Statins and Memory Loss
We were out to eat with friends recently and the issue of statins came up. Since the topic of fats and cholesterol brings out my bulldozer tendencies in full force, especially because of the way docs shove statins down almost everyone's throat nowadays, I was trying to reign myself in a bit, but it turns out I didn't have to. Kim already hated statins, and when I asked about the statins and memory loss issue, she claims they caused significant memory loss in her husband…
I can't believe how much clearer Don's mind is since I finally got him to quit taking them. I'm starting to refer to the time he was on statins as his “lost years” because he has so few memories from that 4-5 year time frame. It's really sad. And I had the same issue with anti-depressants, by the way. I was only on them a couple of years, but his brain came back a lot quicker than mine did.
I'd already known about the muscle aches statin drugs can cause (another friend felt like an achy old lady getting out of her chair and was right back to normal after going off of her statin — stories like this one are very common), so now I really wanted to look into the issue of statins and memory loss…
First, from the Wall Street Journal:
Cognitive side effects like memory loss and fuzzy thinking aren't listed on the patient information sheet for Lipitor, the popular cholesterol-lowering drug. But some doctors are voicing concerns that in a small portion of patients, statins like Lipitor may be helping hearts but hurting minds.
“This drug makes women stupid,” Orli Etingin, vice chairman of medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital, declared at a recent luncheon discussion sponsored by Project A.L.S. to raise awareness of gender issues and the brain. Dr. Etingin, who is also founder and director of the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center in New York, told of a typical patient in her 40s, unable to concentrate or recall words. Tests found nothing amiss, but when the woman stopped taking Lipitor, the symptoms vanished. When she resumed taking Lipitor, they returned.
“We have some compelling cases,” says Beatrice Golomb, the study's lead researcher. In one of them, a San Diego woman, Jane Brunzie, was so forgetful that her daughter was investigating Alzheimer's care for her and refused to let her babysit for her 9-year-old granddaughter. Then the mother stopped taking a statin. “Literally, within eight days, I was back to normal — it was that dramatic,” says Mrs. Brunzie, 69 years old.
Doctors put her on different statins three more times. “They'd say, ‘Here, try these samples.' Doctors don't want to give up on it,” she says. “Within a few days of starting another one, I'd start losing my words again,” says Mrs. Brunzie, who has gone back to volunteering at the local elementary school she loves and is trying to bring her cholesterol down with dietary changes instead.” (Source)
Jimmy Moore addresses the issue of statins and memory loss in his book, Cholesterol Clarity — What the HDL is Wrong with My Numbers?:
There is no way these statin drugs can block cholesterol without at the same time blocking such vital biochemicals as CoQ10 and dolichols,” Dr. Duane Graveline says. “The effects of cholesterol on memory are fully documented. Cholesterol is vital for both the formation and function of each memory synapse in our brains. As thousands of people can testify, when you have no cholesterol, you have no memory.” (Page 65)
In May 2007, Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a researcher at the University of California–San Diego, released the results of her independently funded “Statin Effects Study,” the first of its kind to examine and compare patient feedback on the effects of these FDA-approved drugs. After sifting through the responses from the over 4,100 participants, Dr. Golomb and her research team found that typical reactions to statin drugs include trouble remembering things.” (Page 68-69)
Even the FDA admits the problem!
The FDA is advising consumers and health care professionals that cognitive (brain-related) impairment, such as memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion, has been reported by some statin users.” (Source)
What drives me most crazy is the mainstream thinking that lowering cholesterol helps your heart at all!
Have you heard of the “fireman analogy”?
Your house is on fire so you call the fire department. Firemen come and put out the fire. Wherever there is fire, there are firemen, so firemen must cause fire.”
That's dumb, right?
It's the same with cholesterol. Wherever there is inflammation in your arteries, cholesterol comes to do the job of repairing, but the presence of cholesterol isn't the problem. Inflammation is the problem, so instead of getting rid of the healer, we should find out why it's happening in the first place so the arteries can be cleared of the dangerous areas at the root cause.
For some it's the fast food and processed foods full of chemical preservatives, heart-killer vegetable oils, fake colors and flavors, and other mystery ingredients. For others it's the soda pop or foods loaded with sugar. Or maybe for you it's stress or some other reason. The point is, the solution isn't to pop a pill.
Click here to read more about healthy fats and cholesterol, and here's a warning: you won't find the typical mainstream advice there.
Time for a Disclaimer:
It's important for you to understand that I'm not a doctor, there's a lot I don't know, so don't stop taking your statin based on what you read here. (Especially if you're not going to make any other lifestyle changes to address the root causes of inflammation!) Instead, use what you learn here to research it more for yourself.
What diet and lifestyle changes do you need to make?
Talk to your doctor, although we all know what they will likely say, because drugs are what they do, so even better, perhaps visit a naturopath or other natural-minded professional. Find out what's best for your body, don't blindly trust anyone with your health or the health of those you love!
More posts you might like:
More articles on cholesterol for your research:
- NY Times: A Heart Helper May Come at a Price for the Brain
- Whole Body Medicine: Statin Drugs and Your Health
- Medscape: Statin-Associated Memory Loss: Analysis of 60 Case Reports and Review of the Literature (You may have to sign in for a free account to read that one.)
- Anyone just starting out on on your own real food path and feeling overwhelmed? Try checking out my Real Food Ingredient Guide or the Real Food for Rookies online class for lots of help for beginners and beyond.
David Willson says
I have for the past two years decline in memory and concentration,and suffer severe tiredness. I was brick walled by the medical profession and since have four stents in my heart was told I must take stations for life !! Don’t know what to do now.
Mary Branham says
Evey one dose not have side effects. My husband takes statins because his body makes cholesterol . He got this from his parents . Going off means for sure a heart attack for him We worked with his diet for years and no matter how hard I tried nothing worked but the meds . I suffer from depression I tryed several and non helped and I slept all the time . My Doctor put me on Viibird and it is great I have no side effects from it . My point is some people have to take meds and they may one out there for you . Side effects may or may not come with it . It dose not for us .
Randy Polansky says
Ive been off for three months
Debbie Thompson says
Karen Dillenburg, does Ted take these?
Karen Dillenburg says
No , he claimes when he dosen’t remember , its because he can’t hear.
Sara Sharp says
Thanks for this! Can you point me to some more resources on these awful drugs? My father in law was just put on a cholesterol lowering drug, and I am trying to get through to him that it isn’t safe. It’s so hard because they trust the doctors. :'(
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Sara Sharp actually be sure to read the post, there are a lot of resource links there. Throughout the post, plus at the bottom. 🙂
Sara Sharp says
Thanks Kelly! I already passed this post onto them. I have mentioned it to them before. All I can do is pray they’ll be open minded. Maybe if they start noticing problems it will open their eyes. I just hope it doesn’t come to that. ?
Carla Foster says
Hmmm, when I went on statins back in Michigan my doctor said it would be a forever thing. Interestingly enough, when we moved here, Bob’s doctor took him off his cholesterol medication because he was doing so well. I’m going to ask when I see the doctor in December about getting off mine!
Debbie Covello Harvey says
I took myself off mine 4 years ago after reading about the side effects. I just dropped one pill a week until I was off. My cholesterol has been fine. If I take fish oil, I shoot up to the 300s! I just eat lots of good fats, eggs, butter, olive oil, coconut oil…
Carla Foster says
Debbie Covello Harvey We have really changed our diet since we came out here mainly to manage Bob’s diabetes so it must be working. Then I started walking for Lent, and now I’m up to 6 miles a day. Trying to be patient about it reflecting on the scales. ugggg!
Diane Dhawan says
I know someone whose leg muscles were damaged so much that she could barely walk.
Mindy Stiles says
My husband who has been experiencing some memory loss issues (traumatic brain injury as a teenager) was put on statins a couple months ago. Not surprisingly his symptoms are rapidly getting worse. I’m going to share this article with him, pray he reads it.
Kevin N Lisa Campbell says
My girlfriend said her brain turned to mush, memory gone and after only a few days on statins. This is a sharp cookie who can remember everything, especially that she won’t take them again!
Terri Warriner says
So memory improved when she stopped? My husband finally stopped taking them and I hope to see improvement eventually.
Kevin N Lisa Campbell says
Oh yes, absolutely. She wasn’t on them for very long so her improvement was very fast. I’m assuming the longer you take them, the longer it will take to wear off. She barely knew her own name, couldn’t finish sentences and still talks about it as one of the worst medical experiences of her life. I hope your hubby gets his marbles back quickly!
Brenda Stern Cammarata says
UCLA medical site gave an anecdotal story of a man that started taking a statin and within 24 hours he had complete amnesia. This was a few years ago.
Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers says
Thank you SO much for writing this article! I’ve shared it with my parents (twice) and now I’ve included it in my My Week on Wednesday round-up!
I second the notion that I would rather drop dead of a heart attack with my facilities intact… but that’s just me. Everyone needs to be able to make their own decision based on ALL the facts. Most people have NO idea that memory loss is a side effect of statins… It’s so sad.
Thanks again,
~ Christine
BethG says
Very good to know. I had heard there were problems with statins but I didn’t know memory issues were among them. I don’t use them but have quite a few relatives who do. Will pass this info along.
Thank you!
Anna says
When I took a college-level pre-med class, we learned about the mechanism for statins, and I understood at that point that it would deplete COQ 10, which would cause major issues, and that it would likely cause more problems in the long run than it would fix. My instructor was pretty clear on that, too. I’m not sure where along the way that was lost on doctors, since it’s pretty clear when you examine the mechanism by which statins actually work within the body. I think part of the problem is older people take them, so when cognition and muscle issues come up, it’s easy to dismiss them as signs of aging rather than side effects.
My dad was on statins at the time, and upon my advice began taking COQ10 as a supplement, which I think helped. He’s off them now, and he does think they affected his cognition, although thankfully it wasn’t severe.
If it comes down to it, I’d rather drop dead of a heart attack than waste away mentally and physically, so that makes my decision about whether to ever take them a lot easier.
KitchenKop says
“I’m not sure where along the way that was lost on doctors” – there’s the gazillion dollar question!
Thanks Anna,
Kel
Beth says
Anna (or anyone else), Would you happen to have a link to a mainstream article that mentions COQ10 supplementation helping to curb the side effects of statins? Or that statins deplete COQ10? My mom is going to her reg doctor next week for a re-authorization of her statin refills (Lipitor). She won’t listen to anything I say, but if I sent her a link to a mainstream article then maybe, just maybe, she would ask her dr about COQ10 (who might say it’s nonsense, but worth a try!).
Thanks!
Anna says
Hi Beth, I don’t recall seeing this in a major outlet, but I would try googling to see what you can find. I just found this one, hope it helps: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/709107
Sarah says
One grandfather was on statins and having memory problems/hallucinations. I do not know if it was caused by the statins or not. I cannot remember what other drug he experienced a less common side effect of losing his sense of smell. Maybe he was more prone to side effects? Another grandmother has been taking statins for years and has had increasing memory issues. Once again we don’t know for sure if it is due to side effects from statins or other reasons. My dad had a stroke at 59, he has very low cholesterol. They tried so hard to get him on statins! I am grateful that he refused. He could not see any point since his cholesterol was already low. With Kent’s recent blood pressure issue did they try to put him on statins as well?
Heather says
Thank you for posting this. I was unaware of the link between memory loss and statins. Both my dad and my father in law are on statins for heart disease, but neither of them has high cholesterol. I guess, to use your analogy, this is like burning down the fire station so the firemen can’t get to the fire at all. I have noticed my dad is more forgetful in recent months but thought it was just age. He only recently informed me that he’s taking statins. My FIL has complained frequently of the aches and pains from the Lipitor. What really kills me is this: my FIL just had a quad bypass. While he was in the hospital, he was given insulin intravenously and by injection for the whole 9 days he was in. The reason? The surgeon said “Sugar causes inflammation. We find people heal faster if we keep their blood sugar low.” Yet the cardiac recovery menu, which allowed no salt, included sandwiches on white bread, lo-fat yogurt (11g sugar), pudding (17g sugar), skim milk (blech) and other low fat, no fiber, high sugar items. No wonder they had to give him insulin. I am afraid it’s going to take a long long time for the nutritional orthodoxy to change. In the meantime, I’m going to encourage my dad to get an LDL particle count next time he goes in, so we can see what the real deal is on his cholesterol.
KitchenKop says
Heather,
“This is like burning down the fire station so the firemen can’t get to the fire at all.” — sad isn’t it?
Kel
Jo-Lynne Shane {Musings of a Housewife} says
i’ve seen this happen with my dad. it is very sad.