Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and wish everyone the best they can be.
I had a doctor previous to the one I currently have. Apparently, when I had a fall 9/25/16 and fell on my face, I had to go to the emergency room as I hurt my neck. Tests/Xrays were taken. I was not informed of the diagnosis,therefore as I was not comfortable about the knowledge communicative efforts of my then current doctor, I changed to another physician. I made an appointment for my an annual check up and she notified me that my Cholesterol level was 263 and I needed to begin Cholesterol meds immediately as I was in danger of a heart attack. She said I had atherosclerosis. I was surprised as I was not advised of the previous diagnosis from my previous doctor. She put me on Atorvastin (Lipitor) and within the 2 weeks my urine was very dark orange. I emailed her and said I don't believe this is a good thing. I want my cholesterol medication to be changed. She changed it to Simvastatin (Zocor) and that seems to have corrected the problem significantly. However, I have now been on the Cholesterol meds since 2/6/18 and I am in so much pain it is unbearable! My shoulders (can hardly type this), back, side of my knee, etc. is hurting. Since beginning the cholesterol meds. I find my entire body aching! My Doctor has not requested another test to see if this medication is working or not and I have been on it for over a year now. When she did the initial blood test, it was not a fasting test.
I'm concerned about the care I am receiving. Unfortunately, the insurance plan I currently have has a limited number of truly qualified physicians.
So, I seek to help/heal myself with common sense and true experience through others.
Well... I am not a doctor so anything I say here is from a layperson’s point of view and should not be taken as medical advice! However, this is what I know and am convinced to be the case: 1) cholesterol is NOT the enemy, and 2) statins are extremely dangerous and harmful drugs. There are some very specific, and very rare, cases in which the lowering of cholesterol might be advisable. This is if you are a) male, b) have had a heart attack, and c) both your father and your grandfather have died at a relatively young age (fifties or sixties) from a heart attack. In that case you may be suffering from a hereditary condition called familial hypercholesteremia. This condition is vastly overdiagnosed by doctors, in fact, to enable them to prescribe more statins.
In all other cases, I am convinced that statins do much more harm than good. What statins actually do is block a complicated process called the ‘mevalonate pathway’, which is the production and dissemination throughout the body by the liver of certain nutrients that the body needs. A very important one of these is CoQ10 which is required by the muscles to function properly. But there are many more. Cholesterol itself is needed by the body to keep things running smoothly and make sure that, for instance, calcium is deposited in places where it is required such as the bones. Also, statistics show that elderly people (65+) whose cholesterol is high actually live longer.
I am a member of a Facebook group on ‘statin side effects’, and have read many horror stories there of people being disabled permanently from the use of statins. But in many cases, people do recover after stopping the statins. It happened to me - I took Crestor for close to six months and am now fully recovered. It did take time, however.
Anyway, as you will understand from the above my advice to you would be to stop taking the statin ASAP! Some doctors who have written extensively (and in much more medical detail than I can) about the dangers of statins, are, among others, Malcolm Kendrick, Peter Langsjoen, Aseem Malhotra, Zoe Harcombe. Please look them up on the internet - and good luck. Hope you feel better soon!
Macha thank you. After doing some extensive reading and viewing some interesting articles on YouTube about the lack of truthful information regarding statins I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said.
Once again thank you very much and I hope people keep posting and keep sharing their information so that we can help each other.
If you are able to make a change to lifestyle then Try a plant based diet, this is the only one that is proven to make improvements to all heart related problems, good luck
In USA, total cholesterol level of 200 is considered good, any number above 240 is high. Given this we have to look at all the lipid numbers, blood pressure and blood glucose levels. Depending up on your age a doctor can do risk analysis. Weight, height to waist ratio also matter.
Life style change can control all blood numbers.
Keep an eye on hidden and free sugar in food and drinks. Eating small portion size also necessary.
Are you taking any other medication?
Hi Sandy, thanks for the reply.
I am taking Levothyroxine for my Thyroid Ablation in 1997.
Blood test was done without fasting.
Total Cholesterol: 265 mg/dL
HDL 81 mg/dL
LDL 168 mg/dL
Triglyderide, nonfasting 111 mg/dL
Cholesterol, non-HDL 184 mg/dL
I'm on Zocor 40 mg.
I awoke yesterday morning with pain down my entire right side and it lasted the entire day. I applied heat and ice on my shoulder (I believe something has happened to my rotator cuff
as I had surgery performed in 1997 for severe tear).
This morning 4/6/19, my back feels fragile and my right leg wants to give out.
I'm am genuinely concerned about all this as I have always been strong and fairly active.
I'm getting off sugar totally as I do believe it is poisoning our systems.
Hi they put me routinely on simvastatin (see my story), as I like you was slightly over the recommended limit, but was later discharged of this by a consultant as unneccesary. I was not on it for long but had problems with my muscles. I then read the enclosed leaflet a bit closer and it said : "Muscle pain and damage. One of the most common complaints of people taking statins is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult".
It might be that this is happening to you. I would insist on seeing a specialist or at least to have my levels checked again.
I had similar problems with atorvastatin and went off it a month ago. My muscle pain has significantly lessened and I'm feeling better. Since then, I've done considerable research on the side effects of statin and whether cholesterol is even a legitimate marker for potential heart disease. In addition, there is growing research that low cholesterol can contribute to early onset dementia and other neurological problems, diabetes (esp. in women), and a host of other issues.
I'm not a doctor, but I am a writer and editor and know how to research. Good luck on your journey!
Hi MKEMom. I'm glad you posted. Looks like we are both in the same boat. I have also been listening/watching videos on You Tube about the issues with statin drugs and reading ariticles online. You Tube: he Cholesterol Myth, Dr. Eric Berg DC. I have read articles by Malcolm Kendrick, Peter Langsjoen, Aseem Melhotra.
Because I has hurting so badly in my legs, arms (one is still having issues), I stopped the atovastin last Tuesday and I too am feeling better. However, no one wants to have a heart attack or stroke, God forbid. I also purchased WHEY Protein powder and have been taking that as my morning breakfast to help the possible damage the statin may have done. I was on statins for 14 mos. The first statin my doctor put me on was Lipitor and after taking that for 1.5 weeks I had to call her as my urine was orangy brown! This is not a good sign. So she changed me to the atorvastin. My urine is light yellow as it should be now.
What really bothers me, is how the pharmaceautical companies have trained the doctors, etc. are basically scaring people into taking and paying for their product.
I have also seen a video on You Tube 'how to repair' arteries with Vitamin 'C.
Thanks again. Let me know if you find anything interesting and I'll do the same.
Thank you. Ditto! I saw a nutritionist and that has helped. I like to think of nutritionists as coaches: most everything they say I “know,” but they push me to a whole new level.
Said I was going to cut out sugar the cutting it out altogether is almost impossible as there are so many products that's still contain it. But I half cut down 80%. I have been off the Zocor cholesterol Med for 3 weeks tomorrow Tuesday. But my body feels like a train wreck.
One more addition to my above post: to help with recovery from statin damage you could take Ubiquinol: this is the concentrated form of CoQ10 which is an enzyme that is blocked by statins and that is needed by all the muscles in your body (including the heart!). I would advise this concentrated form because it is absorbed more easily by the body. I use Jarrow Formulas but the brand doesn’t make that much difference, but whatever brand you get should contain Kaneka oil. Start out with 200 mg daily and increase if that doesn’t seem effective enough. You can increase at least up to 400 mg. It worked well for me, and I am actually still taking 100 mg daily - it sure can’t hurt. Good luck!
Thanks I'll look into it and most likely purchase some. My muscles are killing me and I really believe the Staten Zocor that I was taking has definitely affected my muscles.
I had surgery on my right shoulder for a torn rotator cuff about nineteen years ago. That is the worst of the pain I've been having as I feel it has re-torn again. I must make an appointment from my new doctor soon.
Thank you very much for the information and have a good day.
I've been doing research and checking You Tube. Here are a couple that I found to be quite interesting. Of course you must judge for yourself - pros/cons...
Thank you for sharing! I've viewed these and begun reading "Undoctored" by Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist based in Milwaukee, WI. I've also read multiple medical reports recommended by Dr. Diamond.
I will report on my own personal health journey after my next lipid panel test on May 17, 2019. At that time, I'll share my pre-statin lipid panel (Dec. 2017), my statin-taking lipid panel (March 2018), and my "stop-taking-statins-and-adoped-grain-free-diet" lipid panel (May 2019). I stopped taking my statins on 3/23/19 due to muscle pain.
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