Statins Explained in 10 Minutes (by a cardiologist)

I've tried to boil down one of the most complicated topics in medicine to a YouTube length. Let's hope it worked! Statins are the most prescribed medication in the world but most of what I read and watch online is either completely vague so as to be useless, or just plain wrong.

This is one of the most requested topics I get, and while not the most exciting, it's an important one. So I hope it helps at least one person make a decision.

I wanted to keep it short to ensure people actually watched - an in-depth lecture would of course have offered the chance to really dive into the details but my objective here is to help as many people as possible.

If you find statins confusing, you're not alone! Cardiologists and GPs probably prescribe these more often than anyone else and yet even I took a long time to really understand the enormous mass of data and coverage (which of course is impossible to read in its entirety). I want to specifically credit Professor Darrel Francis from Imperial College in London for helping me see statins in the kind of reference frame that I present in the video. Prior to that, my understanding was that kind of vague "oh this will help you, probably. I think." that you might get if you just read guidelines, which of course exist to maximise health for a whole population.

References:

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More Medlife Crisis:

[MedlifeCrisis]

If you're coming here to shout "paid shill" at me, welcome! However do please try watching the video too. If you still feel statins are a money grab, consider that a 1 month course of Atorvastatin costs £1 in the UK. I'll try to answer a few questions, if you have any, over the next few days, please put them as new comments, not replies to this one. Thanks for watching 🙂

Edit: yes I got the lottery odds wrong, dammit Jim I'm a doctor not a gambly risk man!

Edit 2: Apologies to those who weren't aware of what statins are, this video wasn't really intended to be an intro to the field but more a guide for those who might be taking them. I agree with comments that I could've put a quick paragraph saying what they are.

[bblbird]

As someone with 7 plus years experience taking Simvastatin after a "minor" heart attack at age 55, I can only tell you of my personal results. I began to suffer severe joint pain in both of my hands after 2 years on the drug. I battled high blood glucose levels almost immediately ( one of the many listed side effects of statins is diabetes!). Cognition was diminished ( I would find myself confused as to my location on the drive home from work).
Concentration became difficult at times. Diarrhea became a way of life and I felt nauseous for most of the day.
After reading many articles on the negative effects of statins, I quit taking the drug. Within a short time ALL of the negative effects went away. I felt human again. My blood glucose levels dropped 30 points!
Most remarkably, my cholesterol levels were now in a normal range and my triglycerides are damned near perfect.
I truly believe that the best thing that you can do for yourself if you have heart disease or are type 2 diabetic is to eat a healthy, low carb or no carb diet, exercise a bit, and throw the freakin pills away!

[josephstokes]

Dude! My father was a MD and I have always believed in medicine. However, when I was put on Statins every joint in my body ached, and l was quite despondent and noticed that I did not know my dog, of eight years, name! I stopped taking Statins and everything returned to normal. Best of luck!

[PATCARSON-lv]

I appreciate your information and perspective, doctor. I am a 74 year old woman In Canada who has congestive heart failure and afib. I also have familial cholesterol and although I eat carefully, I have been unable to bring it down. In consultation with my doctor, we decided to go on a low dose statin. I have no side effects, and as you say, I won't "feel" the benefit, however, I am hoping to live longer and be well. I have my first granddaughter who is 2 and I would like to live long enough for her to get to know me and remember me. I will do my best. Again, many thanks. All the best.

[jfarmer]

The question that actually needs to be asked in relation to statins is: Is Cholesterol really the problem? Do people with high total cholesterol really die sooner? Why isn't your doctor talking to you about the effects of sugar as it relates to metabolic health?

[published]

Oh ouch. My preconceptions were rather well embedded and this jostling of them doesn't feel so good. Nice vid!

[danarcotta]

I was taking atorvastatin regularly for about a month and a half. My cholesterol went down, but my blood sugar rose to alarming heights. I've decided that diet and exercise will be the way to go

[steefant]

a short introduction on statins would have been very much appreciated (at least by me)

[petrmoric]

Me who never heard of statins before: Ah yes, finally, a video on statins from Dr. Rohin Francis!

[oldgypsytap]

How Refreshing....straight, forward, informed commentary. A rarity anywhere on the internet. Thank you so much!

[FreyaCatherineMusic]

This is the earliest I've been since my mum went into labour

[katg]

My husband who always follows doctors orders and takes tablets without fear. He suffered with muscle pain for 7 years finally went off them and feels so much better. He still takes blood pressure pills without any negative affects. He is more active and even lost weight since stopping statins

[KevinG-]

Very noticable joint pain on Lipitor. None on Crestor, Hmmm. Nevertheless, I've stopped stains about 3 years ago (66) and will play the odds! Thank you Doc! Great video!!

[Timmie]

I want to coin the term 'informed refusal' (or 'informed dissent', if you prefer). It's something we should strive for. If a patient refuses our suggested therapy, fine, but only if they know the benefits and the harms of their refusal. Just like with informed consent.

[Zill]

My dad took himself off his statins. He’d been on them for years. I was rather worried. The thing I noticed first was he could sudden move more easily. Next was his conversation ability. He had been very depressed for years, now he was upbeat, his conversations were more logical. In the last few months I’ve had the best conversations I have had with him in years. He says he’d rather die feeling alive, than live wanting to die.
His inspiration came from cardiologist Aseem Malhota who explains how statins work somewhat differently. It is so hard to know what is right. In the end I think each of us should find out all we can, pay attention to our bodies and make our own minds up.

[anncoster]

Thank you. This was excellent. I will be 80 in 4 months. I have been on statins for five years. With all the media frenzy about statins, I was worrying that I should stop. Your video explained it all clearly and my fears are gone. I will continue my statins and hope to be a lucky one. I'm already lucky to get to be 80.

[RRP]

You make good and clear points- thanks. BUT, the muscle pain I experienced after starting statins was so severe that no argument in the universe would ever have me expose myself to that possibility ever again.

[hadassahm]

Didn't you do a whole video on scrubs and why they shouldn't be red?

[sheaview]

When I started losing my vocabulary, losing muscle mass, and experiencing random pain in my abdomen, I quit taking statin. My cholesterol is very high, but I have no other health problems. My blood pressure is 120/73, my A1C is 4.9, and I no longer have stomach problems, muscle pain, edema, or depression.

[bobo]

Man's wearing the Tom Scott scrubs