It's been quite awhile since I have posted on this page. A quick review. My Dad has been experiencing memory problems since Dec. 2003 and noticably worse this past year. A neurologist appt. in April of 2005 diagnosed dementia. Dad went back in August 2005 and the doctor said it was early onset Alzheimer's. He denied the statins drugs could at all be the culprit. Dad started Zocor in the spring of 2003 and my Mom noticed signficant memory problems in Dec. 2003/winter 2004. He has been off of the drug since June 2005 and unfortunatley no significant change. Dec. 2005 second opinion with Mayo Clinic. They aren't sure what it could be, as is usually the case. Since Dec. 2004 my Dad has had 2 catscans, 2 MRI's, and a spinal tap. The first catscan came back normal. The MRI in April of 2005 showed a small, old and healed stroke. The doctor doesn't think this stroke has anything to do with the memory problems. My Dad is a diabetic which is has been said that they are at a higher risk of Alzheimer's. The second MRI came back the same. No changes. Show some brain shrinkage, which isn't too unsual for his age, they said. The spinal tap came back normal in Jan. 2006. My Dad is no longer working, disibilty started before Christmas. My Dad doesn't drink, has never smoked and tries to exercise as much as possible(walking and working around in his machine shed) No family history of dementia etc.

It has been quite the year. Very uncertain, scary, frustrating. I have emailed several researchers/doctors, in Pittsburgh, San Diego. 50+ articles tell us that statins side effects show a risk of developing cognitive impairment/dementia and 50+ articles tell us the possiblity of treating/delaying the onset of Alzheimer's with statins!!!!!! What are we to believe????? When my Mom mentioned this to one of the top researchers at Mayo, he didn't say much at all. In his words, "Discuss with your primary physican about to going back on Zocor if necessary, take your Aricept and we'll see you in a few months." There you go!!

Thanks for listening............................... .

DAK :confused:

It's been quite awhile since I have posted on this page. A quick review. My Dad has been experiencing memory problems since Dec. 2003 and noticably worse this past year. A neurologist appt. in April of 2005 diagnosed dementia. Dad went back in August 2005 and the doctor said it was early onset Alzheimer's. He denied the statins drugs could at all be the culprit. Dad started Zocor in the spring of 2003 and my Mom noticed signficant memory problems in Dec. 2003/winter 2004. He has been off of the drug since June 2005 and unfortunatley no significant change. Dec. 2005 second opinion with Mayo Clinic. They aren't sure what it could be, as is usually the case. Since Dec. 2004 my Dad has had 2 catscans, 2 MRI's, and a spinal tap. The first catscan came back normal. The MRI in April of 2005 showed a small, old and healed stroke. The doctor doesn't think this stroke has anything to do with the memory problems. My Dad is a diabetic which is has been said that they are at a higher risk of Alzheimer's. The second MRI came back the same. No changes. Show some brain shrinkage, which isn't too unsual for his age, they said. The spinal tap came back normal in Jan. 2006. My Dad is no longer working, disibilty started before Christmas. My Dad doesn't drink, has never smoked and tries to exercise as much as possible(walking and working around in his machine shed) No family history of dementia etc.

It has been quite the year. Very uncertain, scary, frustrating. I have emailed several researchers/doctors, in Pittsburgh, San Diego. 50+ articles tell us that statins side effects show a risk of developing cognitive impairment/dementia and 50+ articles tell us the possiblity of treating/delaying the onset of Alzheimer's with statins!!!!!! What are we to believe????? When my Mom mentioned this to one of the top researchers at Mayo, he didn't say much at all. In his words, "Discuss with your primary physican about to going back on Zocor if necessary, take your Aricept and we'll see you in a few months." There you go!!

Thanks for listening............................... .

DAK :confused:

Dak, sorry to hear things have not improved, seems like U have been exploring every avenue but still with no certain answers. I truly hope the drs. get to the bottom of this and can help, as I am sure both you and your mom are totally frustated.

I have no answers, but please keep us posted how things are going and if there is any change. Our prayers are with U and the family. Nothing worse then having a medical problem, but no answers.

Do take care, and all the best from me....... :wave:

dak,

I read about the Mayo Clinic's 4 hour battery of neuropsychiatric tests to determine Alzheimer's.
From your dealings with them, are you saying that was their diagnosis or is it in a gray area? Is it STILL really THAT hard to diagnose. I have heard that the only FINAL word is at autopsy.

If the best medical minds think it IS Alzheimer's, then are you trying to make a decision whether to use statins or not to slow the effects of Alzheimer's?

Or are you still looking to prove that Zocor caused his dementia?

I hope you all manage to hold up...Alzheimer's/dementia can be so difficult to endure if push comes to shove.

How old is your dad? My FIL has Alzheimer's and it is horrible. I don't buy the theory that Zocar prevents this disease because he had been on it for a few years before developing the disease about two years ago at the age of 81. He has high blood pressure and there is evidence of a few small strokes. He also had by-pass surgery 15 years ago and we were told the arteries in this neck had plaque build-up. Ironically, he had one of these cleared a few years ago at the beginning of his Alzheimer's and actually seemed to decline more. Terrible disease. I suppose his B-12 levels are normal?

Jane

My Dad is 61. He did not take the mental exams at Mayo. Only University of Iowa Clinics. The doctor at Mayo figured just by looking at him and talking with him that it is early onset. And yet he is stumped too and told my parents, "We'll get to the bottom of this". Yes.... of course I am hoping that its the Zocor.... maybe, just maybe once it is out of his system he will get some memory back... again I don't know what to think. He is just too young. I know early onset is out there..... but it's my Dad, no one in a million years wants to hear this. It really is a bad dream. I can honestly say without sounding melodramatic, it has been the worst year of my life and my family's life. We have been so fortunate for so long and can't believe it is all happening. It's very difficult to find any happiness in a day. Can't call home and say" Hey, how is everything going?" Try to find some humor but when you see your parents cry on Christmas morning... especially your Dad who is a tough, rugged farmer, it just too much to bear. I don't even look forward to going to my home of my parents to visit. It's just too hard!

Sorry...................:-( Thanks.

My Dad is 61. He did not take the mental exams at Mayo. Only University of Iowa Clinics. The doctor at Mayo figured just by looking at him and talking with him that it is early onset. And yet he is stumped too and told my parents, "We'll get to the bottom of this". Yes.... of course I am hoping that its the Zocor.... maybe, just maybe once it is out of his system he will get some memory back... again I don't know what to think. He is just too young. I know early onset is out there..... but it's my Dad, no one in a million years wants to hear this. It really is a bad dream. I can honestly say without sounding melodramatic, it has been the worst year of my life and my family's life. We have been so fortunate for so long and can't believe it is all happening. It's very difficult to find any happiness in a day. Can't call home and say" Hey, how is everything going?" Try to find some humor but when you see your parents cry on Christmas morning... especially your Dad who is a tough, rugged farmer, it just too much to bear. I don't even look forward to going to my home of my parents to visit. It's just too hard!

Sorry...................:-( Thanks.

That is quite young for a disease like that, but please, don't give up. There are more and more new things coming down the pike. Right now U have to try and be strong for your parents, and NEVER give up hope. As long as U have a dr. trying to get to the bottom of it, the battle is not over. We all have been thru some bad times, and it is tuff to "grin and bear it", but somehow we do make it thru.

Keep the faith, and all good wishes coming your way..... :wave:

Zocor can definitely affect memory, sometimes severely. I don't doubt for a second that it could be the cause of your father's problem, but unless you can prove it, doctors are very reluctant to blame anything on a drug, it seems. My sister, who developed myopathy after 6 weeks on Zoloft, has seen 6 doctors since then and not a one of them blames Zocor and they all make the most erroneous comments. For instance, one of them said that if Zocor caused her muscle problems, that she'd be fine after two weeks. Huh? That's not true at all! Myopathy can take months and months to heal. Another doctor told her that if it were Zocor-induced myopathy that she was experiencing, that she'd have it throughout her entire body! Again, NOT true! Another doctor told her to keep taking Zocor and presribed a drug to deal with the pain! I don't get where doctors get their information and why they are SO reluctant to even consider that a drug could be the cause, even when the side effect is LISTED in the product information! If we, as consumers, can do simple research to find these connections, why aren't doctors, the so-called professionals so vastly unaware? I just don't get it.

This letter (below) from Jane, makes me wonder if her father has Zocor-induced memory problems and not Alzheimers. Just makes you wonder how many mistakes are made and how many doctors are doing the opposite of what they should do, when these things occur.

"How old is your dad? My FIL has Alzheimer's and it is horrible. I don't buy the theory that Zocar prevents this disease because he had been on it for a few years before developing the disease about two years ago at the age of 81. He has high blood pressure and there is evidence of a few small strokes. He also had by-pass surgery 15 years ago and we were told the arteries in this neck had plaque build-up. Ironically, he had one of these cleared a few years ago at the beginning of his Alzheimer's and actually seemed to decline more. Terrible disease. I suppose his B-12 levels are normal?"

Spin44, I will admit I thought the Zocar could be part of his problem after reading several internet accounts by people who complained it had affected their memory. For some reason, there seemed to be more people reporting memory problems with Zocar rather than Lipitor. He was taken off Zocar at our request about a year ago, but the downward spiral continues. His dementia is probably related more to the small strokes he has suffered over the years. Does Zocar play a part in those? I don't know since he has high blood pressure and takes a myriad of medications for that.

Anytime, however, I hear about a younger person in their 50's or early 60's developing dementia I always wonder if they are taking a statin drug. All sorts of theories abound about why the U.S. is experiencing an upsurge in Alzheimer's Disease compared to other countries. Some theories include the gravitation of the American diet in the past 20 to 30 years away from homegrown, fresh foods, the use of refined sugar in our diets and maybe, just maybe, the widespread use of statins at earlier ages. The latest theory I read noted Asians seem to be protected because they eat fresh bean sprouts daily.

Jane

jane

The fact that you said your FIL's cognitive decline worsened after carotid artery surgery indicates he probably suffered from cerebral microemboli as a result of the operation. This happens when micro pieces of the artery break away and lodge in the brain(this is called HITS), causing damage to brain function. This can also take place when a coronary artery bypass operation takes to long.

The rationale behind using statins for Alzheimers, is the gene that is implicated in CAD, apoE4, is also implicated in AD.

The theory is that if statins can reduce inflammation in the arteries, then it might be able to reduce inflammation in the brain and prevent build up of plaque characteristic of AD.

There have been several studies done using natural anti-inflammatories such as circumin by the UCLA which have been successful on mice and they are now conducting human trials. Circumin is used a lot in India where only 1% of the population suffer from AD. South Florida University are also studying EGCG a compound found in green tea.

You can get more information using google for: circumin+alzheimers disease and EGCG+alzheimers disease.

Except that if you want to look for information on curcumin, you'll need to spell it "curcumin." :D (Sorry, liverock, I just had to do it!)

Yes, Liverock, I think that is what happened when my FIL had one of the arteries cleared because a later scan showed he had suffered another small stroke.

I really don't understand the business about statins decreasing inflammation of the arteries. My husband's muscles were inflamed because he was using Lipitor. If it causes inflammation in one area of the body, wouldn't it cause it elsewhere?

I have come to the conclusion that statins just are not a one-size-fits-all drug. They can cause all sorts of problems for some people, but others can take it without any problems. I think the trouble I have with them is that doctors, especially my husband's doctor, can't seem to see anything at all wrong with them and refuse to even consider they may be the source of pain, memory problems, etc. His doctor was so helpful in prescribing Bextra for his pain, consoling him about his aging body, promising to check into a possible hip replacement and getting him a heart monitor for his palpitations, but never, never, any little hint that statins could be at the root of all his pain and suffering.

We took a trip to Italy last year and my husband forgot his Lipitor. Ironically, this led to our discovery his pain was statin-induced. On the trip we witnessed the last public blessing by Pope John-Paul. My husband, who is not Catholic, always says he was blessed by the Pope and pointed on the road to recovery. My husband is a strange man.

Jane