Do Statins Make You Stupid?

If you have been reading this blog you might have come to the conclusion as I have that only stupid women take statins to prevent heart attacks or death and that only stupid men think that it will save their lives if they don’t have a prior history of heart disease. But now there is increasing attention to the fact that statins may also make you… well… stupid.

Some statins cross the blood-brain barrier (see below) and therefore potentially can affect brain function. They reduce cholesterol concentrations and cholesterol is an essential component of cell membranes, including neurons in the brain. There are a large number of individuals reporting memory problems in reply to articles in the WSJ, in which a doctor was quoted as saying “Lipitor makes women stupid,” followed by an article in the NY Times . In 2003 an article cited 60 reported cases of memory impairment, most commonly with Zocor, less with Lipitor and only one case with Pravachol. Since Zocor is the most lipophilic (meaning most likely to get into the brain) and Pravachol is not lipophilic, this pattern is consistent with a relationship between statins and memory problems. Half had the onset of memory problems within two months of starting statins. Most (56%) patients improved when they went off the drug, and there were four patients who had memory problems return when they went back on the drug. Muldoon and colleagues writing in 2000 reported on 209 healthy adults treated with Mevacor (lovastatin) or placebo for cholesterol reduction. Mevacor treated patients had significant reductions in attention and psychomotor speed compared to placebo treated patients.

These problems are the inevitable result of a push to give statins to people with normal cholesterol concentrations. This is in my opinion a cause for concern. For one thing, we are introducing medications with potentially dangerous side effects to people who do not have a disease. Secondly, cholesterol is a normal part of the body and is required for a number of processes, like the construction of cell membranes. Very low cholesterol concentrations have been linked to depression and suicide.

Statins also may increase the risk for depression. Cholesterol is the essential building block of neurotransmitters and hormones, changes in which have been associated with the development of depression. This may explain why many patients feel so much worse when their cholesterol is lowered. Statins increase the risk of a return of depression in patients previously treated for depression; if you take a statin after being treated with an antidepressant, your risk of having the depression come back is 61% compared to 40% if you didn’t take a statin (Steffens et al 2003).

Steffens DC, McQuoid DR, Krishnan KRR (2003): Cholesterol-lowering medication and relapse of depression. Psychopharmacology Bulletin 37:92-98.

A doctor developed such severe problems with memory that he wrote a book about his experiences called Lipitor Thief of Memory

As usual the medical establishment is rushing to say that there is no association between statins and memory problems. The medical consultant to abcnews.com said he had to set the record straight and say that the “benefits outweigh the risks”. A doctor who said “Statins make women stupid” was said to have made “inflammatory” comments. “Inflammatory” to who? Pfizer’s business plan?

Originally posted here; follow link for original links to articles.

My book ‘Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May be Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won’t Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed Drugs, Vitamins, and Supplements’ is now available at amazon