Statins are prescribed to patients who suffer from high levels of “bad” cholesterol, as it lowers the harmful levels, and reduces the risk of having heart issues.
Lately, statins have come under fire as a study concluded that they do more harm than good. A lot of people take statin drugs such as Crestor, Lipitor and Zocor. In the United States, prescription drug spending rose to $374 billion in the year 2014 (the highest level of spending since 2001). Statins make up for a huge portion of spending, and consumers who take these drugs are going to have a lot to worry over than the damage to their wallets.
The American Journal of Physiology, conducted a study that states that statins “…impact on other biologic properties of stem cells provides a novel explanation for their adverse clinical effects.” Specifically, the study states that such adverse effects include advancing the “process of aging” and also notes that “…long-term use of statins has been associated with adverse effects including myopathy, neurological side effects and an increased risk of diabetes.” Myopathy means skeletal muscle weakness.
Statins make cells unable to repair properly, create nerve problems and destroy memory
In the study, experts suggest that the health issues incurred due to statins, have been downplayed in the recent years. People who do take these drugs usually report having fatigue, cataracts, muscle pain, liver damage and loss of memory. These drugs have been proven to mess with cells in a way that heir main purpose is to reproduce and the process of body repair is blocked. Professor Reza Izadpanah, stem cell biologist and lead author of the published study, states, “Our study shows statins may speed up the aging process. People who use statins as a preventative medicine for [health] should think again as our research shows they may have general unwanted effects on the body which could include muscle pain, nerve problems and joint problems.”
Despite health problems linked to statin drugs, FDA says people shouldn’t be scared of them
While our FDA expresses on its online site that “Cognitive (brain-related) impairment, such as memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion, has been reported by some statin users” and that “People being treated with statins may have an increased risk of raised blood sugar levels and the development of Type 2 diabetes,” they also maintain its safety and effectiveness.
The site directs people’s attention to the advice of Amy G. Egan, M.D., M.P.H., who is the deputy director for safety in the FDA’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products (DMEP). She says, “This new information should not scare people off statins. Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects.”
This isn’t hard to dispute at all, especially after a previous study, we beg to differ. What’s so great and healthy about accelerated aging, muscle weakness, memory loss and cells that function improperly?
The need to continually assess prescription drugs and older studies that tout their benefits…
These findings have opened up the importance of researching the benefits of prescription drugs, which is hopefully something people will continue to do, to stay well-informed and in the best shape possible. There was a similar study that opened up many eyes, and involved the adolescent antidepressant “Paxil”, which made headlines when a re-analysis of an original study had shown incomplete information and exposed all the errors. Although, in reality, this drug wasn’t found to not be safe and efficient for its recommended demographic. Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia says “signals that the community is waking up, checking its work and doing what science is supposed to do — self-correct.”
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