Statins and Sleep Apnea

[crandreww]

I was wondering if any other former statin users were ever diagnosed with sleep apnea?
I never correlated the 2 until I was reading another post which suggested it,
I was diagnosed 2 years after starting the statin, and I never really thought any correlation existed.
Thanks everyone,
Chris

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Chris,

It's theorized that one of the first signs of adverse effects from statins is... sleep disorders. When my husband was taking Lipitor, he'd awaken every morning about 3am (or after about 4 hours of sleep) and turn on the TV. He'd watch the tube for a couple of hours before he'd finally go back to sleep, snoring like crazy.

2+ years after stopping statins, he sleeps like a baby, snoring lightly at times.

Fran

[schatzi]

Have been taking Statins since about 1993. About 1995/6 started having sleep issues. Waking about 2 or 3 AM awake for hours and dog tired most of the day. Problems got worse, waking up with BP sky high, heart beating really fast etc. Snoring and everything connected with it. One year ago had a sleep study, diagnosed with sleep apnea, using mask now. Helps a lot, had been off Crestor for a while and back on low dose for about a month. Immediately I started waking up again, even so I am using the sleep mask.
I never associated this before, but it does make sense.

Have stopped Crestor and will refuse any further Statin treatment.

[Allen1]

I can virtually say the same as schatzi with the exception that I could not get away with using he face mask. I just had an operation for a "deviated septum" ie one nostril was blocked, since the op my sleeping has improved dramatically and I am now unaware if an apnoea event occurs whereas before they were so bad at times I would awake gasping.

Another thing is that I stopped taking Zocor 2 years ago after 10 to 12 years of use, it has taken the best part of those 2 years for many of the problems to lessen to a more manageable / functional level. Memory problems and fatigue plus a few other problems still persist unfortunately. Do you also find that the need to get up to urinate in the middle of the night is a frequent problem?

All the best,
Allen.

[schatzi]

Allen1

Yes, have those problems too. Hope it will soon improve since I stopped Crestor.

[Allen1]

Hi schatzi,

the toilet problems eased off about 18 months after stopping the statins although in cold weather it became a problem again but that is probably just the cold itself. I was on Zocor for between 10 - 12 years which may explain why it took so long.

It seems that even after stopping this poison many more health problems show up, this stuff should be taken off the market, it really is THAT bad.

All the best,
Allen

[Brian C.]

I found Saw Palmetto and Pygeum Bark eliminated regular nocturnal toilet excursions. They're very rare now and then only if something else has woken me up.

All drugs are a chronic problem since their molecules lodge in tissue and bone and persist there pretty much indefinitely unless driven out by intensive detoxification techniques. To this end I am investing in a Far Infra Red sauna cab but need to clear a space for it first - and that involves physical effort! Fortunately our son and daughter will both be here later this month and have volunteered

I will also be using Japanese foot pads at night.
Plus whatever else it takes.

Brian.

[bucho]

I experienced all the sleep problems reported on this topic. Had taken Zocor for about 3 years (now off over 3 years). The most troubling problem was the sudden awakenings with heart racing and high blood pressure (which my doctor attempted to diagnose as anxiety attacks, despite no such history in my 50+ years). My blood pressure became very erratic for about 6 to 9 months, at the end of my taking Zocor, and sleeping was virtually impossible due to that and a host of other statin reactions. Also had a bad case of the nocturia problem, especially after exercise. In fact, a bad case of exercise intolerance, with any activity followed by 2 full days of exhaustion and irritability.

I can say that recovery is extremely slow, but after 3 years off the statin most problems are gone or nearly so. Still a little nocturia after an active day, and a little tiredness as well. But I feel like I've gone from 3 cylinders back to 8 (or maybe 7 of the full cylinders in three years of recovery. Best of luck to all.

[Allen1]

Hi there bucho,

it really is good to hear that your health has improved so well and I hope to see it continuing to improve even further.

Well its more than 2 years since I stopped the poison and lately I have had some pretty reasonable times apart from tiredness and memory problems, unfortunately the last 2 and 1/2 weeks have been particularly bad with very strong pains in my right hip and lower back. It is strange the way that symptoms die off only to re-appear again leaving you wondering what triggered that event this time?

All the best,
Allen

[Biologist]

Good to hear an update from you, bucho.

A good one too.

Encouraging.

I have improved a good bit too (unless this just turns out to be an exceptionally good month...)

Biologist

[bucho]

Biologist, glad to see you're still around these parts! I've been away for awhile, simply because the statin damage problems have settled down quite a bit.

Interesting, though, to re-read my past posts. I can barely remember writing most of them (and some of them not at all!). But they all ring true to my experience.

I am now "clean" for 4 years and the recovery, which has been excruciatingly slow, is now like a new "lease on life." It's as if I was plunged into a nightmare, or more precisely a living hell, for a span of years. I'm reminded of all the horrors reading my past posts, which now also make clear how much recovery I've experienced. What remains now is numb fingers at night, a smattering of exercise intolerance that I can ignore for the most part, and an alcohol intolerance that can upset my heart rhythm if I indulge in more than a couple glasses of wine. The tinnitis in nearly gone. I can work out with 3x the weights that used to cause me injury. I sleep well with the help of a nightly lunesta.

Saw a doctor about the numb fingers (sometimes burning sensations too, waking me up at night in either case). He diagnosed carpal tunnel (via nerve conduction tests) and suggested surgery. I declined. Instead I've devised some "wrist crunch" exercises that seem to be helping. My theory is that the problem is muscle and tendon degeneration, so maybe I can regenerate the tissues through exercise rather than letting someone apply a scalpel.

Also found a new family doctor but he worried about my cholesterol and was being very persistent about getting me back on a statin or other cholesterol lowering regime. He's history. I'll never take another statin. I can just imagine the return of the nightmare, full force, within days if I did.

[cjbrooksjc]

Bucho: I had 'crunch' in my wrists, shoulders and knees from Statins. I took JOINT RELIEF, sold by Iclandic Health
**http://www.icelandhealth.com/products/joint-relief-formula
and the problems went over a three month period. I still take the stuff - better safe than sorry. Glad you are feeling better - it gives us all hope!

Best,

Brooks

[bucho]

Great to hear from you too, Brooks! Thanks for the tip. How long have you been off statins now, and how would you rate your recovery so far?

[cjbrooksjc]

Bucho: I quit the poison in August 2006 and would rate my recovery at about 40%. I felt better about a year ago but have experienced setbacks and so find myself at the 40% level. I know this recovery is a pattern of two steps fwd and one step back, so I am still pushing the pills and fluids and hoping for improvement. Some days a diamond

Brooks

[bucho]

Brooks, I was hoping for more recovery by now for you than that. I'm sure we're on the same page there.

For what it's worth, I eat a lot of eggs (6 per week) and am wondering if the cholesterol dose from that is working as an antidote (!) to the statin. My overall cholesterol is back to its natural level of 240. At my new (now fired) doctor's insistence I had a heart CT scan about a month ago to test for calcium buildup. It gave a heart calcium score of 11, and I was told that scores up to 400 are considered OK. Mind you, I'm 55 now and if that's all the calcium buildup I have at this point, I consider all systems "go" to keep doing what I'm doing, keep shoveling in those eggs and beef, and continue the statin recovery via these nasty habits!

All my best.