If you're taking any of the prescription anti-cholesterol drugs called statins you need to know that they can be dangerous to your health. In addition to the common side effects**, top-selling statin drugs were found to:

• Raise blood pressure
• Lower levels of lifesaving HDL cholesterol or "good" cholesterol
• Increase an important measure of blood clotting, linked to heart attacks
• Block your body's production of Coenzyme Q10.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a naturally occurring antioxidant, is synthesized in our bodies and is critical for the production of energy, especially in our tissues and organs that have high-energy requirements such as the heart, liver, skeletal muscles. Statin drugs block the production of CoQ10 and result in a deficiency.

One drug company that makes a popular statin holds a patent on a combination product that contains their statin drug PLUS CoQ10. But, they haven't marketed it. Why? Maybe they're just stupid. Perhaps their profit margin on the combination wouldn't be as high as with the statin alone. Whatever the real reason, anyone who uses any statin drug is at risk for serious harm if they don't supplement their CoQ10 levels.

Don't stop taking your prescription without your doctor's order, but make a point to talk about your concerns. At the very least, your doctor should want you to take a CoQ10 supplement (they're readily available in most health food stores and pharmacies). Chose a quality product (advice: do not buy the cheapest). Perhaps your doctor would even be interested in some of the non-prescription approaches to lowering cholesterol – diet, water, exercise, B-vitamins, policosanol, antioxidants, DHA, fish oil – just to name a few..

*COMMON "STATIN" DRUGS

• Lipitor (atorvastatin) - Pfizer
• Zocor (simvastatin) - Merck
• Pravachol (pravastatin) - Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Lescol (fluvastatin) - Novartis
• Mevacor (lovastatin) - Merck
• Crestor (rosuvastatin) - AstraZeneca

**COMMON SIDE EFFECTS Nausea, Diarrhea, Constipation, Muscle aching