Do Statins Affect Memory or Scramble Your Brain?

The top five statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications are atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and lovastatin. Our back of the envelope calculations suggest that roughly 200 million prescriptions were dispensed to over 52 million Americans last year. That means that statins are amongst the most widely prescribed drugs in America. Modern medicine is “all in” on statins. But are there worrisome statin side effects? Can statins affect memory? Most health professionals say no, despite a modest warning in the official prescribing information.

“Statins and Your Memory: ‘Forget’ About It?”

A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (June 29, 2021) says there’s nothing to worry about regarding the question of whether statins affect memory.

A review in Current Cardiology Reports (Dec. 16, 2025) concludes:

“Current literature does not conclusively elucidate the association between lipid-lowering therapies and cognitive outcomes in older adults, though existing data, particularly for statins, largely suggest neutral or potentially protective effects.”

In other words, do not worry that statins might affect memory. If anything, these authors suggest that statins might be “potentially protective” for “cognitive outcomes.”

The heading for this section is titled: “Statins and Your Memory: ‘Forget’ About it?” That is an exact quote from an article by two physicians, Dr. Christie Ballantyne and Dr. Vijay Nambi. They are directors of the Preventive Cardiology Fellowship program in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Their editorial in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (June 29, 2021) seems reassuring, but there are some unanswered questions:

“Statin-associated changes in memory, however, have been inconsistent, as observational reports of both improvement and deterioration of memory emerged…However, reports and observations of deterioration of memory and slowness in thinking also emerged…Hence, independent randomized controlled trials and other studies embedded in randomized controlled trials were conducted to study the effect of lipid-lowering therapies, including statins, on cognition and for the most part have produced neutral findings, with one study suggesting minor decrements in cognition. However, these studies were limited by short duration of follow-up, younger populations, or use of tests that may not be sufficient to identify smaller changes in cognition.”

These authors go on to review the ASPREE trial which you will read about shortly. But first, some history.

The People’s Pharmacy, Statins and Memory Problems:

We were among the first to alert the public to the possibility that that statins could affect memory or trigger bouts of a rare medical condition called transient global amnesia (TGA).

In 2001 Duane Graveline, MD, MPH, wrote to us with a strange story:

“I am a retired family doctor and former astronaut. Two years ago at my annual astronaut physical at Johnson Space Center (JSC) I was started on Lipitor. Six weeks later I experienced my first episode of total global amnesia lasting six hours. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me so I suspected Lipitor and discontinued it.

“Other doctors and pharmacists were unaware of similar problems. Believing it must have been a coincidence, I restarted Lipitor a year later. After six weeks I landed in the ER with a twelve-hour episode of total global amnesia. I am more convinced than ever of a Lipitor relationship.”

“Do you have any information on other people who may have had such an experience? I have my astronaut physical again in a few weeks and would like to tell the doctors about this if you have any data. This drug is in common use at JSC and for all I know other astronauts may be on it as part of their enthusiasm for preventive medicine.”

Our Response to Dr. Graveline:

A. Total global amnesia seems to be rare, but one person told us that Lipitor resulted in “big ugly holes burned through my memory.”

According to Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator of the Statin Study at the University of California, San Diego:

“We have received dozens of reports from people citing significant memory problems with Lipitor that seem to resolve with discontinuation. Some are from older people who have gone from very bright and verbal to not recalling the names of their children or grandchildren, in short order; and others are from younger people who have rather abruptly developed memory problems. Several have gone so far as to get work-ups for early Alzheimer’s in their 40s or early 50s, only to find that the problems resolved when they discontinued statin drugs.”

Dr. Graveline went on to write several books including “Lipitor, Thief of Memory,” and “Statin Drug Side Effects.”

Over the last few decades we have received hundreds, if not thousands, of messages from readers of our syndicated newspaper column and visitors to our website regarding memory problems and statins.

On December 2, 2002, we received this message from a reader:

“My doctor prescribed Zocor [simvastatin] last year, and within a few months I started having weakness in my legs. I could hardly get up the stairs to my house. My arms also got very weak. I have an iron skillet I’ve used for decades, and I had to use both hands to pick it up.

“What really alarmed me was forgetting names. I would see people I’ve known for a long time, but fail to remember their names. I asked my doctor if I could go off Zocor, and now I am feeling stronger and remembering things much better.”

On November 14, 2005, we published this message from a reader with a story like Dr. Graveline’s:

“In 1999 shortly after I began taking Lipitor (atorvastatin] I was working at the church with other volunteers. I went off to use the restroom and after half an hour someone came to look for me. I was walking around in a circle and couldn’t remember much. I was hospitalized for two days, but all the tests were negative.

“Five years later I had another episode and missed a doctor’s appointment. He called, since I am never late, and found that I was repeating myself and not making sense. He called my wife to alert her.

“In the meantime, a friend of mine came to the house. I recognized him, but he also thought I was acting strange.

“This attack of transient global amnesia (TGA) lasted three hours. The neurologist who diagnosed it said he is seeing more cases than ever before.

“Since I read in your column of a connection with cholesterol-lowering drugs, I wonder if people taking statins should wear some kind of medical alert bracelet like diabetics do. You never know where you will be when a TGA strikes.”

Fast Forward to 12/29/25:

A visitor to this website wonders whether statins affect memory:

Q. My doctor prescribed rosuvastatin for high cholesterol. After taking it for 6 to 9 months, I noticed that my cognitive function had slipped. I would not be able to find the word I was looking for. My family also noticed this cognitive decline.

I stopped the rosuvastatin and in a fairly short period of time my full cognitive function returned. I do engineering-type design work, and it is critical that I have full mental capacity.

A. Health professionals have been arguing about statin side effects for years, especially when it comes to cognitive impairment. Many discount this complaint, but other readers have reported problems like the ones you describe.

The official prescribing information for rosuvastatin (Crestor) includes the following: “…rare postmarketing reports of cognitive impairment (e.g., memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, and confusion) associated with the use of all statins.”

An article in the journal Medicine (Sept. 5, 2025) asked the question:

“Are lipid-lowering drugs harmful to cognitive performance?”  

The authors answer:

“This study suggests that statins and ezetimibe [Zetia] may have adverse effects on cognition, while PCSK9 inhibitors [Praluent, Repatha] and fibrates appear to have no such effect, which may help clinicians make more informed prescription decisions.”

The ASPREE Trial: Did Statins Affect Memory?

The ASPREE trial stands for ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly. Over 19,000 older people with no pre-existing cardiovascular disease or dementia participated in this trial between 2010 and 2014. About a third of the participants had been taking statins when the aspirin study began.

All of them took tests to measure cognitive function at the beginning of the study and a few years later. The trial ran nearly five years. The study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analyzed the results to determine whether statin use was associated with cognitive decline.

Did Statins Affect Memory?

Although the investigators concluded that there was no link between statin use and dementia, their results are not entirely clear. People who were on statins at the start of the study, however, were about 33% more likely to be diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease.

The association between statins and the development of Alzheimer disease was at the edge of statistical significance, at .05. According to the researchers, people who came into the trial on statins had lower test results when the study started. Moreover, people with lower cognitive scores at the outset were more likely to develop dementia during the study.

The accompanying editorial in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (June 29, 2021) is titled “Statins and Your Memory: ‘Forget’ About It?”

The authors state that although the risk for serious statin side effects is low:

“…statins have been associated with several other side effects, including liver function abnormalities, diabetes, muscular pain and weakness, and changes in memory.”

The authors note that:

“Lingering questions such as the one raised by this analysis regarding potential adverse effects of statins in patients with mildly impaired cognition can be answered only in randomized controlled trials in the appropriate age group and population and with appropriate testing and adequate follow-up.”

The editorial concludes that statins in older patients are unlikely to have a “major impact on cognition.”

I hope you find that more reassuring than I did. Statins have been on the market for more than 38 years. Don’t you find it a bit shocking that we still do not appear to have a firm answer to the question of whether statins affect memory?

Readers Continue to Ask About Statins and Memory:

Q. I read somewhere about a statin that is not fat-soluble and doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier. Unfortunately, I forgot the name. I am currently taking simvastatin and have noticed a decline in my memory. Can you help me?

Could Statins Affect Memory?

A. Physicians have been debating the relationship between statins and cognitive function for decades.

The FDA requires this statement for simvastatin:

“There have been rare postmarketing reports of cognitive impairment (e.g., memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, confusion) associated with statin use. These cognitive issues have been reported for all statins.”

How Do Clinical Trials Answer the Question: Do Statins Affect Memory?

Clinical trials have not demonstrated memory impairment due to statins (Journal of General Internal Medicine, March, 2015).

The authors conclude:

“Statin therapy was not associated with cognitive impairment in RCTs [randomized controlled trials]. These results raise questions regarding the continued merit of the FDA warning about potential adverse effects of statins on cognition.”

A Contrary Perspective:

Despite this, published case reports link cognitive and psychiatric problems to statins (Pharmacotherapy, July, 2009; Drug Safety Case Reports, Dec., 2016; World Journal of Diabetes, June 15, 2017).

The authors of the last article on diabetes and statins introduce their research this way:

“Whether statins negatively affect cognitive function remains under dispute. Goldstein and Mascitelli (2014) propose that statins may negatively affect the brain and cognitive health, potentially via impaired myelination. Additionally, cell culture and animal studies show that statins exert neurotoxic effects. Four recent meta-analyses/reviews, however, found no significant relationship between statin use and cognitive impairment.”

Here is what they discovered in their research:

“This study analyzed correlations between statin use and cognitive impairment in a sub-group of participants with T1D [childhood-onset type 1 diabetes] from the on-going, observational Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study. These now middle-aged adults were diagnosed with T1D prior to age 18 years, and have reported medication use biennially since the parent study baseline in 1986. Among the 108 participants with a cognitive assessment in 2010-2013, using statins more than tripled the odds of having cognitive impairment discernible by middle age. As duration of statin use increased (never, 1-6 years, 7-12 years), an increasing percentage of participants met the study definition of cognitive impairment (14%, 32% and 47%, respectively), independent of age or education.”

The authors noted that their results contradict the results of one other study that did not report such an association. They did find that statin use was linked to “poor performance of memory tasks.”

Canaries in the Coal Mine?

In a sense, people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) since childhood are like canaries in the coal mines. They are more vulnerable to complications of this metabolic disorder. If statins affect memory, people with T1D may be more likely to experience such symptoms earlier in life than other individuals.

The authors’ conclusions from their relatively small study:

“Statin use was associated with cognitive impairment, particularly affecting memory, in these middle-aged adults with childhood-onset T1D, whom at this age, should not yet manifest age-related memory deficits.”

Over the last three decades we have received many reports from readers of our newspaper column and visitors to this website. Here is just one of many articles:

Can Statins Cause Memory Loss and Transient Global Amnesia?

New Research May Explain How Statins Affect Memory:

We suspect that few cardiologists or FDA staffers read the journal Biochemical Pharmacology. This journal attempts to discover the “mechanism of action of drugs…” That may be why I found the following article in Biochemical Pharmacology, Aug. 2025 so relevant to the question: do statins affect memory?

The authors introduce their research this way:

“Interestingly, several studies suggest that statin therapy may be associated with cognitive effects, with some patients experiencing memory loss within weeks of initiating treatment. Although subsequent clinical trials and meta-analyses have shown that statins may not significantly increase the risk of dementia and are generally well tolerated, it remains unclear whether subgroups of statin users are more susceptible to cognitive side effects.”

What they found:

“In this study, we provide evidence that statins, at clinically relevant nanomolar concentrations, induce a rapid and reversible vasoconstriction in cerebral arteries…These data uncover a novel, cholesterol-independent mechanism of statin action on cerebrovascular contractility, which have important implications for understanding the direct cerebrovascular effects of statins, and potentially help clinicians identify and treat statin-associated memory impairment in a subset of patients.

“Vasoconstriction in resistance cerebral arteries can increase cerebral vascular resistance, limiting blood flow to the brain. Depending on the extent of constriction, the anatomical location of the affected vessel, and pre-existing conditions, these effects can range from transient ischemic stroke and temporary cognitive impairment to long-term cognitive dysfunction and stroke.

“Notably, statin-associated cognitive impairment, though not consistently observed in clinical trials, has been reported in certain patient populations and is recognized by the FDA as a potential adverse effect. Our study provides a plausible mechanistic basis for these observations, as cerebral artery vasoconstriction could transiently alter cerebral perfusion and contribute to cognitive dysfunction in susceptible individuals. It is possible that statin-induced cerebral artery vasoconstriction and memory impairment are masked in patients concurrently taking antihypertensive medications, such as calcium channel blockers.”

They conclude:

“Altogether, our data unveil an unexpected role of statins in rapidly inducing constriction of resistance cerebral arteries by directly stimulating Ca_V1.2 in smooth muscle cells. These findings offer a plausible explanation for statin-associated reversible memory impairment, its mitigation by calcium channel blockers, and why such effects may not be observed in all subjects, particularly those concurrently taking antihypertensive agents.”

An Apology:

I know that is a lot of complex pharmacology. It’s quite technical and most readers would find it super boring. But as a pharmacologist I have a love affair with how drugs work and how they might cause mischief. This was a rat study, so we cannot assume humans react to statins in the same way.

The authors add:

“From a clinical perspective, further research is needed to explore whether statin-induced cerebral vasoconstriction occurs in isolated human resistance cerebral arteries and translates to measurable changes in cerebral perfusion in humans.”

Here’s the bottom line on this research. The authors found that statins may lead to constriction of blood vessels in the brain. Reduced blood flow in the brain is probably not a great thing. This happens via a calcium channel pathway in the brain. The authors speculate that calcium channel blockers (drugs such as amlodipine, diltiazem, nifedipine and verapamil) that are prescribed for hypertension might be an antidote to this effect. Only time will tell if that is true.

The People’s Pharmacy Perspective:

The controversial question: Do Statins Affect Memory? remains unresolved to this day. We cannot disagree with researchers and physicians who say that it did not show up in the randomized controlled trials carried out by drug companies. That said, there may be susceptible individuals out there who are especially sensitive to statin side effects. We suspect that people who develop severe muscle pain and weakness when taking statins might also be vulnerable to cognitive complications.

Until this controversy is resolved, some experts recommend switching to a less fat-soluble statin, such as pravastatin or rosuvastatin (Canadian Pharmacists Journal, May, 2015). No one should ever stop any prescription medication without careful conversations with the prescribing physician. 

To help you and your doctor determine many ways to lower your risk of heart disease, you may wish to review our eGuide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health. This online resource can be found in the Health eGuides section of this website.

We would love to learn about your statin experience. Have you noticed any statin side effects? Please share your statin story (positive or negative) in the comment section below.

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