Cholesterol/Statins

I'm not convinced that high cholesterol is the big bad thing they make it out to be.
People with low cholesterol have heart attacks too.
And some people with high cholesterol never develop heart disease.
When I finished breast feeding my son my Dr started me on Liptor and after awhile it stopped working - they raised the dose and my numbers stayed high anyway.
Then they put me on Zocor and it seemed to work.
So one Easter there was some bad weather somewhere and my mail order refill was delayed for 2 weeks.
I ran out and was off it for awhile.
I noticed the joint pain I'd been feeling disappeared and I'd been having some horrible memory problems (once I drove down a street that I'd traveled every day for over 10 years and for 10 min I totally had NO idea where I was).
My memory improved dramatically after a few days of being off the statin.
When my refill finally arrived I began taking it again and my joint pains and memory problems came back.
So I stopped taking it and told my doctor why.
She said she didn't believe the drug was causing my problems.
I said "I take the drug - I have these problems. I don't take the drug - I don't have these problems. Mystery solved as far as I'm concerned.".
I'll never take a statin again - the side effects are just not worth it.
My cholesterol is high and it runs that way in my family.
I think in 50 years (or when the profit goes out of pushing cholesterol drugs) the experts will find that lowering cholesterol is not a healthy thing to do.

http://feelgoodbasket.com/cholesterol-good-and-not-so-bad/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505142730...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/1...

My husband has genetically-high cholesterol, and is a physician with a special focus in Lipidology. For years he was on Zocor, but he switched to Crestor last year and his numbers are better than ever. In addition, he takes prescription fish oil (Lovaza) for his triglycerides.

Yes, an improved diet will help raise your good cholesterol, but if you haven't been able to get your LDL down, I'd really recommend taking a statin. Perhaps ask for a samples of a different statin.

i'm with you. my numbers aren't 'starting to go up', they're sky high. diet and exercise haven't budged 'em.
i tried lipitor, back in the days when the doctors were insisting there were NO bad side effects. i had the muscle aches, fatigue and weight gain, all of which went away when i took myself off it. THEN came the <gasp> discovery that statins actually cause all that stuff.
after years of hammering by my doctor, i finally went back on, this time with crestor. then the news that statins raise the risk of diabetes.
i'm done. am i worried about my cholesterol? you bet i am. but the research seems to fluctuate madly depending on how much ad campaign money is being spent, and how many bennies the pharmaceutical reps are spreading around.
i take krill oil, biotin and beet root powder, and pray a lot.
i'll be bummed out if i die (or have a stroke etc) from clogged arteries, but i'll be even more bummed if die or have something awful occur because of a medication i obediently took to fatten big pharm's bottom line.
i don't trust 'em further than i can throw 'em.
khairete
S.

A friend of ours was on a statin (don't know which one) and was experiencing serious symptoms - I mean even fainting spells so his doctor recommended red yeast rice. Well once he began taking the red yeast rice his numbers went way down. Red yeast rice is what the statins are made from but is in its natural state. I know it is on the vitamin aisle at our Kroger. Check with your doctor and ask if that might be a solution for you.

You should not take statins if they cause leg or muscle cramps that is a side effect that you do not want. (Rhabdomyolosis)
The doctor should give you another type of medication - Crestor is not the only one available

For some people exercise and diet helps - for others it is in their genes to have high cholesterol and exercise and diet will not help - for example my brother avid exerciser, strict vegetarian, one of the healthiest people I know - also against most medications, takes cholesterol lowering medication because he has high cholesterol - it runs in our family - he has the gene!

There are many other statins. Even generics and they are not all made equal. If your doctor is not listening to your concerns over the side effects, find another doctor. In fact, do a little research on the American Heart Association web site.
They publish professional journal articles on statins, generics, benefits, etc. and are a wealth of information.
I commend you for trying to control it with diet and exercise and even if on a statin regimen, you need to continue with a low cholesterol diet and exercise. But please, don't fool yourself. High cholesterol (and a family history of high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure) IS A RISK factor for heart attack and stroke!

Hi D.,
I had a very bad experience with Lipitor (statin also) I was ill with the symptoms you mentioned and worse
strong headaches and migranes,
strong muscles and joints aches (the doctor wanted me to take medication for arthritis!)
constipation
dizziness
fatigue, exhaustion which impeded me to live my daily life normally, all these among others, so as you see I could barely function. I convinced my doctor to find out what was happening to me because I was not convinced that my problems were not side effects of statin. He finally made me to be tested, and the result of the enzyme CREATINE KINASE appeared extremely high which was dangerous, thing that must be monitored by doctors when people takes statins, the same with COQ10.
After stopping Lipitor immediately, I started to take daily red rice yeast supplement, it is a natural statin, but still like any other supplement needs to be monitored. It has been wonderful and my cholesterol levels are totally normal after taking that for one week. The bottle says to take the supplement twice a day, but I take it only once a day plus my daily fish oil.
I have a new doctor, and he encourages me to keep taking the red rice yeast and fish oil. I help myself with a healthy diet and 45 minute-exercise every day. I feel great and I will never take that poison again. My body produces much cholesterol than other people and still the supplement works. Find other alternatives and a good doctor.

I have also heard of bad side effects from statins. From a diet/exercise angle, this is what I know: Fish oils - make sure they are a GREAT quality. The best I know of is Nordic Naturals. Get the liquid form which is the most potent. Not cheap, but the 'king' of fish oils as far as I am concerned. Look up Red Rice Yeast and check with our doctor. I know of a few people who took it for cholesterol and had amazing results. Increase the fiber in your diet which helps bind to cholesterol and 'flush' it out of your system. Exercise - ups your HDL(good cholesterol).Lose weight - even a modest weight loss can dramatically alter your cholesterol numbers. Good Luck!

You mentioned that you are very careful with your diet. Are you also still exercising regularly? My husband lost 20 lbs. and his cholesterol went down substantially. They no longer are mentioning any meds. Hooray!

If the numbers are still going up and you are exercising, then I would check with a different doctor to see if one of those $4 a month meds would work without side effects.

Also, the quality of your vitamins and fish oil may be poor. Dr. Oz did a show recently, upset about the poor quality of many Omega 3's out there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp51TIji_Do

I sell one of the two brands that the tester recommended. All of their products are top quality. Let me know if you are interested.

A couple of weeks ago the Peoples Pharmacy radio show on NPR had a great show on cholesterol. Interesting stuff.

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/03/09/895-the-great-c...

I too was on statins and got the leg cramps. I told my doctor and he told me that they statins all would give me leg cramps and recommended another drug. In between the statins and the new drug I did find the red yeast rice and the numbers did go down. I have a drug called Zetia that I am trying and I will see what they look like at the next vist.

All of my other numbers are normal range. The genetics for the cholesterol are something that you have to watch and try to work with.

If you are like "B" then you know your body and how it is functioning. Doctors are in the practice of medicine and things do change.

Have a great day!

the other S.

Leg pain is a real negative. It can cause serious, perminate damage.

I take Crestor and have not had those side effects. I haven't had any luck reducing the same kind of numbers any other way. I even take a separate one for triglycerides.

If I had your side effects, I would just have to take my chances with my numbers. As long as you mitigate other risk factors by diet and exercise.
That's the biggest part of reducing triglycerides. You do what you have to.

I understand your concern about the statin drugs - there are a lot of side effects.

The idea of using a spice like turmeric or something like fish oils is on the right track, but it's very difficult to know how to use them -- playing "kitchen chemist" and trying to figure the right amounts. It's unlikely that a single nutrient like that can be really effective. If you are taking vitamin pills, you do know, I hope, that you are getting somewhere around 15% absorption so it's just as expensive as prescription drugs.

There is new research and there are many double-blind, peer-reviewed studies on a peptide that has had dramatic results in reducing cholesterol as well as working the cellular level to reduce inflammation (the source of many diseases) and even the gene expression that makes cancer spread. You have to be careful about where you buy it - there are a zillion internet sources that are not regulated. If that interests you, I can direct you reliably and give you some websites that will explain more.

I don't have any knowledge of these medicines but I do know something that does work. I have seen first hand what it does. Google Dr. Lindsey Duncan. He's been on Dr. Oz, the View and many other show. He's a Naturalpathic Doctor and is doing amazing work. If you want to know more about his products, message me. I would strongly suggest you look him up. Good luck!
D.