Statin drugs, are they worth it?
Without a doubt, statin drugs do lower cholesterol levels and possibly reduce the rate of heart attacks. But do they also reduce mortality? There is no proof at this time that lowering cholesterol levels through the use of statin drugs improves overall mortality, particularly in people who only have a mildly or moderately high cholesterol level. Taking statins does not reduce cardiac deaths among people who have no heart disease before starting the medications. Side effects of statins include damage to muscle tissue, harm to kidneys, elevated liver function tests, depletion of CoQ10, and slight damage to brain cells leading to mild impairment of mental function. My impression is that statins are being overprescribed. BAYCOL- cerivastatin – pulled off market in Aug 2001 for rhabdomyolisis (excessive muscle breakdown) and deaths CRESTOR– rosuvastatin — causes more muscle and kidney damage than the other statins. AstraZeneca’s cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor has more than twice the si
