Comments on: Statin-ed!

By: What is Cholesterol and Cholesterol Ranges | How To Lower Cholesterol

What is Cholesterol and Cholesterol Ranges | How To Lower Cholesterol — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:19:33 +0000

[...] Statin-ed! (diabetesmine.com) Share and Enjoy: [...]

By: claire

claire — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:26:08 +0000

late to this, sorry! i’ve been on pravastatin for a couple of years. similar sitch to yours: always high hdl, ldl started creeping up. i’m also asian and apparently asians are far more sensitive to statins so i asked my doc and she said that sensitivity was overhyped, but that was why she had me on a pravastatin, which is one of the least potent. my tests have been satisfactory ever since and i’ve had no apparent side effects.

on the other hand, i’ve been gaining weight and suffering from on and off depression in the past few years. but then, there are enviromental factors, age factors, and i’m closing in on an almost certain sleep apnea diagnosis. so all of that might have nothing to do with the statins.

By: Mick

Mick — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:40:36 +0000

So far my Doc has been making the suggestion – not insisting yet. Even though he’s not diabetic, he claims to be taking a statin himself. I have doubts about long-term safety and frankly just don’t want yet-another-pill! Your post helped reinforce my feeling that “the jury is still out”. Like some others have said, a lot has to do with genetics and while they tout the statins as miracle drugss, they haven’t been around long enough to know the long term affect.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:20:50 +0000

Off topic, I know, but I wanted to respond to an earlier comment. I, too, am an adult onset Type 1′er and my doc has me on the ace inhibitor Lisonopral. My cholesterol and tri-glicerides and blood pressure were all normal when it was prescribed. Supposed to be for kidney protection according to the information sheet. I have had no known side effects.

By: Alice

Alice — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:29:05 +0000

I’m very distrustful of Statins. I’m type 1, 32 years duration and have decent cholesterol numbers without statins. (Very high HDL, borderline LDL).My Dad is a type 2 who used to take lipitor. He had a horrendous side effect . . . it broke down his muscles. He just got out of a week in the hospital because he suddenly (over the course of about 3 days) lost the ability to walk completely. His muscle breakdown had gotten to the point where the muscles were releasing a protein that had started to damage his kidneys. I can only guess that if he’s susceptible to such a reaction I would be more likely to have that same side effect as well. Lucky, after an intense week in the hospital and the removal of statins, he slowly started to regain his muscle strength and is just now, several weeks later, able to walk again without a walker – though he is still weaker than before. If you take statins, do NOT ignore any early signs of muscle pain or weakness. My dad had a bit of weakness in his legs but just thought he was getting old . . . if he’d gone a few more days, he may have compromised his kidney function beyond repair. No statins for me!

By: Doug

Doug — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:48:26 +0000

When diagnosed with Type 2, I was very much against taking a statin (based on what I read on the Internet) and worked hard to reduce my LDL with diet and exercise. Although I made some progress I could not get below 100 on LDL. I now take Simvastatin 20 mg with no problems. My doctor suggested taking 40 mg but I had done my homework and knew the strengths offered and so I asked about trying the lower dose first. He agreed. I have had none of the side effects that I had so feared and my LDL is now where it should be. (and I eat better too now!) BG control is very good, a1c of 5.1 to 5.4.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:53:13 +0000

My grandmother (who is now 92-years old) got me taking Niacin several years ago. She had been on a statin drug and had tremendous weakness and dizziness as a result. She got off of the statin and started taking Niacin instead – did wonders for her. My LDL and HDL are well within limits now. BTW – the flush-free version didn’t work for us – only the timed release. It’s a much safer and cheaper alternative for both of us. Anyone else have similar results?

By: Judith Catterall

Judith Catterall — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:53:42 +0000

Be wary. Be very wary! I do not trust statins and I certainly do not trust Big Pharma where such a big money-maker is involved. If your #s are okay, don’t mess with it……

By: Christine

Christine — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:57:57 +0000

After taking Lipitor for 6 years, I no longer take it. I have experienced major side effects from the drug. After running a bunch of tests two years ago (testing for MS, Lupus, PAD, Thryroid, Anemia), my endo finally suggested I stop taking Lipitor for 2 weeks. After stopping, I improved within 3 days. No muscle aches, extreme fatigue, weakness of the muscles. All gone and I was able to exercise more again. Seems the more I exercised while taking this drug, the worse the symptoms became. We tried another statin and the symptoms came back within a week. So I am permanantly off of statins. Since last January, I have lost 45+ pounds and still loosing through exercise and diet. I feel great. Am currently on Zetia to control my cholestrol. Last cholesterol/triglicerite test was fine. Hope you do better than me with this drug. And I am currently 50 years old, T1 for 20 years.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:23:48 +0000

I am type 2 diagnosed in 2003. I took Crestor without a problem for 3 years. Then I awoke one morning with arms and legs that ached so bad I could barely walk and I had my husband take me to the Urgent Care clinic. The Doctor there did a bunch of blood work and couldn’t find anything ‘wrong’. The muscle pain continued for over a week during which time I was almost bedridden. Finally I got an appointment with my own Doctor and he took me off Crestor immediately. It took me almost 3 months before I did not have any more muscle pain.

Fast forward a few years and my current doctor strongly advised me to start taking a statin again as my total cholesterol was not good. However along with the advice to take the statin drug, he also told me to take CoQ10 at the same time I take the statin. So far I have not had any muscle pains but IF I do, you can bet I will stop the statin and I will never, ever take another one.