In the context of the new, but ambivalent, recommendations that almost everyone should take statins:
I was on Simvastatin for years and then stopped it on my own, thinking my memory loss issues could be related. My internist and endo went kind of bonkers and said they did not want me to have a heart attack or stroke. I asked if they would choose Dementia over those and one said "think about what having a serious stroke means." Anyway, I went back on a low dose of Simvastatin a couple months ago (20 mg) and now I can't find anything that I put down. Spent 2 weeks looking for my checkbook.
I googled statins again and found one review of lit. article that said their study showed that the only statin that did not seem to be a cause of memory loss was Pravastatin. It has a different uptake process and I won't go further than that... "Results. Of the 60 patients identified who had memory loss associated with statins, 36 received simvastatin, 23 atorvastatin, and 1 pravastatin."
A long way to ask: Does anyone here take Pravastatin and what is your experience with it regarding memory?
PS. To be fair, I can't say for sure that my memory loss is due to statins. I am getting older (mid-70s) and have had two very stressful years. But my recent memory seems very close to restarting the 20 mg statin after a few months off it.
Nell - I don't take Pravastatin but I share your concern about statin side effects. I've taken atorvastatin (Lipitor) for most of the last ten years. About a year ago, I took a 6 month vacation from statins to see what would happen to my cholesterol.
I made significant changes to my diet last year and now limit my total carb intake to less than 75 grams/day. After being off of statins for 6 months my total and LDL cholesterol went high but my triglycerides were safely low and my HDL number went up, which was good.
My doctor talked me back into taking Lipitor but I requested a smaller daily dose. I did this for about 6 months and decided to quit statins again, a few months ago. My primary motivation was the prevalence of side effects like memory lapses. The incidence of side effects from statins are higher than the benefits that they confer.
As much as I've read about statin use over the last several months, including the recent ATP IV findings that seem to want almost everyone on statins, I can't make a good case for stopping or starting statins again. My conclusion at this point is to come down on the side of the best medicine being the least medicine. I am in the primary cohort, I have no history of cardio-vascular disease.
I know my endocrinologist does not agree with this but I am the one with skin in the game. One thing I have learned is that after age 75, the docs take a fresh look about whether statins are necessary. Good luck with your decision.
My cognitive ability is a precious resource to me, if I lose it, no one can dose my insulin like me!
Terry, thanks. I think you have the right plan for you. Since I live alone, my cognition, for what its worth, is all I have between me and stranger care. So I think I will try once again to talk to my endo when I see him in a few weeks. Thanks for your response.
Stress is a big factor, I have memory issues at 60 but my doctors seem to think it is no worse than most baby boomers or rockers with daily stress, my brother is 67 and also has issues at times, typical issues include, cant remember why I went to another room, cant find keys, can remember if I take my pills, the list is endless but my doctors said most of it is common and we cannot handle the pressure of doing many things at once. Smart phones, e-mail, and text-ting, anything and driving. There suggestion was, you don't have to give up anything, just take care of business one thing at a time. One doctor told me, when you say your relaxed I can still see wrinkles between your eyes and forehead, you don't even know what relaxed is, you have forgotten how to relax, you need to be retrained.
They tested my memory and I passed without any problems...I still can't say I'm happy with their explanation...;-)
I have never taken any statins so I can't comment on the memory loss etc. I have had memory problems my whole life though, lol. Each time I have had a sedation it gets worse… I think it is also just too much on my mind etc. And I do think stress plays a role too. When I'm nervous everything goes out of my head. But if you find your memory gets better when off it, just stop it. There are so many reasons to avoid taking statins anyway. I have been very tired lately and I plan to go off losartan to see if that helps because I think it is making me tired as well as causing some other symptoms.
