Simvastatin 20mg and Erectile Dysfunction

[Amelie]

My husband wonders if his erectile dysfunction is a result from taking Simvastatin 20 mg. He also takes Plavix 75mg. He had a TIA in Feb. 2004
and has been prescribed the above medications since then. His cholesterol
has been high already for a long time; it seems a genetic condition.
These are his numbers - he is an active person and is of normal weight with very good blood pressure and is 69 years old:
Total Chol. 4.8
HDL 2.7
LDL 2.1

[tex62]

Amelie,

Yes, simvastatin can definitely be the cause of erectile dysfunction. See Merck's (maker of Zocor - simvastatin) official website under side effects. They list categories of side effects. Under the category "Other" they list loss of sexual desire, breast enlargement, and impotence.
ww.zocor.com/simvastatin/zocor/consumer/product_information/ppi/side_effects.jsp

My husband developed erectile dysfunction after he had been on Zocor for just over a year. He also developed a host of other problems. They all eventually cleared up, including the erectile dysfunction, after he stopped taking Zocor and Tricor.

[Amelie]

Hi Tex62
I would like to know how your husband decided to stop Simvastatin and how he deals with lowering his cholesterol. I am worried that my husband may end up with a stroke if his cholesterol is not under control.

[tex62]

Amelie,

After we did our own research, we discovered that every problem my husband had was listed as a side effect of either Zocor or Tricor. Over a 3-month period, he went from being very active, to almost unable to walk. The pain was very intense. His total cholesterol was never too high (around 200), his LDL was okay, but his HDL was slightly below the target range, and his triglycerides were high (between 300-350). When he talked with our doctor and told her that he planned to stop the drugs, she suggested that he stop them for 3 – 6 months to see if the side effects went away or lessened, and then have his cholesterol retested. During that time, he followed a diet that limited the things that cause high triglycerides – sugar, white flour, etc. Strangely enough, when he had his cholesterol retested at six months, his total cholesterol was higher than it had ever been during his pre-statin days at 237, and for the first time, his LDL was high at 167. However, his HDL and triglycerides were within range. Since the last blood work, he has been able to get back into exercise 5 days a week so it will be interesting to see how that affects his cholesterol. He had blood work this past Friday and has his annual physical this coming Friday, at which time he will get the results of his blood work. Unfortunately he was prescribed these drugs in the first place, but once he had the side effects, we felt fortunate that our doctor agreed for him to stop them and follow up closely. His side effects were so severe that he won’t ever take statin drugs again.

Regarding the erectile dysfunction, this and the extreme intolerance to cold were two of the first symptoms to go away – about 10 days after stopping the statins. The pain in his hands, arms, and shoulders were the last side effects to go away at about 9 months off the drugs.

Some people stop taking statins on their own because their doctor won’t work with them. I believe that it is best to do a lot of research on your own and work with your doctor when possible.

Best wishes

[Amelie]

Thanks,
We don't want him to stop cold turkey and as he has an appointment in one week he will discuss stopping then, maybe gradually.
I wonder if buying Doc's book helped you?

[tex62]

I bought the book and found it informative. I think it would be a very good source for doctors to read.

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Amelie,

Elevated cholesterol is not the problem. It's "inflammation"
or better stated "oxidized LDL" cholesterol.

Please read "Cholesterol Levels & Cardiovascular Disease":
http://www.spacedoc.net/cholesterol.html

And "The Great Cholesterol Scam":
http://www.spacedoc.net/cholesterol_scam.html

And "Stopping Statins":
http://www.spacedoc.net/stopping_statins.html

And "Statin Alternatives":
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

Dr Graveline's Statin Alternatives reduce and prevent inflammation,
are anti-oxidants, reduce platelet stickiness, control (toxic)
homocysteine and have the same anti-inflammatory affect as 20 mg's
of Lipitor (atorvastatin), without side effects.

"Statin Alternatives" are NOT intended to reduce cholesterol levels.
Statins (as do statin alternatives) reduce the type of inflammation that
leads to heart attacks and strokes. The fact that statins also reduce
cholesterol levels is irrelevant.

Dr Graveline's "topic specific" articles and his book contain a wealth of
information.

Fran

[tedthefirst]

Simvastatin may be causing the dysfunction, but you should look to proper nutrition guidelines first to see if this might be the problem. Nutrition plays a very big roll in medications, and some medications can deplete some nutrients. Statins are great to lower cholesterol but need to be supplemented with certain dietary guidelines!

Ted - *http://www.simvastatin.co.uk

[Allen1]

Hi there tedthefirst,

that site sure looks and sounds good but if you want the real story then just take a look at this site for example remove the asterisk first:-
*http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=19766&name=ZOCOR

No matter which statin is prescribed, the side effects for a great many people can be and is serious, the owners of that site you mentioned should probably not bother finishing it and get out before the proverbial hits the fan, that day is coming and I sure would not want to be one of those who will be held responsible for the harm that they have caused. As you can see I live in the UK and I am just one of the many victims of this useless poison, you will also find that most people who are prescribed this crap were not told to take anything like q10 etc, this is still not known by most prescribing doctors to this day!

The only thing statins are good at is destroying your life and quality of life at 52 I will never be able to work again, that's how good they are, and yes it was Zocor/Simvastatin that I was on and after 8 years taking it I needed a triple bypass good stuff it is not .

[sos_group_owner]

[quote="tedthefirst"]Simvastatin may be causing the dysfunction, but you should look to proper nutrition guidelines first to see if this might be the problem. Nutrition plays a very big roll in medications, and some medications can deplete some nutrients. Statins are great to lower cholesterol but need to be supplemented with certain dietary guidelines!

Ted - *http://www.simvastatin.co.uk[/quote]

Great post Allen. Ted, "look to proper nutrition guidelines"... Uh, most doctors will tell you the proper diet is the "low fat - low cholesterol" diet which basically teaches us to eat a diet high in carbohydrates. High carb diets do so much harm to our body; IR (insulin resistance), high triglycerides and elevated blood sugar levels. Our body NEEDS cholesterol, especially the heart and brain. Our hormone production NEEDS cholesterol.

There's no denying that "Statins are great to lower cholesterol", but they do NOT address underlying conditions, one of which and is the most overlooked or under-treated is a thyroid condition.

Statins sole benefit is they are a potent anti-inflammatory, but so are a host of nutritional supplements, the best is omega 3 rich fish oils. Most take a combination of regular fish oil capsules, CLO or krill for maximum benefit.

Fran

[Allen1]

Thanks Fran, your posts are always good too and very informative.

I think the whole dietary situation is often out of the hands of the people who are meant to follow it. A lot of what we all should be eating is priced way out of what people can afford, even simple products like a can of beans or tomatoes for example have tripled in price in the last year, a 1Killogram bag of carrots was 49 pence 2 weeks ago and now the price has jumped up to 69 pence. The price hikes are all over the spectrum for food products, all I can see happening shortly will be massive piles of unsold food rotting away as no one can afford to buy it.

Something else I have noticed here in the UK is the amount of items left behind by shoppers before they go to the till, there has been cartons of milk, bags of potatoes and so much more left in various places in shops lately. I can only assume that the people who left them including an elderly lady, could not even afford the basics, if this is the true reason it is altogether shocking in this day and age.

All the best,
Allen.

[Biologist]

Allen,

Yep, I liked Fran's posts too.

Dr. Mercola says eat eggs. He eats his raw.

Biologist

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Allen,

I completely understand about the affordability of proper nutrition. A classic example of the food industry in collusion with the drug companies; making quality food too expensive for the masses, leading to poor health.

I've seen the same thing in our grocery stores... food just left here and there.

The impact on those with limited income is devastating. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

Fran

[sos_group_owner]

TKU... Yes, the incredible edible egg... packed with protein and other nutrients. We eat eggs every morning but not 'raw' yet. Lightly saute some veggies (onion, sweet peppers, asparagus &/or broccoli) in VCO and organic butter, stir in scrambled eggs and make sure not to overcook...

Our ND recommends eating a small amount of protein (HB egg, seeds, nuts, etc) before bed for those with IR (insulin resistance) to prevent blood sugar levels from dropping during the night, disrupting sleep. Works like a charm!

Fran

[Allen1]

Hi there Fran and Biologist,

the eggs cooked sounds delicious, I couldn't eat them raw though as Dr. Mercola does. Here in the UK, eggs are either the best thing going or the biggest source of salmonella depending on what is the fad of the moment and whatever some "expert" has to say on the subject.

Wouldn't life be much sweeter without all these so called experts telling us all the conflicting tales about things and actually getting something right for a change.

All the best,
Allen