Statin drugs/Lipitor

Good information, Thanks Sue. It raise some interesting questions to address with doctor.

My GP will not put me on any statin drugs for this very reason, yet my cholesterol in Feb was through the roof at 337. Since then I have managed to lose 22#, but I don’t think my cholesterol has anything to do with my weight, as I am not really overweight. What else can one try to lower cholesterol? I bought Omega 3 flaxseed oil & Omega 3 fish oil, but I can’t take those either as someone on coumadin is not supposed to take those. I am not on coumadin, but I have Factor 7 Deficiency, which causes my blood to be very thin. I also bought cinnamon capsules, but they are too big for me to take. What else is out there?
Pam

[FONT=”Century Gothic”]Hi,
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I went off of Lipitor as well but only when my cholesterol readings were within normal limits twice. I had heard of the weakness and fatigue that it caused and since I already felt awful and hate to take pills, I decided to stop using them with the doc’s OK.

My solutions:

[LIST]
[*]Walnuts — eat several a day. I found several articles from people who were able to control their cholesteral by eating walnuts. Almonds are good, too, and they go well in salads or for a snack.
[*]Coenzyme Q10
[*]Oatmeal for breakfast
[*]Cinnamon in my coffee
[*]Exercise[/FONT]
[/LIST]

So far, so good. My next test isn’t until October so we shall see. :confused:
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I did try cinnamon in my coffee, & in my oatmeal as well, but I found that by noon I had an upset stomach 2 days in a row. I remember hearing about the almonds before, maybe I will give that a try. My poor husband – he is trying to take all of the Omega 3 pills we bought, as well as using up the cinnamon capsules, & he doesn’t even have high cholesterol! My other numbers were all perfect, still trying to figure out the cholesterol levels.
I even made my 81 year old mother go in & have a complete blood profile, but her numbers were all normal. If it is genetic, it must have been my dad, & that scares me as he died at age 62 of a heart attack. Funny thing is, he was always thin, wereas my mother has been overweight since her 40s. That is why I don’t believe it has anything to do with weight. Also, my 45 year old brother has been on Lipitor for 2 years. His cholesterol is around 140, isn’t it time to go off of it now? Or does one need to stay on it permanently?
Pam

There are other much older cholesterol lowering drugs avaliable .The rule of thumb is a drug on the market at least five years to see if/what side effects appear.My cardiologist tried me on several and we went with Gemfibrozil-it’s cheap and been out for many years.Since my blood levels were off the scales I have to take something.
Sometimes the medical profession keeps saying we need lower and lower levels to be safe.
I thought Lipitor was causing my fatigue and pain but it was CIDP. 🙁

i firmly believe that Lipitor caused my CIDP. I started taking it back in early 2006, and started having bad leg cramps, muscle pain, and finally extreme weakness in my legs almost immediatly. i had a lapse in insurance coverage, but i told my cardiologist twice about the problems but he would hear none of it.

i got insurance again and went to the neurology practice my sister used (she has CIDP also). I went through every test except for the spinal tap, but the last test, a nerve biopsy, proved that i had CIDP also. I stopped the Lipitor and Tricor right away but it was too late. Thanks to IvIG i have improved.

Here’s a great website that talks about the real danger of statins:

[url]www.spacedoc.net[/url]

Yea, definitely don’t take the omegas or anything else that will thin your blood. have you thought about trying to find a different brand of cinnamon extract that maybe comes in a smaller pill or capsule? The site where I get my supplements sells several different brands (seacoastvitamins.com). If you look around, I know you can find it in a liquid tincture as well. I know of many people to have said that the cinnamon really helped in terms of lowering cholesterol. Plus, cinnamon has so many other health benefits as well that it’s definitely worth taking (antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and brain function). I think it’s great to add in the supplement, as well as increasing cinnamon in your daily diet as well.

[SIZE=”2″][COLOR=”Teal”]I have trouble with my clostral. I did reasearch and found that many of the deadley clostral drugs got thieir start from something NATURAL, (RED YEAST RICE) You can buy it in its natural form at most oriental stores. You sprinkle it on ceral or in cooking. Most people buy it at the drug store or a natural food store. I take one 3 times a day and my clostral went from 263 down to 192 in 3 months. I take the 600 mg tablet,
My doctor uses it for other pts. Alot of doctors will put it down and the reason is they are getting a kickback from the companys making the drugs that use’s 3 pages telling you how their drug will kill you and one line on how great it is.
I have been on RED YEAST RICE 600 for 4 yrs and it has not reacted with any meds I am on. Also Vit E will also lower clostral. Before you start check with your doctor.Remember most doctors will not agree on any thing natural because there is a big kick back from drug companys. (Lakoda)[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Statin drugs(Lipitor,Zocor,Mevacor, Pravachol,Lescol) block an enzyme needed to make cholesterol & also blocks the production of coenzyme Q10 which is essential for a healthy heart and muscles. (People with heart disease have low levels of CoQ10. The biggest danger of statins is liver disease. If you take some Tylenol and a few alcohol drinks along with statins you are overloading your liver. Two close friends were on a statin. One had leg pains and they left when he got off the drug. Another got intention tremors in his hands & had difficulty writing. His symptoms subsided after he stopped his statin…but they are not totally gone yet. There are many supplements you can take – such as Niaciin (do not get the “no flush ” kind – just take it with food so you don’t get a flush – red faces shows it is opening your blood vessels.
I took MaxEPA and it collected in my system since it is fat soluble and made me hyperallergic until it left my system…ice cream headaches, brain freeze, etc. I tried other types and could not take them either. There is a great book called Prescription Alternatives by Earl Mindell who also wrote the Vitamin Bible.

what about zocor? i was just diagnosed with a cholesterol problem. the dr prescribed generic of zocor.

[SIZE=”2″][COLOR=”RoyalBlue”]Hello everyone.
You asked if there was something safe and I rechecked and my post is still there and it is a natural treatment and the safest treatment and it works.?????? Lakoda

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Sadie,
The generic form of Zocor is still the same formulation.If you trust your doctor, then do what feels right to you. But I would love to sit and talk to these doctors and see how much they have researched it….and not just listened to the drug rep that came to their office. There are some good doctors out there…but many of the doctors are taking free trips, dinners, tvs, etc. I worked at a large Performing Arts Center and saw the doctors and their wives/girlfriends come for front row seats of David Copperfield’s show and an expensive dinner. They had to listen to a lecture by the drug reps for less than an hour. I worked with the girlfriend of one of those doctors. The pharmacies tell the drug companies how many prescriptions of each of their drugs that were written by the doctors. I think this should be made illegal in the new health care bill.

what about zocor?

Sue,
I’m new here but learning much about this. I am in Plasma exchange as I type this. I had a small dose of Zocor rip into my muscle and trigger GB maybe CIDP, jury is still out on round 4. Many autoimmune disorders are triggered by these products and hidden in the stats as they dilute them by creating many
different areas under the umbrella of nerve damage. I am talking to FDA, we who have had injuries to our nerves in many ways need to pony up our complaints as there is a class action to create here if we make some noise together. My doctor agrees!:mad:

didnt take the zocor. it also can cause hemolytic anemia. dr suggested fish oil, red yeast rice, flaxseed and fiber tablets. not only issue for cholesterol, but this may help prevent cardiac issues….according to dr.

Sadie,
There is a great book entitled REVERSE HEART DISEASE NOW by Dr. Stephen Sinatra. He is a board certified cardiologist. Often these books are cheap on Amazon.com. I have read tons of books on health and this is a good one. I don’t think your doctor has read this book because he left out the important supplements. There is another super book – DR. ATKINS’ VITA-NUTRIENT SOLUTION. I use them both to decide which supplements to take.
I took the fish oil years ago and they built up iin my system since they are fat soluble and I got sick from it. ALso tried red yeast rice and got sick on it.That does not mean that you will. But I do not recommend them to anyone that I know. There was a problem with red yeast rice – cannot remember the details – but it might have been a bad batch or company.

PGX is showing lots of promise at lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. I have known several people that were on statins due to very high cholesterol and have had amazing success with PGX. Just google PGX and some of the studies will come up.
Laurel