Types of statins

1. Types of statins • Lipitor (an atorvastatin) • Crestor (a rosuvastatin) • Zocor (a simvastatin) • Pravachol(a pravastatin) • Lescol (a fluvastatin) • Vytorin ( simvastatin and ezetimibe) • Mevastatin

2. How do statins work?

3. Statins lower cholesterol by increasing LDL receptors activity • Cholesterol synthesis in liver • Free cholesterol concentration • LDL receptor takes cholesterol in from the blood

4. Why is cholesterol important? Cholesterol is very important to keep all cells in our body to function right. • Every cell membrane in our body contains cholesterol • It is vital to proper neurological function • It is manufactured by the glial cells in the supportive tissues of the brain • It is the precursor to all the hormones produced in the adrenal cortex and to vitamin D.

5. Who doesn’t benefit from statins? • Statinsdon’t reduce overall risk of death in individuals with no history of cardiovascular disease • Statinsare not beneficial for women. • Statinsdon’t prevent heart attacks or extend life for anyone over age 70

6. STATIN SIDE EFFECTSCoQ10 Statin drugs come with a huge list of side-effects that put people who use them at health risk. Statins dangerously lower levels of Coenzyme-Q10 (CoQ10), which: • Helps turn oxygen and sugar into energy • Participates in muscle contraction and nerve conduction • Alters structure of muscles, connective tissues of the skin and the cardiovascular system

7. STATIN SIDE EFFECTSCoQ1o A Columbia University study found that CoQ10 levels were reduced by half after just 30 days of statin use, causing: • muscle wastage and pain, • confusion, forgetfulness, disorientation, fatigue, liver damage, • migraines, nausea and diarrhoea,

8. MUSCLES PAIN AND WEAKNESS The most common adverse effect of statins is muscles pain and weakness. Rhabdomyolysis - muscle brake down, might cause: • weight loss and loss in body mass • aching in the shoulders and legs • pain in the jaw • overload of the kidney with fiber contents of broken muscle

9. MUSCLES PAIN AND WEAKNESS (cont) • The drug industry informs: 2-3% of patients get muscle aches and cramps • Another source: 98% of patients taking Lipitor and 33% of the patients taking Mevachor suffered from muscle problems. John Altrocchi took Mevacor for three years without side effects; then he developed calf pain so severe he could hardly walk. Muscle problems might also show up shortly after treatment begins, in Ed Ontiveros case within 30 days of taking Lipitor. He fell in the bathroom and had trouble getting up. His condition got much better when he went off Lipitor. In another case, reported in the medical journal “Heart”, a patient developed rhabdomyolysis after a single dose of a statin.

10. HEART FAILURE Rhabdomyolysis, mentioned before, also affects the most important muscle in the body, the heart. • weakening of the heart and danger of heart failure. • the depletion of the heart muscle can lead to heart attacks, and strokes, as well • Deaths related to heart failure doubled after statins were fist introduced to the public. • Patients with chronic heart failure benefit from having high levels of cholesterol rather than low.

11. Statins and heart attack

12. NEUROPATHY Neuropathy (an effect of CoQ10 depletion), characterized by: • weakness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet • difficulty walking • can involve any peripheral nerve • in many cases it is permanent • loss of structural integrity and conductivity of the nerve.

13. Reportedcases of neuropathy from statins A patient developed peripheral neuropathy after taking Crestor. When he went off the drug, side effect went away. The doctor then prescribed him Pravachol, causing the neuropathy again, but this time going off the drug didn’t help, leaving patient with constant pain. After complaining about it to his doctor, he was informed that statins don’t cause neuropathy. Another 55 years old patient from New England after taking Lipitor for 14 months developed neuropathy from elbows to hands, experienced loss of fine motor skills and couldn’t walk steadily. He also have been told by his doctor that there is no link between his condition and statins,

14. STATINS CAN HARM THE BRAIN Cognitive problems are the second-most common side effect of statins. Most of the cholesterol in the brain can be found in the myelin sheaths that insulate the neurons and speed up nerve conduction. Recent research reveals that cholesterol is also required for the formation of synapses. Obviously statin drugs would adversely affect cognition. CoQ10 depletion is also a factor in cognitive dysfunction and other neurological consequences of these drugs.

15. STATINS CAN HARM THE BRAIN(cont) Tau - protein made by brain cells that helps maintain their structure. Abnormal tau proteins promote the formation of the neurofibrillary tangles (Alzheimer’s disease).

16. Reported cases of cognitive problems A successful 50-year-old business owner started taking Lipitor in 1998. Within three years he was wracked with pain and weakness, and his memory and concentration were so poor that he was forced to close his business. Although he’s improved somewhat since getting off Lipitor, he continues to have severe cognitive problems. In 1999, Dr. Graveline was put on Lipitor to lower his moderately elevated cholesterol. Six weeks later, his wife found him wandering around their driveway, unable to recognize her, or his surroundings. This episode of severe memory loss passed after a few hours. His doctor disregarded his concerns about connection with Lipitor and, a year later, talked him into getting back on the drug. Right away he had another episode of complete amnesia, lasting 12 hours. Dr. Graveline was convinced that Lipitor had caused his problems and stopped taking the drug.