Sleep Apnea from statin damage?

[schatzi]

Donna Ashmore;

My explanation would be that you are no longer taking a Statin.

Experienced all your same symptoms, and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea in Mar 2008. Everyone that ever stayed at our house overnight did not get any rest either. The snoring, gasping and stop breathing was very extreme. Fifteen years of not sleeping properly, I got used to the C-PAP real quick. What a relief it is to get a good nights rest again.

Sleep Apnea was diagnosed in 2008, yet I had the problem for 15 Years, started about a year after I was first prescribed Statins

Still experienced the dry mouth, (to the point of choking) while using the C-PAP until I stopped Crestor altogether.

I believe Statins should be barred from the market. Perhaps we all need to inundate the FDA with letters, force them to look at this a little more closely.

[Allen1]

I am also pleased to say that my Sleep Apnea has become almost un noticable since I had a nose operation to allow the air to flow in my right nostril (deviated septum). Since the operation my throat has also improved and swallowing has become much easier, if the thick mucus problem goes away then nights will be almost normal. Its about 2 1/2 months since the operation and it has mainly healed apart from being bunged up at times. I have been off statins for just over 2 years now but the Apnea problem was getting worse since stopping, I think the throat and nose problem made the situation a lot worse than it should have been, they are also something I didn't have a few years ago and I believe it to be another thing to thank statins for!!!

Now if the fatigue and all the other problems would go away, maybe we would be able to start really living instead of just surviving day by day!

All the best,
Allen

[crandreww]

I was on Lipitor from 1998 til 2002. In 1999, I had a sleep study which showed significant apnea (I was not overweight), didn't put 2+2 together, just rolled with it. In Oct 2002, I was hospitalized for 28 days, with Alzheimers like disease process, I was confused, unable to speak, nor able to walk, I was incontinent (wet and soiled myself),did not know my wife nor 3 year old son. Brain Biopsy /Electron Microscopy revealed multiple autophagic vacuoles (holes), MtDNA abnormality similar to Mitochondrial Disease known as MELAS...Muscle biopsy also was highly suspicious of a Mitochondrial Disease similar to what Brain Bx showed. I was 34 years old, a critical care RN at the time, and have been completely disabled since this time. Dr Golomb of the UCSD statin effects study which I participated, informed me that based on my problems,MRI's, Brain and Muscle biopsys, it was her opinion that Lipitor was the likely causal contributor. I continue to have sleep apnea, for which I use a CPAP, I have a severely affected cognitive and memory problem, profound constant fatigue, bilateral leg pain 24/7, I will never take another Rx unless its emergent, but never a lifelong pill...

[David Staup]

Hi Donna

I'm guessing you had "central sleep apnea" which is associated with neurological dysfunctions. There is reason to suspect a connection to statin induced mitochondrial dysfunction as the cause of the original apnea and subsequent mitochondrial DNA repair as the "cause" of the improvement.

I'd need more info to tie this all together, but this seems most likely to me.

David