# Thanks for the "statin" information....



## Colleen (May 18, 2018)

I came across a couple older threads today about the possible dangers of statins. I had NO idea! 

My husband and I have been taking statins for years and in the last several months I've noticed that I'm having muscle weakness or soreness but couldn't understand why. I've noticed some other changes in my body, too that I don't like....could it be the statins?? I'm ready to make a change so I'm going to ween myself off of them. I've ordered Sunflower Lecithin and COQ10 Ubiquinol to replace this "drug". 

I haven't had blood work for over a year and my cholesterol was 199. We had to find a new doctor (which wasn't easy) so we both have an appointment coming in June for him and July for me and I'm sure blood work will be ordered then.

I also take 2 kinds of BP tablets (2 during the day and 1 at night) and I'd like to get rid of them also.

I'll be discussing options with the doctor when I go. I'd rather take something "natural" for BP health but I don't know of anything.

Thanks for all the great info on this site


----------



## Ruthanne (May 18, 2018)

I had bad effects from every statin I tried.  Extreme pain and felt like strangulation of my thigh.  That's interesting you are going to try Sunflower Lecithin and 
CoQ10 Ubiquinol to  replace the other stuff.  Please let me know if it works for lowering your cholesterol.  Thanks.


----------



## Keesha (May 18, 2018)

Good for you Colleen. That’s a wise decision.


----------



## SeaBreeze (May 19, 2018)

You're wise to make those changes Colleen, just be sure to do it safely and with the supervision of your doctor until you're on your own.


----------



## jaminhealth (May 19, 2018)

Good grief, I just viewed these 2 on statins and I heard so much negatives on them for years and know 1 friend who took them for like 20 yrs and ended up with so much damage.

Truly look into Homocysteine and Fibrigin as these two are what my integrative MD had started checking on me and both were elevated...I bought the book The Heart Revolution years ago and the author talks about Homocysteine being the culprit for heart disease.  

When I think about my parents and my early life, cholesterol was NEVER mentioned..they both lived into their 90's and ate everything.   Then there are the Cholesterol Myth books we can find today on amazon.  Just talking to a gf and she says and it could be so, doctors probably believe cholesterol is the bad guy as the drug sales people are trained to sell sell sell.    

Thanks I will share with others.  So many take these drugs.


----------



## AZ Jim (May 19, 2018)

I've been on one for 40 years.  I don't know of any direct symptom of damage.  Old age is no fun anyhow...


----------



## rgp (May 20, 2018)

AZ Jim said:


> I've been on one for 40 years.  I don't know of any direct symptom of damage.  Old age is no fun anyhow...




   There again, meds effect different people differently . I doubt everyone reacts the same ? Is it / are they big money for big pharma ? I believe so, the evidence is there. But perhaps they are good for some people . 

I take Crestor 40..no ill effects noticed yet. Cholesterol readings good. Might try changing to every other day ? see if the readings continue to be good. I always figure, if we are prescribed / required to take meds...take the lowest dose that works, continues to work .


----------



## jaminhealth (May 20, 2018)

And what IF cholesterol is really NOT the issue...that we're fed a line of lies by the drug companies.  When I grew up and my parents lived into 90's and cholesterol was never a word.  We need cholesterol for so much including our brains.  Maybe so much dementia today since so many are taking statins...just thinking.  

Talking to a friend last night about statins and she was offered them by a heart MD and she refused them.  Then I was thinking more and more....what IF doctors even started to thinking, maybe cholesterol is not the problem...but the sales reps are training to sell sell sell their drugs and the doctors are brainwashed.   There are many others out there who are against the cholesterol "myth" and more and more info on the homocysteine issue and heart health or non health.


----------



## Colleen (May 20, 2018)

Talked to my hubby yesterday about all the statin info, especially the article by Dr. Sinatra and why men, over the age of 75 (my hubby is 77) should not be taking a statin if they don't have a heart issue to begin with, which my hubby doesn't. Dr. Sinatra said there's no reason for a women to be taking a statin, either. When I was put on a statin 8 years ago my cholesterol was 199 and it has remained the same even with taking a statin. My hubby had bloodwork in November and his cholesterol was 150...and the doctor said it wasn't low enough....what???

My hubby has an appointment with a new doctor next month and we plan to talk to him about getting off this statin. In the meantime, We've both started taking CoQ10 & Lecithin.

I absolutely hate going to a doctor and avoid it at all costs. I know my body better then they do and I hate the way all these doctor's hand out Rx's like candy....no wonder there's an opioid epidemic! I was a pharmacy tech for Rite Aid in the early 90's and I couldn't believe the volume of scripts we filled everyday for CII narcotics....and don't get me started on the huge amounts of Ritalin prescribed for kids. Makes me wonder if those Ritalin induced brains aren't what's wrong with that generation.


----------



## jaminhealth (May 20, 2018)

Colleen said:


> Talked to my hubby yesterday about all the statin info, especially the article by Dr. Sinatra and why men, over the age of 75 (my hubby is 77) should not be taking a statin if they don't have a heart issue to begin with, which my hubby doesn't. Dr. Sinatra said there's no reason for a women to be taking a statin, either. When I was put on a statin 8 years ago my cholesterol was 199 and it has remained the same even with taking a statin. My hubby had bloodwork in November and his cholesterol was 150...and the doctor said it wasn't low enough....what???
> 
> My hubby has an appointment with a new doctor next month and we plan to talk to him about getting off this statin. In the meantime, We've both started taking CoQ10 & Lecithin.
> 
> I absolutely hate going to a doctor and avoid it at all costs. I know my body better then they do and I hate the way all these doctor's hand out Rx's like candy....no wonder there's an opioid epidemic! I was a pharmacy tech for Rite Aid in the early 90's and I couldn't believe the volume of scripts we filled everyday for CII narcotics....and don't get me started on the huge amounts of Ritalin prescribed for kids. Makes me wonder if those Ritalin induced brains aren't what's wrong with that generation.



150 is SO LOW...and you can find info on being too low.   Mine hovers around 200's and I'm satisfied and my doctor has no issues either...As I said she has been testing homocysteine levels for about 3 yrs...and mine were elevated. so working on lowering them. 

One has to feel comfortable and believe in themselves or put so much trust in allopathic medicine and doctors and I don't have that trust.   Too many stories in my life to cause the distrust. 

 Pick up The Heart Revolution written by a doctor.  What an eye mind opener.  

My parents NEVER went thru the tests and their numbers COULD have been off the walls and they never knew the "numbers"....today the medical world has made us numbers to fit their drugs....  Peace out...


----------



## jaminhealth (May 22, 2018)

More info and this with diabetes and statin link.

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news...ns-linked-to-raised-risk-of-type-2-diabetes#1

And the President takes one of the strongest statins on the market:

http://www.syntropyzone.com/blog/donald-trump-takes-a-dangerous-statin-drug


Danger on Too Low Cholesterol level

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2014/10/01/can-cholesterol-go-too-low-2/


And again, I don't believe cholesterol is the real culprit in the first place....


----------



## Colleen (May 22, 2018)

jaminhealth said:


> More info and this with diabetes and statin link.
> 
> https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news...ns-linked-to-raised-risk-of-type-2-diabetes#1
> 
> ...



Thanks for the articles.


----------



## Linda W. (May 25, 2018)

I went off statins about 2-3 years ago because of side effects. One year on that very expensive Repatha...an organization was paying the 25% of cost (after my other coverage paid the 75%) because I couldn't afford it. Then the organization stopped paying it, so I dropped the Repatha. My cholesterol went really high after that! That was while I was taking CoQ10, so I doubt it helps. Don't know if anything really helps much. Guess a vegetarian diet might, but I don't have the will power! My body has this cholesterol machine and it just keeps making it!


----------



## Buckeye (May 25, 2018)

AZ Jim said:


> I've been on one for 40 years.  I don't know of any direct symptom of damage.  Old age is no fun anyhow...



I've only been on them for 20 years, but I'm with you.  My mother, who is almost 95, is probably in the 40 year range, with no apparent side affects.

YMMV


----------



## jaminhealth (May 25, 2018)

Linda W. said:


> I went off statins about 2-3 years ago because of side effects. One year on that very expensive Repatha...an organization was paying the 25% of cost (after my other coverage paid the 75%) because I couldn't afford it. Then the organization stopped paying it, so I dropped the Repatha. My cholesterol went really high after that! That was while I was taking CoQ10, so I doubt it helps. Don't know if anything really helps much. Guess a vegetarian diet might, but I don't have the will power! My body has this cholesterol machine and it just keeps making it!



You know one has to keep in mind "maybe it's *not* cholesterol that is the bad bad that we're told".... I posted about the *Inflammation* issue and again, that's about many foods that cause inflammation....sugars/carbs for starters.   There is a lot of info about this Inflammation issue and C-reactive protein test, have you had that one in  your labs.

Suggestions to lower inflammation, add Omega 3's to this...I take 4-5 softgels thru the day.

https://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/55677/NSTEAD-of-NSAID-10-Inflammation-Fighting-Supplements

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-183...tamins-minerals-and-where-you-can-get-em.html

Resveratrol is listed here, I take Grape Seed Ex for many yrs  and it's from the grape as is resveratrol.

http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/anti-inflammatory-supplements-10-that-really-work


----------



## C'est Moi (May 25, 2018)

I've been having the statin argument with my PCP for 10 years; I refuse to take them.  Then a year or so ago I read a report that indicated that just as many people with low cholesterol have heart attacks as people with elevated numbers.   Vindication.


----------



## jaminhealth (May 25, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> I've been having the statin argument with my PCP for 10 years; I refuse to take them.  Then a year or so ago I read a report that indicated that just as many people with low cholesterol have heart attacks as people with elevated numbers.   Vindication.



And I may have posted a link on too low a cholesterol issues one can have.  And then again, it could all be Inflammation issue.  We need cholesterol.


----------



## C'est Moi (May 25, 2018)

I don't like to take any type of medication unless it absolutely cannot be avoided.   And that includes supplements.


----------



## Colleen (May 25, 2018)

I was curious what my cholesterol numbers were so I looked it up. I haven't had any bloodwork since March 2016 but my Total Cholesterol was 152 at that time. My HDL was 71 and my LDL was 56. Soooo.......why was I taking a statin in the first place??

I also checked my BP a couple days ago and it was 117/77....which was what it's always been in my whole life. Why am I taking 3 BP pills a day?????

I quit taking my cholesterol drug about a week ago and replaced it with CoQ10 and Lecithin. I feel better not taking the cholesterol drug (psychological??? maybe)...but I'm not going back on it.


----------



## jaminhealth (May 26, 2018)

Colleen said:


> I was curious what my cholesterol numbers were so I looked it up. I haven't had any bloodwork since March 2016 but my Total Cholesterol was 152 at that time. My HDL was 71 and my LDL was 56. Soooo.......why was I taking a statin in the first place??
> 
> I also checked my BP a couple days ago and it was 117/77....which was what it's always been in my whole life. Why am I taking 3 BP pills a day?????
> 
> I quit taking my cholesterol drug about a week ago and replaced it with CoQ10 and Lecithin. I feel better not taking the cholesterol drug (psychological??? maybe)...but I'm not going back on it.



If your BP was always that low, why in the name of G would one be on BP meds to lower BP...MY BP was in the 130/80 range when I was in my 40's...I have learned so much about the business of blood pressure in the last 40 yrs of my life.  

And again the BP changes constantly whether on meds or not.

On the cholesterol issue, there are reports on  having too low a level.  Our brains need cholesterol and my theory so much dementia today as so many on statins.  Their cholesterol is too LOW...


----------



## Colleen (May 29, 2018)

Ruthanne said:


> I had bad effects from every statin I tried.  Extreme pain and felt like strangulation of my thigh.  That's interesting you are going to try Sunflower Lecithin and
> CoQ10 Ubiquinol to  replace the other stuff.  Please let me know if it works for lowering your cholesterol.  Thanks.



OK...here's an update on the cholesterol.

My husband and I are continuing to take CoQ10 and Lecithin. He has a doctor's appointment in June with a new doctor and I'm anxious to hear his thoughts about stopping the statin. My husband has not stopped taking his but I have. 

I was also curious to find out what my husband's cholesterol was from his last appointment in November when he had bloodwork done. The nurse use to call us and give us the results but those days are gone so you're on your own to find your own results. I checked the portal for my husband's numbers and found out his cholesterol was 176! His HDL was 49; LDL 100. That's way too low!

I haven't had bloodwork done since 2016 so when I go in July to the new doctor I'm sure I'll have bloodwork. My cholesterol in 2016 was 152...HDL was 71 and LDL was 56!

Why should we be taking a statin in the first place with numbers this low??? We've never had high cholesterol to begin with. Mine was 199 back in 2008 and that's when the doctor started me on a statin. I'm done with it now. No more "drug" for me. After 10 years who knows what damage it may have caused...YIKES!


----------



## jaminhealth (May 29, 2018)

Colleen:  You did read the Too Low Cholesterol link in #11 above.

I did make a new post on Inflammation being the real culprit.   Check C-Reactive Protein labs and get those down if they are high.


----------



## Colleen (May 29, 2018)

jaminhealth said:


> Colleen:  You did read the Too Low Cholesterol link in #11 above.
> 
> I did make a new post on Inflammation being the real culprit.   Check C-Reactive Protein labs and get those down if they are high.



Yes...I read the link on too low a cholesterol. Thanks.

I just checked our patient portal for both of us for CRP results and there are no results so I'm assuming it wasn't requested by the doctor, which it should have been because we both have arthritis. My husbands was really bad years ago. The idiot doctor we had in CA treated him for lupus. Put him on all kinds of meds that made him almost non-functional. He was literally going down hill fast. We got him to a rheumatologist and he got him straightened out. So, a CRP should have been requested along with a PSA because he's had an enlarged prostate, but it wasn't in the results either. Another reason a CRP should have been requested is because 5 years ago my husband fell from a ladder and shattered his left ankle. I don't mean he broke it....he shattered it. He had 4 surgeries within 10 weeks, got a horrific infection (close to septicemia) and the final surgery they put in a calcium pack so he would have some kind of "ankle". He wears a brace all day, every day that is specially made to hold that "ankle" stiff. It is loaded with arthritis, hence a good reason to be checked for inflammation markers. Just another reason we are going to a different doctor.


----------



## jaminhealth (May 29, 2018)

Doctors make a lot of mistakes and we pay.   I spent 4.5  months in hospital/rehabs with a knee issue and everyone thought it was "just" OA and they kept pushing me to walk and do strenous PT and after FINALLY 2.5 months the UCLA docs did an MRI and found a staph infection...then 2 months of abx IV and they they did a "clean out" of the knee w hich I think has done more damage than not.  If they had only stopped at the IV's...I believe with the clean out they cleaned out good cartlidge and my knee is more damaged than ever.

I talked to a couple attorney offices but not a chance in "H"..one has to be almost dead.  

My CRP was still pretty high in late 2016 labs, but I'm on a committed turmeric daily and  hoping this is bringing the CRP down.

There was a time in those rehabs that I thought I would not walk again.  Talk about fear.  

The infection I  believe was from an injection in the knee.   MD got in the wrong spot, hit a bone, I remember how it hurt.


----------



## treeguy64 (Jun 3, 2018)

To all you statin folks: Red Yeast Rice is the all-natural source of statins, and the supplement that Big Pharma tried to have banned because it didn't want anybody to be able to buy a very inexpensive statin. This was the source that Big Pharma analyzed to get into the whole statin synthesis biz. It works. My old MD had his nurse call me after I turned him onto it. He had her tell me that he'd never doubt me again. It cut my trigs in half, at 105, and my total chol down to 110. I've been taking it in alternation with Niacin for the last fifteen years, or so. Zero side effects. I still climb trees for a living, at 65. I'm vegan, as well.


----------



## jaminhealth (Jun 3, 2018)

treeguy64 said:


> To all you statin folks: Red Yeast Rice is the all-natural source of statins, and the supplement that Big Pharma tried to have banned because it didn't want anybody to be able to buy a very inexpensive statin. This was the source that Big Pharma analyzed to get into the whole statin synthesis biz. It works. My old MD had his nurse call me after I turned him onto it. He had her tell me that he'd never doubt me again. It cut my trigs in half, at 105, and my total chol down to 110. I've been taking it in alternation with Niacin for the last fifteen years, or so. Zero side effects. I still climb trees for a living, at 65. I'm vegan, as well.



110 sounds like a very very dangerous low level.  https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol-can-it-be-too-low

Another alternative for those who fear cholesterol and take statins, policosonal is a good alternative.

Our body needs cholesterol and for sure our brains.


----------



## treeguy64 (Jun 4, 2018)

jaminhealth said:


> 110 sounds like a very very dangerous low level.  https://www.healthline.com/health/cholesterol-can-it-be-too-low
> 
> Another alternative for those who fear cholesterol and take statins, policosonal is a good alternative.
> 
> Our body needs cholesterol and for sure our brains.



Different strokes - - -- - , right?  What is a dangerous level for one, might be fine for another.  Seeing as it's been fifteen years, I'm not going to sweat it. 

 Lots of people do fine smelling lilies.  If I'm even in the same room, the glands in my neck swell to golf ball size in the first five minutes.  Yep, different strokes - - - -


----------



## jaminhealth (Jun 4, 2018)

Yes and I read from many in a Caregivers group on the huge groups of patients with dementia and my thinking are too many have been lowering cholesterol for years...and hence memory loss for so many. 

My folks lived into 90's and had their minds and never even had the word cholesterol in their lives.

Something to think about, NO?


----------

