Statins

[Guest]

Hi any members on here take statins how av u faired with them alot of people who av taken them seem to get alot of side effects how about u thanks

 

[dick0236]

I tried several brands of Statins several years ago. I had the common side effects of leg cramping and also had difficulty keeping my INR in range. Statins, regardless of brand, caused my INR to increase. I stopped all statin therapy......aches and pains went away and INR settled down.

 

[LondonAndy]

I have been on statins for well over 20 years, so well before my AVR. Can't comment on what effect they might have had on my INR - am not aware of any, as INR is fairly stable. Not had the leg cramps, and in fact as I came towards the end of a clinical trial of a new cholesterol lowering drug (Amgen's Repatha injections), one of the leading professors of the trial spoke at a seminar for participants and was adamant that statins do not cause leg cramps, claiming instead that they were down to other factors like getting old. Needless to say a number of people disagreed with him!

 

[epstns]

I've tried several statins since my valve surgery almost 6 years ago. Most of them gave me such bad muscle pain that I had to stop them. Currently I take a low dose of pravachol (one of the older statins, IIRC), and it keeps things in line with minimal side effects.

If I had to take one of the mainline statins like Lipitor, I'd skip it. Just too much pain for me.

 

[neil]

doc put me on them , felt awful, come off them tried different ones felt awful, so not on them, saying that most are ok

 

[Nocturne]

I've been on Rosuvastatin for about six months, and thankfully have had no symptoms of any kind yet, because I am going to need to be on statins for the rest of my life.

 

[dornole]

Just found out my cholesterol is 302 and going on Lipitor today. Also getting serious about what I eat, exercising and less stress.

 

[Agian]

Atorvastatin decreases lipoprotein (a), as an added benefit.

 

[Agian]

Atorvastatin = Lipitor.

 

[Paleowoman]

Just found out my cholesterol is 302 and going on Lipitor today. Also getting serious about what I eat, exercising and less stress.

What is your cholesterol profile ? My cholesterol has been “high” for years, last test a few months ago it was 344. I'm very serious about what I eat and do a lot of exercise, have done so for years.. My cholesterol profile is extremely protective - my HDL is 146 and my trigycerides 35 - so I do not take a statin and my docs are fine with it. My cholesterol with lipid profile is tested every six months.

 

[honeybunny]

Also on Atorvastatin for several years and have not had any problems. I take mine at night because they contraindicated with another of my medications.

My kid brother was switched to Repatha because his levels weren't coming down on statins. My primary care won't prescribe Repatha, says my levels are not high enough.

 

[cldlhd]

Right after my diagnosis I was put on simvastatin even though my cholesterol was only borderline high. I got the muscle pain so stopped taking them and just some diet and exercise improvements and 6 months after stopping the statin my cholesterol was way down. Of course the doc credited the stations so I fessed up then agreed to take a milder 20mg pravastatin. I hear an apple a day has a similar effect as a mild statin. My total cholesterol was 154 at last check.

 

[dornole]

Def not a good profile - LDL 209, HDL 70, triglycerides are 115. It has skyrocketed so fast (my LDL is usually between 105 and 129 depending on how heavy I am that I am now wondering if there could be a lab error. Asking for a retest before I begin treatment.

 

[Agian]

Right after my diagnosis I was put on simvastatin even though my cholesterol was only borderline high. I got the muscle pain so stopped taking them and just some diet and exercise improvements and 6 months after stopping the statin my cholesterol was way down. Of course the doc credited the stations so I fessed up then agreed to take a milder 20mg pravastatin. I hear an apple a day has a similar effect as a mild statin. My total cholesterol was 154 atast check.

Guys, get your Lipoprotein (a), homocysteine and CRP checked out. Esselstyn and Ornish have demonstrated CAD is reversible, with diet alone. This is reflected in lipid profiles. However, Ornish also states that it isn't reversible in everyone, because of genetic problems. What he is referring to is Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (which can now be treated with things like Evolocumab, REPATHA). The future looks promising. Statins save lives, just like antibiotics do.

It's our lifestyles that have put us at risk and the crap we eat.

Check out Figure 1.
http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0735109704007...416831487822f7

The Hazda can live in the city and enjoy the urban pleasures, but choose not to. They're happy where they are. Coronary Heart Disease? No such thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7kk-f4s9X4

 

[Paleowoman]

Def not a good profile - LDL 209, HDL 70, triglycerides are 115. It has skyrocketed so fast (my LDL is usually between 105 and 129 depending on how heavy I am that I am now wondering if there could be a lab error. Asking for a retest before I begin treatment.

Domole - the LDL is not an accurate measurement, it is just a calculation. When they do a lipid profile they only measure the total, the HDL and the triglycerides, the LDL is calculated using the Friedewald formula. You'd think it might be accurate but there are other lipid factions apart from LDL, HDL and trigs which make up the total profile. You can get your LDL measured accurately, but it's probaby expensive which is why they don't always do it.

You can lower triglycerides by cutting back on carbs - triglycerides are a reflection of your carbohydrate intake. And there are many ways to raise your HDL, such as exercise, eating good saturated fats (unsaturated fats such as polyunsaturated fats generally lower HDL, though oily fish can riase it), having a moderate amount of red wine, and eating nuts such as almonds, for example.

PS my LDL is 193 - that is the calculated one, I've never had it accurately measured because my cardiologist and endocrinologist are quite happy regardless due to the rest of the profile. I don't have familial hypercholsterolaemia. I have no coronary plaque, had two CT angiograms which checked that.

 

[Agian]

You can lower triglycerides by cutting back on carbs - triglycerides are a reflection of your carbohydrate intake.

Possibly. Trigs go up usually in conjunction with a lowering of HDL. Saturated fats over polyunsaturated? Nah. Lower carbs? Great!

Not that expensive to measure LDL. I have ten fruit comprised of apples and bananas. Six of them are apples, guess how many are bananas? Everything is 'calculated'.

 

[Paleowoman]

Saturated fats over polyunsaturated? Nah.

The key is eating real foods, avoiding processed and ready made foods, so eating beneficial sources of saturated fats as in for example pasture, organically, reared meat and coconut oil, and eating beneficial sources of polyunsaturated fats as in oily fish and nuts.

 

[Agian]

The key is eating real foods, avoiding processed and ready made foods, so eating beneficial sources of saturated fats as in for example pasture, organically, reared meat and coconut oil, and eating beneficial sources of polyunsaturated fats as in oily fish and nuts.

Four macronutrients: Fats, Protein, Carbs, Alcohol (hic). As someone with diabetes, it is wise for you to avoid carbs. You are lucky to have a protective HDL. Not everyone is the same though. If you're eating meat, of course you'll get an intake of saturated fat. A high carb diet leads to a lower HDL and a higher lipoprotein (a). You can reverse this by taking Niacin, but this in turn can worsen diabetes and raise homocysteine, which you can reduce with folate. So it's not that simple, but definitely doable. It's a juggling act.

I would avoid coconut and Palm oil. Canola and olive oil are better. Almonds and flaxseed rock. Trans fats are poison.

Don't want to be rude, but high trigs and low HDL mean it's time to lose weight. Of course, you don't have that problem.

 

[cldlhd]

I have flaxseed mixed in my oatmeal just about every morning but I find almonds go down best with beer,a nice IPA or two.

 

[Paleowoman]

I would avoid coconut and Palm oil.

No palm oil no, no, no. But virgin, organic coconut oil is very healthful, and raises HDL cholesterol too. It can also be taken to high temperatures for cooking without getting damaged like polyunsatured oils get.