Okay, even I am getting on my nerves with all this now-- and I research this stuff most days. forgive my perseverance.

I am aware with posting on this controversial subject i will provoke many who are taking statins or feel they may be worthwhile in treating PD....If you feel conflicted, discuss it with your physician. I do not have answers--just lots and lots of unanswered questions combined with lots and lots of research that makes me suspicious of statin use and neuro diseases..
I will end by stating that I do not have the qualifications to tell anyone what to do in terms of treatment with statins. The evidence that statins are beneficial for middle aged men who have suffered a cardiovascular event is not in question---(I feel they should be used in acute situations, briefly)the use for any one else, I feel is in question. there has NEVER been evidence showing statins decrease mortality in women or men >65. the use of statins for primary prevention (ie for individuals with minor cardiac risk, has not been shown to decrease mortality--as a matter of fact in a study of older men, the mortality in the treated group was higher than in the placebo group.....)

I am sharing the (obviously selected) information about statins and their relationship to the neurological system. I am convinced statins played a major role in my husband's development of PD, as I am almost convinced it did in my niece's husband's development of PD with lewy body disease and my dear friend's husband's development of PD. If these are instances of a genetic predisposition interacting with an environmental stimulus (in this case a statin) to produce parkinson's, given the millions of people taking statins., the numbers affected with a neurological diseasse could be enormous.
there have been several case reports of neuromuscular disorders being "unmasked" by statin use (and the internet is filled with self reported instances of ALS related statin cases).

there exists a web site, founded and maintained by a physician who suffered 2 episodes of transient global amnesia he attributes to statins. He presents his research findings and a forum for members to discuss their symptoms, etc. He was trained as an astronaut, thus his web address:\


http://www.spacedoc.net.

madelyn