Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs – Oh, the Dramz!

Here is the story. In the 1970s and 80s statin drugs and other types of drugs were being developed to lower cholesterol by inhibiting the production of a chemical in the body that is used to produce it. It was a brilliant idea that some guy in Japan came up with. The drugs were tested and the results showed that while they did lower cholesterol as predicted, they were also pretty dangerous. After just a few short years of testing, these drugs were causing cancer in animal studies. In humans, there was no change in mortality (meaning that people didn’t live longer because they were taking them). But it was still such a good idea so people weren’t willing to drop it. Fair enough.

So then the drugs, specifically lovastatin (Mevacor) and gemfibrozil (Lopid – not a statin, but another type of cholesterol lowering drug), were being reviewed by the FDA for approval.

Apparently FDA approval of new drugs is similar to court. People have to testify if they feel the drug up for approval is safe or dangerous. These people are scientists, some of whom work for the pharmaceutical companies that are trying to get the drug approved. There is an advisory committee (we can consider that the jury), and the group that ultimately decides whether or not to approve it (the judges). In the case of lovastatin and gemfribozil, there was overwhelming evidence that the safety of these drugs were unclear. They could cause cancer and other serious problems. The jury agreed and recommended that the drugs not be approved. The judges overruled the jury in this case and approved them anyway, even though they normally wouldn’t approve something that showed so much potential danger. And if FDA approval process is like court, then it let white-collar criminals loose to distribute dangerous substances! Worse, now the pharmaceutical industry is like a giant cartel with lots of "soldiers" dealing their goods – doctors!! Doctors push these drugs ALL the time now. Millions of prescriptions are written per year and you are never supposed to stop taking them once you start…. Hm…..

This sounds like a far fetched analogy, but look it up for yourself. It’s all true! I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I do believe that people will do some effed up things for money. We all saw Erin Brockovitch. And regardless of our political views, everyone has at least considered the possibility that the whole Iraq War was for cash. (I’m just saying). We know that people aren’t always honest and when there’s billions of dollars at stake, people can be tempted to cloud the truth a little.

What exactly is the problem with taking cholesterol-lowering drugs? They lower LDL but not necessarily your risk of heart disease. They also cause horrific side effects that would kill you faster than your cholesterol would. They may lower your total LDL, but not your Lp(a) which was already established as the type of LDL that causes the problems.

Side effects include:
Liver damage
Kidney damage
Cancer
Depression (because remember that cholesterol is needed for healthy functioning of the nervous system)
Impotence (yep!)
CoQ10 deficiency (you need it to LIVE and FUNCTION)
Stomach ache, tiredness, headache, etc.

Remember – no one knows what the long term effects are of taking these drugs for a lifetime, like what is recommended. If you start taking a statin when you are 75, it might not be a big deal. But what if you are a 25 year old guy? What do you think will happen after taking the drugs for 15 years? The truth is that people don’t know the long-term effects. What is probably the most tragic of all is that now, statins are being recommended for overweight children. Sigh….

If you love yourself, and more importantly, if you love ME, reconsider your use of cholesterol-lowering drugs if you are currently taking them. If they have been recommended to you by your doctor, please do extensive research before agreeing to take them. You may decide it is the right option for you but you owe it to yourself to be informed.

Don’t believe me. Try to prove me wrong. Call me an unqualified know-it-all jerk. Just please read the information that is out there!!

There are other alternatives to both lowering your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease which I will get into tomorrow.

Here is some stuff to read to get you started:

Note: My brother-in-law says you should never read what is on the Internet. Below are 2 peer-reviewed articles that appeared in normal hard-copy medical journals before being available online. The other two are articles that are just someone’s opinion, but they provide links to more peer-reviewed articles that support their positions.

"Crestor and Other Statins: Are They Really Worth the Risk?" http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/11/08/crestor-statins.aspx

"The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About Cholesterol-Lowering Medication"
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/07/21/statin-drugs-part-four.aspx

"Low Cholesterol and Nonatherosclerotic Disease Risk: A Persistently Perplexing Question"
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/151/8/748

"Statins - Similarities and Differences"
http://www.ajmc.com/files/articlefiles/A01_121_2001PedersenS132.pdf