The statin drugs which lower cholesterol, among
the most prescribed medications currently, (Lipitor, Zocor, Prevastatin et
al) caused cancer in the rat studies EVEN WHEN GIVEN IN THE SAME DOSAGE AS
USUALLY PRESCRIBED TO HUMANS.
These medications are hard on the liver, undermining liver cells for their
action. They also can cause muscle weakness and other side effects.
Several studies have shown no link between cholesterol levels and heart attacks
i.e. many who have heart attacks, HAVE NORMAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.
(The disclaimer for the Lipitor TV commercial states that Lipitor has NOT
been proven effective at preventing heart attack.)The pharmaceutical
companies have detailed profiles on what drugs doctors are prescribing and
reward them for prescribing certain medications.
(See:
http://suewidemark.com/drugcompaniesprofiles.htm )
British medical providers are apparently less prone to prescribe statin
drugs to those who have not had heart attacks. To overcome this, some
of the pharmaceutical companies will begin to offer statin drugs "over the
counter" hoping to get more customers from the healthy population.
The following are some relatively recent studies on the cholesterol
lowering medications:
CoEnzyme Q10 suppressed by statin drugs source
www.cancer.gov (Jan 1 2003)
Coenzyme Q10 is found naturally in the body. Lower blood levels of this
coenzyme have been found in individuals with certain types of cancer.
Coenzyme Q10 was first identified in 1957. Its chemical structure was
determined in 1958. Interest in coenzyme Q10 as a potential treatment for
cancer began in 1961, when a deficiency of the enzyme was noted in the blood
of cancer patients. Low blood levels of coenzyme Q10 have been found in
patients with myeloma, lymphoma, and cancers of the breast, lung, prostate,
pancreas, colon, kidney, and head and neck.
While coenzyme Q10 may show indirect anticancer activity through its
effect(s) on the immune system, there is evidence to suggest that analogs of
this compound can suppress cancer growth directly. Analogs of coenzyme Q10
have been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro and
the growth of cancer cells transplanted into rats and mice.
Certain lipid-lowering drugs, such as the "statins" (lovastatin,
pravastatin, and simvastatin) and gemfibrozil, as well as oral agents that
lower blood sugar, such as glyburide and tolazamide, cause a decrease in
serum levels of coenzyme Q10 and reduce the effects of coenzyme Q10
supplementation
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/cam/coenzymeQ10
The lowered levels of Coenzyme Q10 may be a major factor in the statins
being a contributing factor to cancers.
Statin induced Cardiomypathy
"I see 2-3 cases of Statin induced cardiomyopathy a week" states the
cardiologist whose paper is up on the FDA website. Dr Langsjoen feels
this is due to a shortage in CoEnzyme Q10 which is caused by the statin
drugs. As he explains there is a slight advantage to these drugs in
heart patients as they have some anti-inflammatory effects but the side
effects far outweigh the slight advantage.
Statin Induced cardiomyopathy
Zocor tested as immuno-suppressant by the MS Society (Jan 10- 03)
"Oral drugs used to lower cholesterol, called statins, were shown in test
tubes to INHIBIT IMMUNE RESPONSES of cells taken from individuals with MS.
This study was previously reported by Dr Oliver Newhaus (Karl-Franzens-University
at Graz, Austria) and colleagues at the April 2002 meeting of the American
academy of Neurology, and now has been published in the October 8, 2002
issue of Neurology."
"Although statins were shown capable of INHIBITING SEVERAL DIFFERENT IMMUNE
RESPONSES and markers of inflammations typically involved in MS, THEY ALSO
STIMULATED THE RELEASE OF SOME PROTEINS KNOWN TO **INCREASE** inflammation."
"Clinical trials will be necessary to determine whether statin drugs may
benefit individuals with MS. There is already one small-scale trial of ZOCOR
under way in 32 people who have relapsing-remitting MS. This trial is taking
place at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston), in Yale
University (New Haven, CT) and at the U of Colorado Health Sciences Center
(Denver). Other studies are under consideration at this time."
Source: "MS Connection", Fall 2002
www.nationalmssociety.org
Higher incidence of cancer in those taking statin drugs (2-2003)
A trial which randomized over 5000 at risk elderly patients over a 3 year
period (double blind, placebo controlled) showed a 25 percent greater
incidence of cancer in those patients taking Pravacol (Pravastatin).
The researcher called this "probably chance" since the statin drugs are "so
safe" (?) a conclusion I find it difficult to understand - all the rat
trials showed a high incidence of cancer, so this increased incidence in the
trial seems a no brainer to me! A physician not a part of the research did
say that they should "watch" and see if this shows up again. (Obviously he
didn't quite buy the "chance" theory!) :)
Dr James Shephard - study reported at opening session of the American Heart
Assoc, 2003
source: "Internal Medicine News" - Vol 36, no. 3, Feb 1, 2003 (newspaper for
physicians)
NO DIFFERENCE in mortality rates from heart attacks
JAMA; Chicago; Dec 18, 2002; Curt D Furberg; Jackson T Wright Jr; Barry R
Davis; Jeffrey A Cutler; et al;
The Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume: 288, Issue: 23
Conclusions Pravastatin did not reduce either all-cause mortality or CHD
significantly when compared with usual care in older participants with
well-controlled hypertension and moderately elevated LDL-C. The results may
be due to the modest differential in total cholesterol (9.6%) and LDL-C
(16.7%) between pravastatin and usual care compared with prior statin trials
supporting cardiovascular disease prevention.
This study showed a slightly higher number of cancer deaths in the
Prevastatin patients (163) as compared to those not taking the drug.
Also, there was a higher incidence of those who came down with cancer in the
statin group (but did not die from it).
Got lung cancer?
The owner of the following website feels he got lung cancer from lipitor
and he also includes a link to an AMA article showing for one thing that ALL
the statins caused cancer in the rats, even in doses similar to what is
given to humans. The article writer pointed out that since there may be a
span of 20 years between starting the drug and the side effect of cancer,
it's hard to pinpoint it as a risk. However, the author believes the statin
medication he took was a factor in his cancer
http://www.captainclark.com/Pages/lipitorhorror.html
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