Statins; High Cholesterol

[stomachmonkey]

I have high cholesterol.

My diet is good but I should exercise more than I currently do.

Few years back was on Simvastatin.

Was a really unpleasant experience for me, constantly bloated, chronically fatigued, muscle and joint ache.

I only put it together when I had forgotten to refill my prescription and by the time I got around to it a lot of the side effects were going away.

So I stopped taking them.

Dr just called to give me my latest labs, total 257, LDL 171 and Tri 106.

OK so I know that's no bueno and I need to deal with it.

He wants to try Pravachol for 8 weeks and see how I do.

I really don't want to go back to feeling like crap again but I also don't want to stroke out.

I know not everyone has the same side effects so taking that with a grain of salt anyone with Pravachol vs Simvastatin experience?

[bivenator]

It is often a balancing act to find the appropriate statin that the pt will tolerate. With your cholesterol numbers it is important to keep looking.

[gamin]

I can only speak to lipitor. Been on 10mg daily dose for about 8 mos. Total was about 230 and is now down to 165. Don't seem to have any side effects but I do feel kinda crappy every now and then. Probably just old age or so I tell myself. Pretty happy with the results. I may be lucky as results and side effects seem to vary a lot with these meds.

[masraum]

I've heard many, many stories of statins causing problems. At least one person on this board had a family member that seemed to be permanently affected by them, and a neighbor at my old house had the same issues. Also, lots and lots of stuff both on Pelican and on the board of other folks with side effects that don't always go away if the statins are stopped. I had a Dr tell me he wanted to put me on statins. My cholesterol was in the 235-250 range with the hdl running 40-50 and the ldl running 190-200 and triglycerides that I think were around 170-175.

I started taking niacin (1500-2000 mg per day in 3-4 doses spread throughout the day), high fiber diet (not bran muffins or high grain, more like beans, berries, avocado) and cut out the bulk of my sugar intake (seems like EVERYTHING has added sweetener these days). After 3 months of that, my total had gone from 240ish to 160, LDL had gone from 190ish to 98, and HDL was 60. I think the triglycerides had dropped to 50-60 (I think I remember it was about 1/3).

There are lots and lots of threads on the board about cholesterol and statins. Do some searches.

[masraum]

There are also natural statins, red yeast rice, that you could try. The potential problems, is that not only is that a statin, but I would think it's also very unlikely that the actual statin dosage in a supplement is as rigidly controlled as a prescription, so it may be better or worse.

You may want to check out
The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease-and the Statin-Free Plan That Will: Jonny Bowden, Stephen Sinatra: 9781592335213: Amazon.com: Books

Another board member recommended it. It's an interesting read.

[rcooled]

I've been on 20mg Pravacol for years...no side affects whatsoever. Total Cholesterol well below 200.

[Rick Lee]

I've been on several; it just depended on what my insurance at the time covered. Never had the slightest side effects. Maybe ask your doc for samples of several kinds and see which one doesn't cause issues.

[Iciclehead]

Tried them all, many dosages, many attempts. Had side effects ranging from gaining 20 lbs in a few weeks to, muscles so sore I could not stand it, to lockup in the body to the point where I had to roll out of bed and crawl until I could move well enough to stand.

Gave up on them entirely, personally for my particular case, I think the whole thing is a scam. I am 58, have a resting heart rate of 52, am reasonably fit, have a good diet, non-smoker, no family history of heart disease for several generations. I work out, have a very high stress job though and try to keep that under control, with at best moderate effect.

High cholesterol is only one risk factor and I think the pharma industry makes it sound apocalyptic. I had several doctors say my refusal to continue suffering the side effects of statins with cholesterol in the stratosphere like I have is effectively committing suicide....which they have been saying since I was first diagnosed some 20+ years ago.

Don't deny they are the right answer for some folks with different physiology, but they are not the panacea that pharma and the medical profession would have you believe.

Dennis

[Evans, Marv]

We've had a few threads related to cholesterol over time. I posted a decently lengthy comment in the last one, so I will try to not bore everyone too much. I've had high cholesterol since my early 30's. The first test was 282 at around 32, & the highest was 318 about thirty years later. I took Simvastatin for quite a while, but haven't taken Provachol so can't compare that. Currently I take 80 mg. of Atorvastatin daily. Been on Mevacor (sp. ?), generics of Lipitor(Simvastatin ?), Vitorin, & now Atorvastatin. I learned my body is fairly resistant to their effects. As I understand it, your HDL is very high which is supposedly good. They say anything over 50 is good. If you experience any developing muscle pain & weakness when on these things, you should stop and let your doctor know. I had a really bad reaction to the Vitorin equivalent I was taking. When on it my total went down to 260, 220, 160, & eventually down to 115 when I had the reaction. Like Gary said, I don't know if feeling crappy some times is due to medication or old age, so I can't comment on that either.

[IROC]

There are new guidelines for when to medicate high cholesterol that take into account much more than simply the LDL/HDL/Triglyceride numbers. Have you checked into that?

My total cholesterol number is 241 but I am well below the threshold for medication...

[John Rogers]

UCSD Medical Center did a large study on the side effects of statins and a couple of the bad ones were what I was experiencing. Mainly the tiredness and unexplained muscle aches. So my doctor had me stop the statins, wait a month to clean out my system and switched me to Crestor and the side effects went away and my numbers dropped in HALF. The only side effect are the dreams I have and that is a know issue but they are not nightmares but more of a "technical" type of dream where I am doing something. My neurologist said sometimes they can turn into really bad nightmares and cause people to not want to sleep but she said there are some drugs that can eliminate that but so far I sort of enjoy mine??!!

You can do a search for the study and I actually called and talked to the doctor that headed the study and it was pretty eye opening.

My numbers had always been "good" but this past May I had complete bypass surgery from the blockages near my heart, so you can never tell! I would suggest getting it under control before it is too late.

[Tobra]

I would suggest you do ALL you can with diet and behavior changes prior to using any statins. That is not the whole story though. Big piece of the puzzle is genetics, and you already chose your parents a while ago.


If you smoke, you need to quit like yesterday.

[stomachmonkey]

Thanks all.

I had seen the other threads from the past and even contributed my own experience so apologies for starting a new one but was looking for updated info.

Red Rice Yeast. My MIL takes it and I tried it after going off the Symvastatin. Started having the same, though not as bad, side effects.

Diet. We eat well in our house. We cook everything fresh most of the time. Avoid processed foods. I even stopped eating bacon a few years back. That was tough.

My son, he's 11 now, he's had elevated cholesterol since he was 8. The kid will grab a handful of carrots or an apple to snack on before anything else. We don't keep soda or or junk snacks like chips in the house. No fast food either.

So I think this is a genetic thing for us.

I had asked the Dr to schedule me for a stress test along with the other goodie that comes with turning 50.

I think I'm going to take the opportunity to discuss with the Cardiologist before making any decisions on what if anything to take.

[Don Ro]

I've been on many of them all over the past 3 yrs. Back in 2009 my triglycerides were so high they couldn't get a cholesterol reading.
Matters improved after my 2011 quad by-pass and then statins to the point where my chol. showed in the 300's.
On my last visit to my cardio a few months ago he came into the room w/my lab results and said that a mistake was made - the lab sent the wrong data.
.
He then asked if I was still on ABC drug..."No". How about DEF drug? "No." How about XYZ drug? "No." This went on for another two drugs.
Doc: "Who took you off?"
Me: "I did. To many nasty side effects."
Doc: "Well, what are you doing?"
Me: "I'm taking 4000 mg of L-Arginine (L-Citrulline) and one 500 mg of Slo-Niacin per day and I've been working out, eating well, and have lost 15 lbs."
Doc: "Whatever your doing, keep doing that because your cholesterol is that of a 13 yr. old."
.
Now, I do take Vit. D, E, Ester C, Super Omega-3 Fish Oil, and a baby aspirin every morning.
.

[Brian in VA]

I don't understand statins. The numbers are bad for those drugs, need about 200 people treated to prevent 1 non-fatal heart attack, lots of side effects, 2/3 of men who have a 1st heart attack have normal chol numbers... They do seem to prevent second heart attacks. Seems people would be better off just eating well, exercising, etc.

[M.D. Holloway]

Scott, I was on that drug as well and I stopped. Not sure what my numbers are but I feel great. I really don't like the thought of these drugs in my system for years and years. While I know there are studies that suggest they are OK I still like the idea of have a pharm free life and I am not convinced that if your in the 240 range it will kill ya...

[John Rogers]

Stress test coming up you say? If you get a choice, ask for the chemicals as it is easier for them to control things. I had one on May 8th, Thursday afternoon that started at 1:10 PM. At 1:13 PM it had turned into a heart attack and the techs kept asking if I wanted to stop but they said they would have to do it over so I stuck it out! The heart doctor came in and watched the test and when the doctor comes in, it is never a good sign! Since I was already admitted, which they have to do to give you an IV, I was whisked to a room to await the catheter to see if stents could be inserted. The arteries at my heart was about 70% clogged so bypass was the option to do. The doctor said the B/P, cholesterol, etc were all in good shape so he figured it "was just my turn" and he said he gets a few of those each year?!

After some months now, I feel 1,000,000% better and today went and practiced for this weekend's muzzle loader match and shot better than I had in several years! So anyways, I hope you have some great doctors, as I did during this and are not hampered by insurance issues as some folks are!

[Skytrooper]

I was on Simvastatin for several years. Being diabetic the Dr wanted to keep my cholesterol around 100. I too disliked how it made me feel, and it really changed my liver function numbers (scary) so 1.5 years ago I stopped taking it. Since that time I stopped eating any prepared (canned, prepackaged) foods. I cook with fresh ingredients, using extra virgin olive oil, and make enough so I have leftovers for lunches. When I need a snack, I grab a pickle (I also make my own). In less than six months I naturally dropped my cholesterol over 50 points. I didn't give up the beer either. I did add more high fiber foods but not by much. It wasn't difficult to do either.

Overall my lab numbers are the best they have been in 10 years and I feel great !

[Grimm]

Geez, I just registered and came to these forums since I'm so pumped about the '75 Carrera I just bought. But, instead of yakking about that I stumbled onto this thread. So, I guess my very first post will be about cholesterol

Anyhow, my advice is to remember that every single situation is different. Some people can treat high cholesterol through diet and exercise, and some can't. Some people trust their doctors and look to them for helping deal with what can be deadly decisions, and some feel they know better (and I'm not saying that in a critical way).

Regardless, you need to figure out what works for you and stick with it.

My dad died from a massive MI when he was 36 and I was 8. I had my first MI when I was 26 and I had a quad-bypass a few days after that. I'm now almost 56. My cholesterol was 405 and it's now about 160. My HDL started out at around 29 and it's now about 60. I had a second MI when I was 27, and a third one about 16 months ago.

Over the past 3 decades I have been put on just about every single drug available. Now I take Crestor, Zetia, and 6 grams of Niacin a day. I put 100% of my faith in my docs and the drugs.

I am totally convinced that if I did not take the drugs I would have passed away long ago. My 12 YO son has the same hereditary disease my father had and that I have, and he has been on meds since he was 5.

And, in case you're wondering, I look extremely healthy and no one would ever suspect I have health issues. I'm 5' 11"; 174 lbs, 32" waist, and 12.3 % body fat. I am extremely vigilant about watching my diet, with a big focus on portion control and avoidance of unhealthy items.

So, back to my '75 Carrera. I take possession later this week. That bad boy has 42K miles, is numbers matching, and is 100% stock. It's as if it came out of a time capsule. I'm hoping this helps me recover from my foolishness 9 years ago when I sold my '73 911S. That beauty subsequently sold at Amelia Island (2 years ago) and set what was a world record at that time with a selling price of $214k. Yikes.

[stomachmonkey]

Welcome

Thanks for your insight and sharing your story

And congratulations on the new ride

I hope you have many years of enjoying it