STATINS

[Anid]

i have been prescribed statins for many years - the dr reduced it last year to 5mg, but still, I hate drinking statins. Is statins the only medication to reduce cholesterol? I am not over weight, do not eat a lot of fat, but both my parents had high cholesterol.

[cjsg]

I take slo- niacin for cholesterol. I started taking 250 mg 1 x a day and have worked up to 1000 mg 2 x a day. The slow niacin will still cause a flush sometimes but not as bad as straight niacin. If you eat almonds or coconut oil with the niacin it seems to help the flush. You should talk to your doctor about trying it.. My highest cholesterol was 294, and both my parents had high cholesterol. I didn't change my diet at all and I got my cholesterol to below 200.

[ronn]

Anid, I share your distaste for statins but, as you, have been taking them for years, first Lovastatin, then Simvastatin, (80 mg.). which I reduced, then finally stopped taking when researchers discovered that it destroys muscle tissue. My cardio recently talked me into a prescription for Pravastatin, 20mg. which, she says, has fewer problems than Simvastatin.

I must ask, do your statins come in a liquid form, ("I hate drinking statins")? I have only ever seen them in pill form.

Wishing you well

[Anid in reply to ronn]

Hi ronn, no it only comes in pill form, but I hate drinking the pills, feeding my body statins. It seems to me that a lot of PWP also has heart problems. I have a heart condition Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM).

[ronn in reply to Anid]

Anid, I don't mean to monopolize your time, but I want to share this. I too have/had a heart condition. Starting in the early nineties I underwent Angiograms, Angio-plasty, Coronary artery by-pass surgery and a half dozen stents, all with varying results. I was left with a dubious prognosis, a dependence on statins and two different hypertension medications, taken daily. There was also angina and other frequent reminders.

Then, along came Parkinson's. The symptoms started in July, 2010, though it took until November to have it properly diagnosed. As the PD symptoms increased, the heart symptoms decreased and the hypertension became hypotension. Scratch the blood pressure medications, cut the statin in half and the BP leveled out.

I know that this is tempting fate but, since the Parkinson's "took over" in 2011, I have experienced none of the symptoms that used to be daily reminders of the heart problem. I give thanks for every day. I thank you also for providing the space to "unload".

[Norton1]

Anid

My understanding is that cholesterol comes basically from two sources 1. Produced by your liver. 2. From animal and fish products. Your liver can apparently produce as much cholesterol as your body requires, whereas anything that comes from outside your body can give you a surplus. Food from grain and plant sources contain no cholesterol. There are some doctors who claim that cholesterol levels have been set too low in western countries. I wonder if pharmaceutical companies have had some say in setting these levels?

My wife had a high cholesterol reading three months ago and decided to cut the amount of meat and fish products she ate, but did not cut them out completely. Yesterday, she received her latest cholesterol result and found that she had reduced it by one whole point (UK) . She did nothing else such as taking statins and expects to lower it further merely by continuing to eat less animal and fish products.

Regards

Norton

[ronn]

Clanchattan, Here in California, my cardiologist is a strong proponent of Simvastatin, even though she has been advised that it can cause irreversible muscle tissue loss. While taking the drug, I went from a 32 inch waist to a 36 while maintaining a constant 175 lbs. (Sorry, I don't do metric very well). Your info was enlightening. Over here, I always thought the statins were used for mostly for cholesterol.

Thanks

[Traveller1]

Hi Anid,

if your parents both had raised cholesterol, there is little you can do about it as it's is familial, and a risk factor, also you have a cardiac condition which is another risk factor. We cannot change these things, therefore a statin is the appropriate medication as we can only make lifestyle changes , following a low fat diet, excercise and not smoking. .

I am a registered nurse and also have a diploma in coronary heart disease, and also have PD..