My wife had a heart attack about 7 days ago and went to the hospital where they ran several different tests on her including a heart catheter procedure, but they did not find any blockages, clots, or plaque anywhere. Her heart rate was elevated during the heart attack and she also had low blood pressure so they thought perhaps her heart rate was elevated to compensate for the low blood pressure. After running all the exams, the cardiologist came to the conclusion that her heart attack was caused primarily by anxiety and stress especially since she is very young (30 years old), eats a heart healthy diet, is average weight for her height (130lbs and 5ft tall), and her heart is in perfect health. She also does have a history of heart conditions in both sides of her family which could have contributed to having a heart attack when stressed out. The cardiologist then went on to explain that no permanent damage had been caused to her heart at all, but he was going to put her on Ecotrin 81mg once a day in the morning, Diltiazem 90mg sr once a day in the morning, and Atorvastatin 20mg once a day at night before bedtime as a preventative. The Ecotrin would thin her blood a bit, the Diltiazem would help with keeping her coronary arteries open so blood flows easier, and the Atorvastatin would aid in balancing her cholesterol levels.
Now, my concern is, I have read up a lot about these medications recently because I wanted to know exactly what my wife was taking and I found a lot of articles referring to studies that claim Atorvastatin as well as other statins can cause dementia and even Alzheimer's over time if taken for a prolonged period of time. I was wondering if this is true because I am very worried that my wife might develop dementia or Alzheimer's later in life due to taking Atorvastatin, but at the same time the cardiologist prescribed this medication to keep her cholesterol balanced. He is also planning on running a blood panel later in the month to see if her cholesterol levels have improved so he can lower the dosage, but my wife also has Cushing Syndrome which causes high cholesterol so I am not very hopeful when it comes to her cholesterol levels balancing on their own. Regardless, if her heart attack was caused by anxiety and stress and she did not have any blockages, clots, or plaque, does she really need to take Atorvastatin at such an early age? In conclusion, my questions are below:
1.) Can Atorvastatin cause dementia or Alzeheimer's later in life if you take it for a prolonged period of time?
2.) I have heard Crestor does not cause dementia or Alzheimer's the way that Atorvastatin does and is a safer statin to take, is this true?
3.) Is Crestor only prescribed to patients that have heart conditions because it is a much larger dosage than Atorvastatin or is it also prescribed as a preventative the way that Atorvastatin is?
4.) Is it really necessary for my wife to take Atorvastatin at such an early age if her heart attack was caused by stress and anxiety and she did not have any blockages, clots, or plaque (keeping in mind that heart conditions do run in both sides of her family although her heart is perfectly healthy right now according to the cardiologist)?
------------------------------
Shelby Ortega
FL
------------------------------