This Zocor And Impotence article was written by frequent
site contributor, David Jaynes.
There are plenty of things that can cause impotence and erectile
dysfunction (ED).
But if you’re struggling with ED and you can’t seem to fix it with
diet and lifestyle, you might want to look in your medicine cabinet.
One of the worst offenders for causing impotence is Statins, especially Zocor.
With 28% of the population over 40 already on statins, these systematically deployed drugs are causing some serious damage in the bedroom.
In fact, based on the US male population over 40 and the rate of statin-caused ED according to some studies, we’re looking at 375,000 men suffering ED as a DIRECT result of taking statins.
This article is going to explain exactly HOW statins cause ED, what statins to watch out for, and what you can do to manage your cholesterol without impacting your erectile health.
Statins Lower Sex Hormones
The first (of many!) problems with all statins, but especially Zocor, is that they lower your sex hormone levels.
A study completed by Italian researchers at the University of Florence found that when they compared the testosterone levels of men on statins vs those not on statins, T levels were significantly lower for those on statins (source).
And since the body is all about balance…
As T levels went down, the researchers found that Follicle-stimulating hormone AND Luteinizing hormone levels went up.
Basically, statins gave these guys hypogonadism (more on this in a minute).
So how do statins reduce T levels?
Simple. Cholesterol, which statins like Zocor reduce by inhibiting the enzyme that makes it, is one of the building blocks of testosterone.
Or, rather, THE building block of testosterone.
I’m not going get into too much detail on how T is made, but the important bit is that your Leydig cells in your testes convert cholesterol into testosterone.
Without enough cholesterol, your body will naturally produce less T.
What’s more, the process of making testosterone starts in the brain and involves sending FSH and LH down to your balls to get things going.
By removing cholesterol, your body keeps sending signals (and keeps producing FSH and LH) that it needs more T, but doesn’t have access to the stuff it needs to build it.
The result?
- Higher FSH
- Higher LH
- Lower Testosterone
And at the end of it all, low sex drive and a penis you have no interest in using even if you could.
Statins Reduce Testicular Volume
As I mentioned earlier, Zocor and it statin friends have been associated with hypogonadism in men who agree to go on them to lower cholesterol.
Hypogonadism is when your testicles pretty much shrivel up and become less effective at doing their job. It’s also what happens if you take steroids or go on testosterone replacement.
So how big of an impact does Zocor have?
Well, a study completed in 2009 and published in Diabetes Care looked at statin use among men with type 2 diabetes.
They found that in 355 men, statins lowered T levels by 11%, and lowered levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) by 16.7%, which is the agent your body uses to carry sex hormones around your body (source).
What we can conclude is that statins seem to reduce the functionality of your testes to do their job by somewhere between 11-16%.
Which is a pretty serious decrease in functionality.
But hypogonadism, or the decreasing effectiveness of your testes, is associated with a host of other problems for your overall health:
- Failed muscle growth, and fatigue
- Low sex drive
- Reduced penis size
- Reduced testicular size
- Erectile dysfunction
- Infertility and low sperm counts
The combination of all of these problems is that you lose the desire to have sex, you can’t get it up even if you wanted to, and it’s going to be less satisfying when you do.
Plus, with the mood problems, slow or atrophied muscle growth, other people might be less enthusiastic about having sex with you anyway.
And since your ED problems tend to operate on a ‘use it or lose it’ system, these problems only get worse over time, and can even lead to penile atrophy as your sex life spirals downward.
Zocor And Impotence
This brings us to the problem of simvastatin, or Zocor.
While all statins work in roughly the same way, not all statins are created equal. There are some statins (like Zocor) that seem to have a uniquely negative impact on your ability to get it up and keep it there.
In fact, after a 2002 study in the UK implicated simvastatin as a primary cause of ED, the companies making it settled a $688 million dollar lawsuit.
That’s right, $688 million dollars. But they were allowed to keep selling it (they didn’t have to admit any wrongdoing).
At this point, even the big pharma executives know that their drug can cause ED by eroding testosterone levels, causing hypogonadism, and spiking other hormones to the detriment of the men who are on the drug.
What makes this even worse is that many men who go on statins like Zocor are actually already at risk for ED.
But study after study, all of which control for other factors like weight and diabetes, show the same thing – statins like Zocor lead DIRECTLY to ED.
So what you can do?
Like many so-called chronic health diseases, imbalanced cholesterol can be controlled and managed with diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplements.
Improving cardiovascular health, improving muscle mass, exercising more and stressing less, and eating healthier will all help you balance your cholesterol levels.
And the best part?
All of these will HELP your morning wood, instead of hurting it:
- Cardiovascular health makes it easier to get the blood where it needs to go
- Improving muscle mass increases your T levels and sex drive
- Reducing stress improves your mood, a sure-fire way to get your mojo back
Zocor And Impotence – Conclusion
At the end of the day, your body is a naturally self-regulating system.
You can fight cholesterol issues with statins. There’s no denying that they will effectively lower your total cholesterol levels.
But before you make a decision, you want to look downstream, and see what else might happen when you take a drug like Zocor.
You might suffer ED and low libido. Your balls might shrink. You might lose your hair and your muscle mass…
And you might be moody and grumpy all the time.
By focusing on lifestyle changes (which, incidentally WILL improve your sex life), you can AVOID statins,improve your sex life, and feel better to boot.
Basically, you can have your cake and eat it too.
So why not?
