Memory issues from using Pravacol

[GrandmaCC]

I sure hope that there are people on this site that can give me some help or at least hope.

I quit Pravacol 2 months ago after taking it for 6 months... Memory issues!!!

I was told that by now things would be returning to my normal but they haven't.

I have read that possibly COQ 10 may help --- there is Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol and some say one and some say the other. Is there anyone that had good results with either?

Thank you

[Mascha1900]

I definitely recommend Ubiquinol (NOT Ubiquinone), it gets absorbed by the body better if you’re over 40. As to dosage, I would recommend starting with 200 Mg and increasing to 400 taken daily in 2 doses, if 200 doesn’t seem to work. I stopped taking a statin several years ago and have no more issues, but I still take 100 mg Ubiquinol every day. BTW the brand is important; I use Jarrow Formulas but of course there are other good brands. Not cheap but worth it!

[GrandmaCC in reply to Mascha1900]

Thank you very much for responding and I will see were I can find the one you use..

[sos007 Ambassador]

My research on cognitive impairment has found the following:

The best 5 things you can do to improve your brain health are:

- Exercise

- Nutrition: Improve Vascular Risk factors by focusing on healthy diet – no sugar, avoid simple carbohydrate foods like white flour products, white rice and white potatoes, fruit juices, soft drinks, desserts, processed foods. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables, salads, legumes. Eat fish 2-3 times per week. Animal protein in small portions every other day.

- Daily intermittent fasting – 12-16 hours daily 5x per week (ex. dinner at 7 pm, breakfast at 7 am)

- Stress reduction – meditation

- Sleep 7-8 hours nightly

I currently use CoQ10 but I don't know what impact it has on memory or cognitive function. It is usually used to combat muscle damage caused by statin drugs.

Pravacol is a statin medication. There is little scientific evidence to support the use of statins for older women as most studies have been conducted on men.

It is best to avoid statin medications by making dietary and lifestyle modifications to treat the cause of elevated cholesterol.

Lowering your triglycerides as much as possible will naturally reduce cholesterol levels. This can be done by following the dietary guidance noted above.

3,000 mg of vitamin C daily split into 3 doses, one with each meal has been found to reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 20%. Niacin also has cholesterol lowering properties although it produces a harmless flushing feeling in the first couple of weeks of taking it. I take 500 mg in the morning with breakfast and 500 mg before bedtime.

Read about Niacin here: healthline.com/nutrition/ni...

Watch this video: youtu.be/ZSpB-j5DL9E(Not working as expected?)

Good luck.

[GrandmaCC in reply to sos007]

Thank you for all the info--- I am on a high fiber, low fat diet and limiting carbs...I eat fish 3-5 times a week (we live in salmon country), lots of veggies and fruits, red meat is limited to maybe 1-2 a week and that is venison. Dairy is very limited and then it is low fat.

I will say stress does play a part or makes things worse because when I am focusing and stressing on the subject i do feel lots worse.

Interesting on the Vit C and Niacin.

Which Co Q10 are you using-- Ubiquinol or Ubiquinone?

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to GrandmaCC]

For the record, I had triple bypass and 4 stents inserted in the spring of 2015. I'm a 56 year old male.

I was given all sorts of meds after the surgery as well as statins. My statin side-effects (severe muscle pain) motivated me to make a radical dietary and lifestyle change. This resulted in my exhaustive study of cardiovascular disease and related illnesses, drugs etc...

Low/no sugar and simple carbs is more important than low fat. If your diet is focused on plants and fish, then you're unlikely to be eating much animal fat. Good fats are essential to our health especially that found in cold-water fish like salmon, nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and olive oil among others.

The emphasis on low-fat for reducing cardiovascular disease has been proven false. It is hard for 50 years of brainwashing to be ignored, but sugar and simple carbs are the primary cause of not only CAD but most other chronic illnesses including cancer.

Dairy is a different story. The fatty acids in cow milk are more damaging and difficult for the body to process than the milk of sheep, goat and buffalo.

I use whole-fat goat or sheep milk in my breakfast tea. I also consume almost exclusively goat or sheep milk cheese products - primarily 'Greek' feta which is made from either goat or sheep milk or sometimes a blend of the two.

My cardiologist told me to avoid or minimize cheese of all kind but my experience and research contradicted his recommendation. I have attained optimal blood work in spite of heavy daily consumption of mostly feta.

Grass-fed cow dairy is healthier than grain-fed cow dairy, but goat and sheep milk have a healthier nutritional profile and do not clog your arteries.

I still consume some plain, 0% fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt made from organic cow dairy. Mostly because it is high in protein. I otherwise avoid cow dairy products.

I stopped taking all of my prescription drugs in October 2016 after losing 35 pounds and normalizing my lipid values and all other blood bio-markers.

Based on advanced bio-marker testing, I believe I have conquered my heart disease and have initiated plaque regression. You can look up all of my posts on this website which chronicles my history.

Good luck.

P.S. My CoQ10 does not specify whether it is Ubiquinol or Ubiquinone. I would follow Mascha1900's advice on the type to use.