8 YEARS NOW AND STILL HERE 😊

Curious, if you reviewed the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival study. It’s possible the statin benefits outweigh the risks. Still confused.

I’m curious to know how good / bad cholesterol levels were decided….if cholesterol is such a bad thing, then why does the body produce it in the first place? And is cholesterol responsible for all heart attacks?

Another excellent analysis. Great information.

There are no benefits ... unless you continue consuming garbage food and do some mental gymnastics.... mine is merely opinion. We all will die, if a product is being mass prescribed .. it can't be good because it can't be good for everyone. If a high risk person changed their diet (that is very likely to be a poor quality but govt inspired/led one) then you'll get massive improvements with no drug. Obviously 40 years of abuse takes a long time to recover from and may never be recovered from but the drug isn't going to help and is only likely to offer new problems (and new drugs) to deal with them. Absolutely convinced (with no specific evidence I have to point out) that it's all bs but does keep people in jobs and makes a small number of people very wealthy on the back of the working population.

Love your technical details. Hands up!

Excellent video and analysis. One analogy that might help people understand relative risk (rr) vs absolute risk (ab) is seatbelt usage. It's probably true that the use of seatbelts has a low absolute risk reduction (because very few people will be in a life-threatening car crash during their lifetime) but has a large relative risk reduction (if you crash, wearing a seatbelt is likely to save you). We must keep in mind that the relative risk reduction for wearing a seatbelt is very high compared to the relative risk reduction of a statin; and the risks associated with wearing a seatbelt are low (they can cause entrapment or decapitation in rare instances however). So most would chose to wear a seatbelt. The reason the relative risk reduction argument for statins is less persuasive is: 1) the rr reduction is small, 2) the side-effects are potentially severe (dementia, diabetes, etc) 3) the studies are often flawed (bias, run-in periods, composite endpoints, etc). So I appreciate your video for pointing out why both measures have their purpose.

Hey, Russ, it seems to me that if a Big Pharma company will not allow complete and open analysis of the raw date, how can we make ANY sense of ANY statin study regarding absolute and relative risk? If the statin company does not allow independent researchers to look at the raw data, can't that statin company manipulate the heck out of those statistics?

Thank you Russ, for your channel on STATINS!!👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😉

Russ, thanks for the video. Are there any studies on Statins and Vitamin D levels? I think that Statins affect Cholesterol which will affect the Vitamin D levels.

I'd love more content on the pros & cons on bempedoic acid. I've found a way to import it cheaply from India so I don't have to pay $500 a month! I get that bempedoic acid has side effects, but every drug has & the current data & evidence suggests the side effects are less common & severe than statins.... everything is a trade off In my personal case I such the large LDL-C lowering from bempedoic acid might outweigh the small increased risk of gall bladder stones, acute kidney injury & tendinopathy/rupture... some of the other side effects can safety be monitored for (e.g. gout, increase in liver enzymes)

I was told to visit a cardiologist at age 78 simply because I was old. So I did and the doctor was sitting at his computer not even glancing at me. He was typing away on a prescription for a statin without even telling me. Later he said you can pick up your prescription on the way home! I didnt get it and now Im being bullied to change my mind by my PA.

What a great video - it organizes a lot of my recent thoughts and concerns. And thank you for the links! I just subscribed 🙂

IM 57 AND TOOK MYSELF OFF STATINS 3+ YEARS AGO AND i STILL CAN BARELY RAISE MY ARMS ABOVE MY HEAD

Great info. Love it. Thanks

No one should take a statin.

I literally changed my lifestyle in January by quitting the American diet of highly processed foods and starting Whole Foods only and a well balanced diet and dropped 2-BP meds, statin med, 2-allergy meds, and never started pre-diabetes meds in March of this year against my doctors advice, but, when I saw my doctor in June and he realized that I lost 40 pounds since January he understood that I was serious about my own health so he agreed that if I keep up with the lifestyle changes I should be ok…I see him again in December and I’m down from 190+ to 145 pounds to this day, so yeah, I started listening to my body for a change…

Want to keep my non brain fogged brain, thx. 🧠

It’s an all too common and uncouth way of thinking that case studies and clinical results are less than randomized controlled trials because you can have all the studies in the world, but if you don’t see clinical results, then those studies are garbage studies. Like epidemiological studies.

Dr G's case was a sad reminder for me of a neighbor friend who was started on statins for the first time in her mid-80s. Prior to starting, she had always been alert, positive, and conversational. Within a year after the prescription she was depressed and displaying considerable brain fog. It's ridiculous that she was put on a statin at her age, but I'm sure her family doesn't want some know-it-all neighbor (me) trying to intervene. So I just keep quiet, observe, and try to learn what I can from it all. Thanks, Russ, for your informative weekly installments!

Why would they take statins? They only eat heart health whole grains and broccoli. This whole story is impossible. Never happened.

Excellent presentation. Been off statins for over 1 year. I cannot wait for neuropathy to relinquish. Neuropathy is 80% gone, but need a cane at times for balance.

After a heart attack, I recently received a donor a heart transplant. Recovery is going great, but my cholesterol is high. My doctor insist I take statins. When you have a heart transplant recovery team they make you feel guilty for not following their instructions to a T. As if it’s on you for destroying your new heart. Sucks because following their advice and taking statins will be bad for me.

This is definitely going to my primary who's trying his hardest aside of demanding, that I go on a statin. Well, basing heart disease on just "cholesterol and LDL" numbers is now being questioned especially given the known side effects and very, minimal benefit. Unfortunately, he's a pill pusher who tried to put me on BP meds because the one day I was there, it was high. And despite the explanation, he believed I still needed them. So, you base your findings on ONE BP CHECK? Seriously? I'm someone who monitors it DAILY and it's always LOW, never high. Now I'm requesting CAC scan and a special blood test that measures particle size, not just the numbers. For almost 20 years, I've had heart palps and declining health after suffering heavy metal poisoning I cannot currently address. Since going on Carnivore in mid March, I've dropped 51 lbs, no more heart palps and I'm starting to see a small difference in my overall health. Ya know what? The bottom line is, we are not going to live forever and if given a choice of going out of my own accord or through the pharmaceutical industries "questionable" drugs? The latter will not happen.

Thank you for this,really disturbing.

Dr. D wasn't being naive. He was doing exactly what he's been taught and told to do by drug companies. No Statins for me. I'll live with my cholesterol.