We've all recently been treated to popular reporting of research results showing: (a) statins increase the risk of Parkinson's Disease, (b) patients on simvastatin have reduced risk of PD, (c) statins accelerate PD disease progression, and (d) Simvastatin entering clinical trials as a PD treatment. Science is messy, research needs to be independently repeated, but really... If you were a diagnosed PD patient whose cardiologist suggest a statin would you look for a "twofer" and maybe go with simvastatin, or would you ask about other types of meds because you'd like to stay away from statins if possible?

Here is a recent summary of statins and PD Medscape: Medscape Access.

I don't live with PD but if I did I would need a lot of convincing about them in that context.

As an aside, a recent Cochrane systemic review of statins in the context of reducing the risk of fatal or non-fatal cardio-vascular events showed that the evidence is very weak (no more than a 1.3% increased risk for people on placebo vs a statin)

I summarised this here Statins.

rappleman,

That's a good question.

Three things that may tip your decision one way or the other:
- are your cholesterol levels just high or are they very high?
- have you tried to decrease levels by using a good diet?
- is there a family history of heart disease?

I can't remember my exact level, but I think the total was 9.6mmol per litre, against an upper norm of 6.5. My diet was considered good, but cholesterol levels were still very high. Both my parents died in their 50s of heart disease. I'm on 40mg/day of atorvastatin.

John

A search of the whole site will bring up many posts with statin information..
https://www.neurotalk.org/search.php
If on a statin are you taking Q 10 supplements?

[Although statins are well-tolerated by most people, they can cause muscle and joint aches. Statins have been found to reduce the amount of naturally occurring coenzyme Q10 in the body.

Because coenzyme Q10 plays a role in muscle cell energy production, some researchers have proposed that taking a coenzyme Q10 supplement might reduce the risk of muscle-related side effects.]
Coenzyme Q1: Can it prevent statin side effects? - Mayo Clinic

Remember the promise of CoQ10 as an agent which slowed PD progression? Did they even control for cholesterol level or statin use in those studies?

Another factor to add to the mix, my 23 and me results include increase risk of myopathy with use of simvastatin. My dad has had leg pain ever since he started and permanent nerve damage now.

I don't know what to do. My dad had a mild stroke fairly young and mom some heart trouble at about 75. I am 56. 238 is the number.

As a beginner in this area, I found the following recent article very helpful, as it includes a lot of background information and some good diagrams. Others may find the style a bit irritating (particularly those with more experience).

Cholesterol, statins, and Parkinson’s disease | The Science of Parkinson's disease

Thank for that jeffreyn.

I like the article and think that the diagrams help. The explanation of HDL and LDL in cardio-vascular disease reflect current thinking well.

I was specially impressed the fact that it provides (generally free-access) links to papers concerned with the possible roles (negative or positive) of statins in PD.

The science of parkinson blog by Simon Stott recently featured statins, worth checking out.