Statins: Awfully compelling evidence...

[pcovers]

The following quote is from:

Lipids Online: Educational Resources in Atherosclerosis

Several large-scale, controlled, randomized clinical trials have provided evidence that statins are effective in reducing CHD events in both primary- and secondary-prevention populations. Their efficacy in CHD risk reduction is truly impressive. Nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death were reduced by about 25-40% after just 5 years of treatment; ischemic events requiring hospitalization were reduced by 26-36% after just 18 months of statin therapy. All the statins studied demonstrated the ability to reduce CHD risk—lovastatin in the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS), simvastatin in the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S), and pravastatin in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial, Long-Term Intervention with Pravastatin in Ischaemic Disease (LIPID) trial, and West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS). Neither the Atorvastatin versus Revascularization Treatment (AVERT) nor Myocardial Ischemia Reduction with Aggressive Cholesterol Lowering (MIRACL) trial showed significant reductions in hard CHD endpoints; both were short-term trials and not powered to show such a difference. A trend toward benefit on CHD events was shown in the Lipoprotein and Coronary Atherosclerosis Study (LCAS), but this angiographic trial was not powered for clinical events; the effect of fluvastatin on CHD events is being studied in the ongoing Lescol Intervention Prevention Study (LIPS) and Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplantation (ALERT). The available data suggest that CHD risk reduction by statins is a class effect and that the LDL-C reduction is the key event driving the change in risk.

What makes these studies and their results impressive is that they are "end point" studies. That is to say, they base the results on endpoints, such as heart attack or death, not simply a hypothesis about the potentials based on assumed relationships.

There is no panacea, and there are money interests, to say the least. However, these studies cover several different statins on thousands and thousands of patients with many hundreds of academic researchers involved. The data are impressive.

[ARIZONA73]

Have you even bothered to read the article in Smart Money Magazine about the consequences of taking these drugs? It is by far, most compelling.

[pcovers]

Originally Posted by ARIZONA73

Have you even bothered to read the article in Smart Money Magazine about the consequences of taking these drugs? It is by far, most compelling.

It is a good article. Much of the problems associated and written about concerning statins are CoQ10 related. Take CoQ10 and that problem is solved. Some do have muscle aches and muscle problems. For me, were I to experience such problems on statin and not while off statin...I would use my common sense and not take the statin.

However, when you have had a heart attack, or been diagnosed with CAD, the most compelling consequence of concern is an "end point" event. I wish there were similar evidence associated with fish oil, policosanol, gugul, flax, vitamins (most all of which I take), but there is no similar evidence tied to "end points" for these substances. There is theory and hypothesis tied to these substances. There is clinical, double blind, controlled study, peer reviewed evidence that statins do in fact significantly reduce "end point" events, not just reduce cholesterol.

I wish it weren't so, but it is.

[zip2play]

I too am worn out following all the leads to lower this that and the other risk factor in the hoipe that last month's news was pertinent (like margerine to unclog hard arteries).
I am doing Co-Q10, cod liver oil, lecithin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, a zillion blood pressure medications....judiciously working to control my weight, and walking everywhere (given up car.) and even planning angiography in the next month. I regularly test my blood lipids, homocysteine, C-Reactive protein, liver enzymes and creatine phosphokinase.

All this is nice and is certainly adding to my overall health but IMHO it is only the Lipitor that I am taking gives me some assurance that a lump of plaque might be discouraged from moving someplace untoward and killing me on the spot. If I get a sore knee....so be it! If a lifetime of plaque can be reduced one iota instead of increased, I raise my glass.

(I must be the only one on earth that CANNOT get that article out of SMART MONEY...even the November issue yields up only Esperion's new cholesterol drug!...ca va...THE LIPITOR DILEMMA search yields only THE MICROSOFT DILEMMA)...I swear I've read 2 dozen articles this morning!

[ARIZONA73]

Zip2play,

You may want to inquire at your library about the November issue of Smart Money magazine. Many libraries have these magazines on hand. If they don't, they still may be able to get it for you.

Pcovers,

You are obviously familiar with coenzyme Q-10, and know what to look out for while taking statins. Unfortunately for many people, symptoms often will not surface until they have been taking these drugs for perhaps years. For many of these people, they simply do not make the connection, and attribute their symptoms to other causes, such as aging. Many doctors may also dismiss statins as being the probable cause. To make matters worse, many doctors don't even tell their patients about coenzyme Q-10 depletion, and the need to supplement. If they did, perhaps many problems can be avoided.

But even so, the next question would be how much coenzyme Q-10 should the patient take. This is a perplexing problem, especially since most coenzyme Q-10 supplements are not easily absorbed. The only way to determine the proper dosage for each patient would be to measure their levels of coenzyme Q-10, and supplement accordingly.

In all fairness, I can't place total blame on the doctors for this failure to advise their patients. They are only relying on the information provided to them by the manufacturers of these drugs. It is their responsibility to notify the doctors, and the fact that they haven't places the blame squarely on their shoulders.