OK, only kidding.  But we do hear that “cholesterol” word a lot at our post-40 checkups, don’t we?  The drug company drones have been busy churning out research that shows that in addition to lowering the cholesterol, triglycerides, and CRP levels in our blood, statins lower the formation of plaques that characterize Alzheimer’s and they lower diabetes and general cancer risk.   Yet a 2006 meta-analysis of previous studies concluded that “taking statins regularly may reduce the risk of major heart and cerebrovascular events such as heart attack and stroke but not coronary heart disease or overall death rate.”  In other words, these expensive drugs don’t make you live any longer!  Recommended for diabetics and those with cardiac risk factors, the analysis did not show benefits for or recommend preventive use of statins in healthy people, particularly women.  Like low-dose aspirin therapy, statins affect women differently than men (more on aspirin next month). 

If you do take a statin, you can reduce side effects by eating your oat bran, fiber, fruits, and vegetables and starting with the lowest possible dose (10 mg).  Your doctor will probably want to start with the “average dose,” somewhere around 20-40 mg, but why not start low and go slow?  Consider multiplying it’s effectiveness with Zetia, the ingredient combined with simvastatin in Vytorin.  In a quick shop on Drugstore.com, Zetia alone was almost the same price as the combined Vytorin product, so it probably pays to take the combo.  Lipitor and Crestor have the greatest cholesterol-lowering effects, but often cause more side effects.  Pravachol (pravastatin) is reported to have the fewest side effects and is available on Walmart’s generic drug program for $4.00 a month.  Yes, that’s right, $4.00 for 30 pills in most states.  Statins deplete CoQ10, a deficit that may cause muscle pain and fatigue, so you should supplement that antioxidant.  Don’t eat grapefruits or drink grapefruit juice while on statin therapy; it interacts with the drugs even 24 hours after consumption.

After six weeks on statin therapy, have blood work to detect muscle damage, liver damage, and your new cholesterol level.  At that point, your doctor can adjust levels and type of medication. Muscle pain, numbness and tingling in hands and feet and memory loss from long-term statin use have been noted, so adjust or discontinue for these side effects also. (study results Archives of Internal Medicine,  11/ 27/06)