Cures for Long-Term Adverse Reactions to the Statin Drug

Statin drugs can be life-saving therapy for people in danger of a heart attack, but these drugs aren't free of side effects. Some of the side effects and complications triggered by statin drugs include liver damage, widespread muscle aches and pains, heart failure and cognitive decline.

Liver and Kidney Damage

• Statins work by changing the function of your liver. They stop the liver from making the kinds of cholesterol that contribute to heart disease and also help it to remove that same kind of cholesterol from the blood. As part of the process, the liver can become taxed and even damaged.

  Statins can also put your kidneys at risk. In rare cases, statins cause your muscles to begin breaking down, releasing harmful compounds into your blood. When filtered through the kidneys, these compounds can lead to kidney damage or failure.

  If these conditions are caught early enough, you can usually make a complete recovery. The first step is to discontinue treatment with statins. The next step is to stop your intake of substances that make these organs work harder. While you recover avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, processed foods, foods that are high in sugar and foods that are high in fat. Finally, you can support your recovery by supplementing with n-acetyl-cysteine for liver support and ginseng for kidney support. For either condition, taking a fish oil supplement can help reduce inflammation so that you can recover function more quickly.

Muscle Aches and Loss of Function

• Statins interfere with your body's production of coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is found in every cell in your body, but your hardest working tissues use the most of it. It's particularly important to muscle and heart function. Without adequate CoQ10, the chemical reactions needed for muscles to contract can't happen efficiently. The result is weaker, achy muscles, including a weaker heart.

  To correct muscle weakness and pain due to statin drugs begin supplementing with CoQ10. Take 100mg each morning for the best results.

Restore Cognitive Function

• For some people, statin drugs lead to a decline in cognitive function. Fortunately, supplementing with coenzyme Q10 can help with this complication, too. Ginseng, gingko biloba, and huperzine-A are all supplements that have a positive affect on memory and cognitive function, as well.

  You can also improve cognitive function by exercising your brain. For example, you could buy a book of crossword puzzles and work one each day. Sudoku puzzles are good, too, and so are word jumbles.