The Statin Damage Crisis Paperback – July 23, 2014

One month ago I came off my statin and came to know for a certainty that the strange and scary things that were happening to my entire organism were due to this drug. This was a great relief to finally understand what was happening to me. But also sobering, as I found out that some of the damage may be permanent, and some may show up later as I grow older.Dr.Graveline has done a wonderful service over the last decade or so, in researching statin effects and writing his books, as well other things he has done to help make people aware of this very serious and little known problem. Thank you Dr.Graveline! I have done a lot of reading in the last few weeks including Dr.Graveline's first book on statins: Lipitor, Thief of Memory, and this most recent book. Much of his first book is repeated here, but vital information he became aware of later is included here. I appreciated very much his ideas on what treatments may help reverse statin damage.This is certainly a "crisis". It seems almost everyone I know who is middle age and up is on a statin. The insideous thing is that drug companies have so succesfully marketed statins to the public and to doctors, and sold people on the idea statins are safe. Many who experience a gradual onset of symptoms are a bit puzzled at first, but say to themselves "I guess I'm just getting older fast." I am only 50 years old and started to feel so bad that I began to think I was almost done and had little chance of making it to 60. My fatique, exhaustion, joint and tendon pains, muscle weakness, foggy brain, deteriorating memory and eyesight, fading sex drive,(Maybe a bit more than irony that Pfizer's current and top selling drugs of all time are a statin, Lipitor, known to cause a reduction in sex drive and Viagara!), all happened so subtly at first that it reminds me of the old story of the frog who doesn't hop out of the gradually heating water until it is too late! The beginning of June all of the above got so much worse so quickly that it scared me deeply. I realized something was VERY wrong! I began to worry about how I would support my family if I could no longer work. Could I keep the house? Will I have to sleep on the same floor as the bathroom? If I become a cripple, will I be a burden to my family?Since coming off the statin all this is reversing. I didn't fully realize how far I had deteriorated in some areas until I started to feel energy and vigor I had not felt in a long time! Many older people on statins, not being 50, (and thus more puzzled by their fast aging), may never discover that many of their problems are due to statins. The doctors are generally not alert to it, and it can be misinterpreted as problems common to aging. I give my doctor credit for being alert to test for high levels of CK, which indicated I did indeed have muscle damage. He also acknowledged that "these drugs may not be as good as we (the medical community) hoped they would be."If you or your loved ones are on a statin, or considering taking one, you need to educate yourself. Dr.Gravelines book is well researched, and an excellent place to begin.Some people may find the idea of widespread statin damage hard to believe. Once you read about how statins work, you will understand why likely EVERYONE who is on a statin is sustaining damage to their body, they just don't know it. I believe what is coming out today is just the tip of the iceburg. Just with a bit of checking with relatives and friends in the last few weeks here are a few experiences. A brother in law who had to stop his statin because he felt extremely old, experienced pain where he couldn't even turn a screwdriver. (in his 50's) Another brother in law who has such pain in his shoulder he has trouble raising it enough to put his shirt on. When he temporarily stops his statin the shoulder gets better. (50's) A woman who had to stop because of the crippling pain. An older man who lost all his strength. Now with dementia setting in he repeats himself a lot. And what he always says is "Don't take statins!" His neighbor came off because of the extreme pain. Another friend can hardly walk in the morning. (has always worked to stay in shape, early 60's) Another friend who drives a cab for a living came off because of the leg pain. But interestingly one day, while still on the statins, he picked up his wife and he COULD NOT FIND THE WAY HOME from a mile away! This scared them so much he went to the hospital. Two days of tests revealed no cause. "Statins don't do this" many say, but thousands of victims say otherwise.The above experiences are all likely statin related, as symptoms immediately improved upon stopping the statin. Sadly, I have a friend who suffers from such exhaustion and fatique that he can't work, and often can't leave the house. The doctors have not been able to determine why. He has been on a high dose of statin for almost 3 years. He has also been prescribed another medication for his memory problems. I don't know if statins are the cause or to what extent, but I sure wish he would stop the statin for a while and see how he feels. The situation is so sad, and maybe doesn't have to be.Thank you Dr.Graveline for giving statin sufferers knowledge and hope. Although you may be reaching an end to your physically active years early because of the statin damage, your experience has given new life to many thousands. I have deep personal empathy for you because I have personally felt this deterioration in my own body. Now I have hope for a better quality of life. We are so very grateful. Bless you. ([...])

I am a. 67 year old woman and have been taking "Lipitor" for over 20 years. . I guess out of "fear" of having a stroke and dying like my father ( and all of his Family members) my cholesterol was never higher than 220 . Well in the last year or two I have had many Memory loss and a very painful lower back and legs and hips. And now am experiencing hair loss . Everything in your book spoke to what is happening to me. I guess I am fortunate that the 20mg once a day Statins held off from bringing on these major changes in my life. My cholesterol is done 2 or three times a year and runs in the 190 range . My good cholesterol is very good (75) . I am a nurse and have been very active my whole life. But all of a sudden "I feel very OLD" and sore and stiff and my muscles in my back are so tight and painful. My husband and I are very careful and even have our blood work results on our cell phones. But Now I understand that all those years of Lipitor are taking a terrible toll on my body and mind. I have a great doctor who I bought your book for. We are working together to get me off Lipitor... But I fear the damage has been done. I rarely eat any meat other than good fresh high Omega fish. So my diet is not a threat to my cholesterol . But I am really afraid because my A1C has been going up over the last 3 years also. Also a new side effect of Lipitor. Last was 6.4 ... So I know things are changing in my body...I need to control these things . Thank you for your book.

I always suspected that statins work to reduce cholesterol through its anti-inflammatory ability and after reading this book my suspicious were confirmed. I also know from personal experience that statins cause permanent neuropathy and severe muscle pain. When I told my doctor that the statins were causing my neuropathy, he told me "YOU'RE WRONG." Well he was wrong and now I am going to suffer for the rest of my life because of it. Had I known, I never would have tried them or would have stopped them in time so as not to do damage.This book is EXTREMELY technical in my opinion. I had a hard time following the scientific explanations supporting his theories as to why statins cause harm. Despite the technical jargon, I came away knowing more than I knew before. Besides causing diabetes, statins are responsible for memory loss, confusion, forgetfulness, and deaths due to the breakdown of muscle tissue. He also makes a case for why statins cause neuro-degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, ALS, MS, etc. What I also found interesting is that statins may increase a man's life one to two years but they have never been proven to be effective in increasing life expectancy for women.Other than the scientific nature of this book, I feel it is a worthwhile read. It certainly a good idea for anyone thinking of going on statins to read this first in order to make their own informed decision. On another note, I did not feel this book adequately addressed what should be done instead of taking statins; I was really lost by all the scientific talk.

This book was packed with info you will never hear from your doctor or from big pharm. I’m sorry I ever went on statins as my muscle pain remains to this day! I did a calcium heart test and I have zero plaque so it turns out I did not even need it. The memory loss it causes is scary and I only wish I could get my husband off it but of course the doctor says he needs it! I recommend anyone who is taking statins to read this book Get off them! Switch to the natural supplements recommended in the book Big pharm is killing us!!

Muy claro, estructurado y lleno de evidencia científica. Los médicos que tan alegremente recetan estáticas deberían leerlo para saber el daño que están provocando a sus pacientes.

Muito claro e conciso sobre os diversos efeitos colaterais causados pelas estatinas. Leitura recomendada para todos, sejam médicos ou pacientes. A experiência pessoal do autor é um exemplo rico de tudo que é abordado no livro.

Books like this that shed light on the downside of statins are so important. If I had known what I know now, thanks to books like this, I would never have begun taking a statin for slightly elevated cholesterol with no other risk factors for heart problems.

Here one statin injured MD speaks out. His truth is based on his own negativepersonal experiences with taking statins.Given his unfortunate case history little wonder that more than 30% of cardio patients stop taking their prescribed meds within a year. The fault however, lies no longer in medical doctors being too busy, nor necessarily with the pharmaceutical industries need to achieve billions in profit from annual sales. This time the greed is good principle is not the cause behind Dr. Graveline's having to suffer severe statin damage!The fly in the ointment of needing but not having more accurate and focused cardiovascular pill taking is due our current medical ignorance. The failure is insufficient pharmacogenetic testing and analysis before prescribing the usual highly potent and inherently dangerous standard cardiovascular and other related medicines.Dr. Graveline would not have had to suffer his losses of memories, nor would there be so many unnecessary out patients as "bleeders" at home and on operating tables, nor would there exist so much "unexplainable" gynecomastia, rhabdomyolysis and suddenly emerging diabetes type 2 if modern Western medicine's current drug prescriptions were pharmacogenetically based and much less hit or miss based.We have the needed tool already being developed within clinical genomics and its practical application to adult patient care. What is delaying the field of medicine from properly using it?Cromosome typing (Karyotyping) was developed way back in the 1950's; genotyping today is increasingly simple and inexpensive for determining individual genetic makeup at the single gene level. Not rolling out pharmacogenetics ASAP is becoming an increasing waste of patients lives, medical doctor's and pharma-manufacturing industry livelihoods. Creating more suffering rather then less suffering is like employing more intrusive procedures when less intrusive ones are available.

This book is rich of information about Statins and their side effects, more important give advices about supplements which can replace statins in their antinflammatory effect.