The Statin Damage Crisis

One month ago I came off my statin and came to know for a certainty that the strange and scary things that were happening to my entire organism were due to this drug. This was a great relief to finally understand what was happening to me. But also sobering, as I found out that some of the damage may be permanent, and some may show up later as I grow older. Dr.Graveline has done a wonderful service over the last decade or so, in researching statin effects and writing his books, as well other things he has done to help make people aware of this very serious and little known problem. Thank you Dr.Graveline! I have done a lot of reading in the last few weeks including Dr.Graveline's first book on statins: Lipitor, Thief of Memory, and this most recent book. Much of his first book is repeated here, but vital information he became aware of later is included here. I appreciated very much his ideas on what treatments may help reverse statin damage. This is certainly a "crisis". It seems almost everyone I know who is middle age and up is on a statin. The insideous thing is that drug companies have so succesfully marketed statins to the public and to doctors, and sold people on the idea statins are safe. Many who experience a gradual onset of symptoms are a bit puzzled at first, but say to themselves "I guess I'm just getting older fast." I am only 50 years old and started to feel so bad that I began to think I was almost done and had little chance of making it to 60. My fatique, exhaustion, joint and tendon pains, muscle weakness, foggy brain, deteriorating memory and eyesight, fading sex drive,(Maybe a bit more than irony that Pfizer's current and top selling drugs of all time are a statin, Lipitor, known to cause a reduction in sex drive and Viagara!), all happened so subtly at first that it reminds me of the old story of the frog who doesn't hop out of the gradually heating water until it is too late! The beginning of June all of the above got so much worse so quickly that it scared me deeply. I realized something was VERY wrong! I began to worry about how I would support my family if I could no longer work. Could I keep the house? Will I have to sleep on the same floor as the bathroom? If I become a cripple, will I be a burden to my family? Since coming off the statin all this is reversing. I didn't fully realize how far I had deteriorated in some areas until I started to feel energy and vigor I had not felt in a long time! Many older people on statins, not being 50, (and thus more puzzled by their fast aging), may never discover that many of their problems are due to statins. The doctors are generally not alert to it, and it can be misinterpreted as problems common to aging. I give my doctor credit for being alert to test for high levels of CK, which indicated I did indeed have muscle damage. He also acknowledged that "these drugs may not be as good as we (the medical community) hoped they would be." If you or your loved ones are on a statin, or considering taking one, you need to educate yourself. Dr.Gravelines book is well researched, and an excellent place to begin. Some people may find the idea of widespread statin damage hard to believe. Once you read about how statins work, you will understand why likely EVERYONE who is on a statin is sustaining damage to their body, they just don't know it. I believe what is coming out today is just the tip of the iceburg. Just with a bit of checking with relatives and friends in the last few weeks here are a few experiences. A brother in law who had to stop his statin because he felt extremely old, experienced pain where he couldn't even turn a screwdriver. (in his 50's) Another brother in law who has such pain in his shoulder he has trouble raising it enough to put his shirt on. When he temporarily stops his statin the shoulder gets better. (50's) A woman who had to stop because of the crippling pain. An older man who lost all his strength. Now with dementia setting in he repeats himself a lot. And what he always says is "Don't take statins!" His neighbor came off because of the extreme pain. Another friend can hardly walk in the morning. (has always worked to stay in shape, early 60's) Another friend who drives a cab for a living came off because of the leg pain. But interestingly one day, while still on the statins, he picked up his wife and he COULD NOT FIND THE WAY HOME from a mile away! This scared them so much he went to the hospital. Two days of tests revealed no cause. "Statins don't do this" many say, but thousands of victims say otherwise. The above experiences are all likely statin related, as symptoms immediately improved upon stopping the statin. Sadly, I have a friend who suffers from such exhaustion and fatique that he can't work, and often can't leave the house. The doctors have not been able to determine why. He has been on a high dose of statin for almost 3 years. He has also been prescribed another medication for his memory problems. I don't know if statins are the cause or to what extent, but I sure wish he would stop the statin for a while and see how he feels. The situation is so sad, and maybe doesn't have to be. Thank you Dr.Graveline for giving statin sufferers knowledge and hope. Although you may be reaching an end to your physically active years early because of the statin damage, your experience has given new life to many thousands. I have deep personal empathy for you because I have personally felt this deterioration in my own body. Now I have hope for a better quality of life. We are so very grateful. Bless you. ([...])

I am a. 67 year old woman and have been taking "Lipitor" for over 20 years. . I guess out of "fear" of having a stroke and dying like my father ( and all of his Family members) my cholesterol was never higher than 220 . Well in the last year or two I have had many Memory loss and a very painful lower back and legs and hips. And now am experiencing hair loss . Everything in your book spoke to what is happening to me. I guess I am fortunate that the 20mg once a day Statins held off from bringing on these major changes in my life. My cholesterol is done 2 or three times a year and runs in the 190 range . My good cholesterol is very good (75) . I am a nurse and have been very active my whole life. But all of a sudden "I feel very OLD" and sore and stiff and my muscles in my back are so tight and painful. My husband and I are very careful and even have our blood work results on our cell phones. But Now I understand that all those years of Lipitor are taking a terrible toll on my body and mind. I have a great doctor who I bought your book for. We are working together to get me off Lipitor... But I fear the damage has been done. I rarely eat any meat other than good fresh high Omega fish. So my diet is not a threat to my cholesterol . But I am really afraid because my A1C has been going up over the last 3 years also. Also a new side effect of Lipitor. Last was 6.4 ... So I know things are changing in my body...I need to control these things . Thank you for your book.

I always suspected that statins work to reduce cholesterol through its anti-inflammatory ability and after reading this book my suspicious were confirmed. I also know from personal experience that statins cause permanent neuropathy and severe muscle pain. When I told my doctor that the statins were causing my neuropathy, he told me "YOU'RE WRONG." Well he was wrong and now I am going to suffer for the rest of my life because of it. Had I known, I never would have tried them or would have stopped them in time so as not to do damage. This book is EXTREMELY technical in my opinion. I had a hard time following the scientific explanations supporting his theories as to why statins cause harm. Despite the technical jargon, I came away knowing more than I knew before. Besides causing diabetes, statins are responsible for memory loss, confusion, forgetfulness, and deaths due to the breakdown of muscle tissue. He also makes a case for why statins cause neuro-degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, ALS, MS, etc. What I also found interesting is that statins may increase a man's life one to two years but they have never been proven to be effective in increasing life expectancy for women. Other than the scientific nature of this book, I feel it is a worthwhile read. It certainly a good idea for anyone thinking of going on statins to read this first in order to make their own informed decision. On another note, I did not feel this book adequately addressed what should be done instead of taking statins; I was really lost by all the scientific talk.

I have loaned it to my friends, those who want to know that they have been scammed by bad pharma. Statins are a slow acting poison. There are many critics, Duane Graveline is the best, and he is a doctor. I have the largest medical website, 14 years of working on it. On top of that cholesterol is essential for health, so why block its production 40%? Pharma is in the business of treating illness. I have about 50 pages on my website exposing how it is a poison. The books is for anyone who can be the decider, rather than a pharma trained physician. The major cause of heart attacks and much more is the reactive sugar fructose which damages the mitochondria sufficiently that the cells, when one ages so that system in the body are under performing. It is known as conditions associated with the Western diet. Those populations on a low sugar (under 15 grams of fructose which equals 30 grams of sugar) life-long diet don't get are conditions which also includes cancer and dementia. Read Burkitt and Trowel's book on it, a survey with 19 contributors. It isn't refined carbs, simply the reactive sugar fructose. Dr Jason Fung has the best program for fixing the damage and curing insulin resistance.

My only criticism of this book is that it could use a good editor, but it is self published. That said, how can I explain what it feels like to have a book make you cry - with relief! My mom was on a statin (Provacol) for 3-4 years before she died. None of us could understand what was happening to her. After starting the drug, she was ever more forgetful, irritable, uncooperative, depressed and picking fights. This was so not her! None of us connected the dots. Then a few years ago I was put on the minimal dose of Lipitor when in my late 50's just because of family history of heart attack. My cholesterol was normal. I became progressively more forgetful, felt a loss of strength, developed quite a difficulty with night driving, began to feel uncoordinated. My somewhat troublesome right knee really escalated in pain and other joints started to hurt to the point that I did not want to walk any distance. Occasionally I was having trouble swallowing during dinner and then I started losing the feeling in my right small toe. I do not have diabetes. What's important to know here is this was all VERY gradual, so I never associated one thing with the other. I could not believe how OLD I felt @ 61. I stumbled on Graveline's book after reading a series of other very eye opening books. (Gary Taubes "Good Calories, Bad Calories, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's "The Great Cholesterol Con", "The Modern Nutritional Disease: heart disease. stroke. type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer by Ottoboni and Ottoboni, and "Trick and Treat by Barry Groves) They were a wealth of information about statins and their dark side that you never hear about. I found every one of my symptoms and all of my mother's listed as side effects of statins, even on low doses. The most scary thing is that these more subtle symptoms are rarely recognized by family physicians as having anything to do with statin use. There is even excellent evidence that having a cholesterol level that is pushed too low can greatly increase risk of stroke and mortality from a heart attack. Read his story and you will be shocked at how much resistance he met with, despite his own medical degree, as far as people believing him that his horrible experiences were the result of taking Lipitor. Now there are several books out that are lifting the veil of secrecy that the Phama industry has been hoping you would never learn, since these drugs generate Billions - yes that's right - Billions of dollars in pure profit. Dr. Graveline has become my hero.

I found this book to be very understandable and informative. I know the nitty gritty of medicine is more complex and detailed, but this book seems to go far enough without getting too detailed. The information is quite revealing, and unfortunately for me, some of the side effects described in this book match my own experience with taking a statin. While reading this book I discontinued my statin use because I was experiencing fatigue, nervy feeling in in my legs, weak and sore muscles, a generally low mood (not depressed but lower than normal), and a lower libido. I suspected it was the statin and this book helped me to size up my situation. I got confirmation about what I was feeling/experiencing. Anybody taking or being advised to take a statin should take the time to read this first. The information about the CoQ10 is very important. My Dr. advised I take it after I complained of aching and fatigue. When I took it it definitely helped and my soreness and fatigue dissipated. However, the nervy feeling in my legs persists, so I went off the statin. I pray that I wasn't too late. You have nothing to lose by reading this book.

Well I'm now quite scared of my 6 month exposure to statins at 20mg per day. I had many of those muscle symptoms tiredness and less clarity in thinking. Thankfully no GTA. As an airline pilot I became immediately concerned with these effects and why specifically Dwaine recommends those in my profession not be permitted to take them. I was rather taken aback how my Doctor, also an Aviation Medical Officer just immediately put me on statins. You'd be surprised at the circumstances. Another story! Dr Dwaine has highlighted three very important issues. 1: The effect statins have on the body. 2: The lack of knowledge our Doctors have in the subject. 3: The "conspiracy" of the drug companies to continue these sales unabated with considerable evidence and data indicating that these drugs have extremely debilitating effects. Doctors aren't listening, drug companies aren't caring and people are suffering. The new medicine! Four hundred years ago they would have burnt Dr Dwaine at the stake for his heresy. His sacrifice now is at the alter of profit and ignorance. We will learn from this, but like aircraft accidents you need a hull loss to really make changes in safety. Please keep up the good work.

I have read several books on statin drugs. The two best are "Fat and Cholesterol Are Good For You," by Uffe Ravnskov and "The Statin Damage Crisis," by Duane Graveline. What I especially appreciated about Graveline's book is the specific instructions he gives concerning diet and supplements. Having read many books on the subject of diet, there are many conflicting viewpoints presented. Some diets are totally unhealthy. It takes wisdom from God to know which diets are good ones and which are a bunch of unhealthy hype. My favorite book on diet is "Metabolic Typing Diet," by William Wolcott. The premise of the book is that different metabolic types need differing amounts of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Another appealing feature of Graveline's book is the way he thoroughly explains the way statins work and how they deplete various essential nutrients in the body, such as CoQ10 and dolichols. He gives a thorough explanation of the role inflammation plays in heart disease and also details statin's role in reducing inflammation. He gives detailed information on less toxic alternatives than statins to reducing inflammation in the body. Cholesterol is brain food and since the proteins that carry cholesterol are to large to pass the blood brain barrier, the brain must depend on its own cholesterol synthesis, which the glial cells provide. Without abundant supplies of cholesterol, normal brain synaptic function can not occur. The glial cells of the brain are just as sensitive to the effects of cholesterol reduction from statin drug use as any other part of the body. Not just the brain, but every part of our bodies need adequate amounts of cholesterol to function properly. He thoroughly discusses the disease processes and nasty side affects that disrupted cholesterol levels can cause.

Muito claro e conciso sobre os diversos efeitos colaterais causados pelas estatinas. Leitura recomendada para todos, sejam médicos ou pacientes. A experiência pessoal do autor é um exemplo rico de tudo que é abordado no livro.

Books like this that shed light on the downside of statins are so important. If I had known what I know now, thanks to books like this, I would never have begun taking a statin for slightly elevated cholesterol with no other risk factors for heart problems.

Muy claro, estructurado y lleno de evidencia científica. Los médicos que tan alegremente recetan estáticas deberían leerlo para saber el daño que están provocando a sus pacientes.

This book is rich of information about Statins and their side effects, more important give advices about supplements which can replace statins in their antinflammatory effect.

Here one statin injured MD speaks out. His truth is based on his own negativepersonal experiences with taking statins. Given his unfortunate case history little wonder that more than 30% of cardio patients stop taking their prescribed meds within a year. The fault however, lies no longer in medical doctors being too busy, nor necessarily with the pharmaceutical industries need to achieve billions in profit from annual sales. This time the greed is good principle is not the cause behind Dr. Graveline's having to suffer severe statin damage! The fly in the ointment of needing but not having more accurate and focused cardiovascular pill taking is due our current medical ignorance. The failure is insufficient pharmacogenetic testing and analysis before prescribing the usual highly potent and inherently dangerous standard cardiovascular and other related medicines. Dr. Graveline would not have had to suffer his losses of memories, nor would there be so many unnecessary out patients as "bleeders" at home and on operating tables, nor would there exist so much "unexplainable" gynecomastia, rhabdomyolysis and suddenly emerging diabetes type 2 if modern Western medicine's current drug prescriptions were pharmacogenetically based and much less hit or miss based. We have the needed tool already being developed within clinical genomics and its practical application to adult patient care. What is delaying the field of medicine from properly using it? Cromosome typing (Karyotyping) was developed way back in the 1950's; genotyping today is increasingly simple and inexpensive for determining individual genetic makeup at the single gene level. Not rolling out pharmacogenetics ASAP is becoming an increasing waste of patients lives, medical doctor's and pharma-manufacturing industry livelihoods. Creating more suffering rather then less suffering is like employing more intrusive procedures when less intrusive ones are available.