This condition, which occurs in about one in 10,000 statin users, can lead to kidney failure and even death.īut neither of these routine tests proved to accurately predict these serious but very rare problems. Other tests measured creatine kinase (CK), a byproduct of muscle breakdown that can signal the early stages of rhabdomyolysis. MYTH 2 You need regular blood tests to check your liver and kidney function.īecause statins target liver cells, early statin users were advised to get routine blood tests to check their liver enzyme levels, since rising levels warn of possible liver damage. More reliable data come from large studies-one of which included more than 20,000 people-that revealed no effect on thinking and memory caused by statins. "However, many of the reports were from people who took the drug for just one day," he says, which suggests that the statin wasn't to blame. Christopher Cannon, a Harvard Medical School professor. The initial concern arose from a number of self-reported complaints to the FDA, says cardiologist Dr. But because memory issues tend to crop up in middle-aged and older adults (the most common users of statins), it's hard to tell if the drug, or another problem such as age-related memory loss, might be to blame. Some people who take statins report confusion or memory loss. Here's what you need to know to take them safely. But these popular medications are often misunderstood. More than one in four adults ages 45 and older in the United States take a cholesterol-lowering statin. ![]() Some side effects attributed to taking a statin may be caused by a different problem.ĭon't let misconceptions about these medications prevent you from taking them.
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