Stopped Taking Statins

[tabs]

Was on Liptor...started to have some muscle pain and stopped. Bin on Provastin while I don't think it is a effective, I will struggle along with it as it does not seem to have much of a side effect. And did anyone say a Buffet?

[Instrument 41]

Thanks for all the inputs and to the original poster of this thread. I was thinking I was getting old and just inflexible. At 48 I can no longer cross my legs. My hips keep me from crossing my legs when sitting. Also about a year ago I morphed this overhand called a gut (you know a shed for the tool!) I exercise no junk food and I chalked it up to genetics. Have been on statins for about 8 years. Part of the "diabetic cocktail". I am going to call the endocrinologist and make a change.

[89911]

Before everyone jumps off their meds and gets coronary heart disease, many of the symptons relayed: fatique, muscle loss, weight gain, and general problems are a very common side effect of......growing old.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by 89911

Before everyone jumps off their meds and gets coronary heart disease, many of the symptons relayed: fatique, muscle loss, weight gain, and general problems are a very common side effect of......growing old.

Except when they start after taking statins and stop when you stop taking statins.

We know the risk.

Honestly I put it to some of that but a 46 year old should not wake up fatigued.

When I stopped I set a limit of two weeks to see if I felt any different.

If two weeks off the meds was going to be the nail then I was already a dead man.

Only took a week to confirm.

I spoke to my doc about it and got his OK to try alternatives.

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by 89911

Before everyone jumps off their meds and gets coronary heart disease, many of the symptons relayed: fatique, muscle loss, weight gain, and general problems are a very common side effect of......growing old.

Agreed that you raise a fair point, but in my case (as an example) my weight gain was over 3 months with no change in diet or routine...it was finally my wife who said that I had to get off the stuff as she was the one that made the connection.

My irritation is not that there is concern about cholesterol on the part of the medical profession and neither the fact that their cures have side effects, it is much more that between the docs, the insurance companies and the drug companies they have made the case that "you are going to die immediately if you don't take our drug" and then ignore that it just does not work for some people.

D.

[Jandrews]

Well, as promised, I stopped taking Simvastatin for about 10 days to see if it improved my unending fatigue. I think I had a small placebo impact the first couple days or so, but honestly I can't say I feel ANY change from stopping the statin. I was VERY hopeful that I would notice an improvement like many suggested here, and wish I could report that I did, but I can't say that it helped in any way.

Back to the drawing board for me. I also take Tricor, which is not a statin. I may try a similar experiment with that one, but I am back to square one on my constant fatigue.

Thanks for the suggestion. I hope others get some sort of benefit/relief.

JA

[MT930]

Stopped taking them the night I read this thread 8-22-12 14 days ago

I think the morning soreness is going away.

I still have been hiking and riding my bike. Yesterday was a 12 mile MT bike ride, steep mountain hike the day before grouse hunting. I felt pretty good this morning, big difference in the muscle dept. I may have skipped the MT bike ride day 2 if I was still taking the Statin.

Need more time off them to decide if this is causing the trouble.

[nostatic]

I was briefly on them. My cholesterol numbers are actually quite good but a CT scan at age 40 showed plaque in the (I think) descending left artery (aka the widowmaker). My doc wanted to treat aggressively. I was on them for about a month and said, "screw it." I felt terrible. A full stress test was clean and I decided to just try and do exercise and diet (well, sorta). My cholesterol remains low - thanks, dad! I'd say avoid them if you can. Actually I try to avoid most meds that I can...

[Evans, Marv]

J - I would give it maybe two more weeks. If you don't feel any improvement, I think you should get with your doc & have a serious discussion about the fatigue. I'm assuming you've already done a little research on the Ticor to find out whether or not fatigue can be a side effect of that. I felt a definite improvement by a week after I stopped taking the Vytorin. Constant fatigue can be a symptom of some serious things. I wouldn't mess around just stopping medications to find out if one of them is causing it.

[Zeke]

Google Statins and ALS. The Mayo article is insightful. Follow the links to subsequent articles.

Mayo Clinic articles are always very good albeit conservative. Read other hits for a more complete picture.

[John Rogers]

Well I had the first blood test since stopping the meds and the doctor's office called and said my numbers were high and she wanted me to start taking the statins again. So I made an appointment for next week to see how high they are and if there is anything else we might try. As for the side effects, they have about completely disappeared and my strength and endurance had come a long way.

On Sunday I shot a black powder muzzloader match and ended up with the 3rd best score and the temps got over 100 in the shade! I could never have done that 6 months ago!

[dhoward]

I stopped about two weeks ago, and am feeling better. The pooch is slowly receding as well.
I'll talk to my doc next moth about a different approach.

[Jandrews]

Marv...I am doing just that. I have an appointment with my doc tomorrow where I will confront the fatigue, and discuss the statin and the Tricor.

Milt....very interesting. My dad died of ALS (in 1983). He did not take statins, and ALS is not hereditary, but that is a scary thought. I am more convinced of the linkage to head trauma (NFL and boxing) linkage to ALS. My dad did fall off of a high ladder (he was a gifted finish carpenter) at one point, enough to permanently damage his hearing. I can't help but reflect on that as a possible cause.

Thanks for all the thoughts. Best wishes to everyone who is having challenges.

JA

[campbellcj]

I've been on Simvastatin 40mg for almost 4 years now. In the first year or two there were a couple times where I thought I was experiencing side effects like described above - some soreness and fatigue mainly - so I went off for 30+ days to see what happened. No difference! So, in my case I chalked it up to getting older and trying to keep up with my young kids and stressful job.

Over this span I did lose 30 pounds, quit drinking, improved my diet somewhat, and started sleeping a bit more. That has made a huge improvement in my overall well-being and probably my non-medicated numbers as well. I'm thinking about asking my doc to lower the dose to 20mg. I doubt it makes sense for me to go off completely as high cholesterol and some heart disease runs in my family.

[azasadny]

On a completely vegetarian diet with no eggs, etc... my cholesterol is 300 and NOTHING I do will lower it, so the Dr agreed that we'll treat it with 20mg of Zocor a day and no side effects and my cholesterol is about 180-200. My Dr says that genes determine the level more than diet and activity and that diet and exercise will only lower the level about 10% or so...

[Sunroof]

Nothing on genetics..............??

If your predisposed genetically then your screwed! My father had four heart attacks before the age of 52 and dropped dead on the 15th fairway of his favorite golf course in LaCoste California at age 53. He was not a good candidate for the then experimental open heart surgery, so with nitro in his pocket he knew he was finished! He golfed til he died. I being always thin and athletic inherited his bad genes and out of no where had a quadruple bypass at the age of 50! I was active with four arteries each 95% blocked! I was prescribed Lipitor but moved onto Simvistatin after that. With a daily cocktail of Lisinispril, Atenolol, Niaspan and the statin, a baby aspirin, vitamin D, folic acid and a multi-vitamin, I am a walking drug billboard.

You want to feel like you got whacked across thew head? Take a Viagra!

My bad cholesterol goes no higher than 40, but my good cholesterol despite the heavy fish and vegetable diet and exercise stays low...............genetics speaking.

I will take some of the fatigue and dizziness that comes from what I take daily to keep me going. But I also put into perspective that I am soon to be 65 years old and do not expect my body to behave like I was in my 20's. From being an active sailor, taking on big home improvement projects alone and working on my Porsche I think I am doing quite well these days.

I will always take the medication, but if you like me are victim to some bad genes handed down, be the wiser and take control of it with whatever measure you see fit.

Bob

[Evans, Marv]

I'm in a similar situation genetically. Nothing I can do except for meds will lower my cholestoral level. However I have an old friend from grammar school who supposedly benefitted from exercise. His parents both died around 50 from heart attacks. He was always active athletically. He ended up teaching at a high school and coaching the cross country team for years & years. Of course he ran with the team and ran on his own when he wasn't coaching. When he eventually went to have a scan, the cardiologist asked how much exercise he did. My friend told him how much he ran each week, and the doctor said if he hadn't done that most of his life, he would have been dead long before. Apparently his major arteries were all clogged and the lateral ones had enlarged over the years to compensate. At least that's the story he told me.