I've been having muscle and joint pain which a GP said may be due to long term use of stains.He recommended coming off them for a month to note any difference. Another GP advised a second month off them but to recommence after as there was no real good alternative to statins.
I believe the joint and muscle pain did get better when I stopped the statins and now back on have felt them returning.
I am 73 and have has marginal high blood pressure. I am on 75 microgms of levothyroxine and 20mg of Atorvastatin daily.
Has anyone had the same experience with a solution?
Thanks.
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jackdaw50
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I think statins are to manage cholesterol - have you had your cholesterol tested recently? Perhaps it might be a good idea to start there...
I think thyroid issues are linked to high cholesterol but I feel like I don't understand this properly myself yet so can't be of much use. It would be interesting to know what can be done to to manage cholesterol without statins in those individuals that already live and eat healthily.
There is actually a brilliant alternative to statins. It's called 'optimising your FT3 level'.
High cholesterol is indeed linked to hypothyroidism. It is made in the liver and the liver keeps cholesterol levels steady by making more when you consume less, and vice versa. However, when T3 levels are low, the body cannot process cholesterol correctly and it tends to build up in the blood.
What's more, statins are not recommended for hypos because when you are hypo you are more likely to get side-effects such as muscle pain. They are also not recommended for women. And you don't need them anyway because high cholesterol is a symptom, not a disease, and the cholesterol itself is not going to do you any harm. It doesn't cause heart-attacks or strokes, as doctors would have you believe.
Taking statins is artificially reducing cholesterol, and that can do more harm that good whilst not addressing the root cause. For one thing, it will reduce your sex hormone levels, with all the complications that brings. Sex hormones are made of cholesterol as is most of your body and brain. And without adequate cholesterol the body cannot repair and regenerate itself, putting you at more risk of a heart attack. Despite what doctors think, cholesterol can be too low, but those with slightly higher levels tend to live longer.
Wonderful true info about Statins!!..more people need to know this..and Docs need to inform themselves about the "newer" info about these drugs they hand out so generously
Doctors are not likely to do that because it's worth their while prescribing statins - they get funding points, or something. Which is why they are always trying to push them down peoples' throats! Big Pharma wants everyone on statins, from the cradle to the grave!
I declined taking statins due to reports of side effects you mention. Also statins,so I have read,are not recommended for us with hypothyrodism. I heard that the supplement Berberine can help lower cholesterol so i have been trying these tabs out,yet to have cholesterol levels tested to see if any change though, but I do hope there is. Hypothroid condition seems to go hand in hand with raised cholesterol. Being on the right dosage is supposed to help,but as I have said before on here my GP will not give me any higher dose than i am already on which is only 75 mg,seemingly as they say can affect the heart.
Most things do affect the heart - except cholesterol! But being under-dosed is far worse for the heart than being over-dosed. 75 mcg is only a small dose, anyway. Pretty sure you have a long way to go before being over-dosed.
As to reducing cholesterol, why bother? It's not doing you any harm.
Why were you put on Statins in the first place? MY blood pressure started to rise last year. I take natural Hawthorn Extract and it works really well, it has also lowered my Cholesterol.
Ah! In which case that’s a different reason for being on a statin. You may want to ask for a brand name like Zocor as that sorted out any issues I had. Generics were no good at all. Zocor comes in 20 and 40mg.
I declined a blood thinner as I have type O Positive blood which is the thinner one anyway.
I prefer not to take medication if possible. I am 78 years old, so not young. I have three things written on my prescription all to do with the heart. I cross them off myself and have never used them at all. That was 18 months ago I am still alive and kicking without them and my GP doesn't know anything about my not taking them.
There are alternatives to statins which might be appropriate if you are getting muscle (myopathy/rhabdomyolysis) issues.
Alternatives to statins
Statins have done a lot to reduce heart attacks and strokes, but what if they aren’t doing enough? Senior Cardiac Nurse Emily McGrath hears about alternatives from Dr Riyaz Patel.
I wish this argument about statins could be truly settled. My research says that there is no component of cholesterol which can account for the calcium that gets laid down in the heart, which causes the real problems . High cholesterol is a hypothyroid sign/symptom.
The ‘alternatives’ have similar side effects to statins themselves.
Damage to the heart is caused by hypothyroidism and bad treatment of hypothyroidism. Prof Leila B. Mercados. Fatty liver is also a hypo symptom. It’s all connected.
Recently I tried Plant Sterols. Allegedly a safe way to deal with cholesterol. I was so ill with all the symptoms of statins (possible even worse) I had to stop. Took me a good wee while to get over that.
I am between a rock and a hard place with this myself but I am pretty sure I won’t be going back on them. I am quite disabled enough just as I am.
Endocrinologists (Dr Peter Taylor) research is available BUT endocrinologists have no faith or wish to truly help their patients (rock boats) and it would seem none are taking on cardiologists, who are still singing this mantra loudly. So no help there for us patients.
My cardiologist says and I quote “I do not want to be having this conversation again”. Gaslighting at its best.
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