quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I know total cholesterol needs to be below 200 and the LDL is too high. Are there alternatives to statins that I could try?

You could try a different statin. I know from personal experience that I had different side effects to the two that I took:

Atorvastatin (Lipitor) - I was on this for about 12 years. Mild joint aches, zero migraines, or other side effects. My HDL was always low, but the LDL could creep up if I got lax on diet and exercise.

rosuvastatin (Crestor) - my PCP switched me over to this. The additional side effects took 6+ months so I didn't put 2+2 together. The joint aches increased so I started down the path of MSM, glucosamine, chondroiton, and turmeric. The real MF'er that I didn't realize was I began to get migraines again. If my stress level increased then I'd begin getting multiple migraines in a week or two. I had a real stressful time in my life and the migraines increased to 11 to 15 per month. My new PCP was also a migraine suffer and referred me to his neurologist that specialized in migraines. The migraines specialist didn't eliminate anything, but instead turned me into a human chemistry experiment for 2 years. Had to work my way through a series of "off-label" inexpensive medications before insurance would let me try drugs actually designed to prevent migraines. One of the drugs had a nasty side effect that actually caused a new type of migraine so I had to go on a drug to counterract that. That counterraction drug tried to shut down my liver and I ended up in the hospital for 3 days. The gastroenterologist took me off everything (prescriptions, OTC, and vitamins) and I began noticing the I didn't have a migraine for a week, then a month, then months, and now it's 5+ years. I've slowly added back in the prescriptions and OTCs, and through process of elimination it was the rosuvastatin that triggered the migraines.

I put on some weight, my LDL increased, and the cardiologist wanted me to go on a statin. I refused on the grounds that 11 to 15 migraines a month is not a quality life. My cardiologist fought through the insurance BS, and now I'm on an every other week injectible called Repatha. It's damn expensive but it works and no side effects for me.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Diet works for me. Go hardcore keto/carnivore for 2 months. Just do it, not fun and really sucks 1st week but just do it.

I'm 74 and my #s were similar. I took simvastatin for 10-15 years along with 3 bp meds and a couple type 2 diabetes meds - all were low dose generics and none were solving the root cause.

I went keto for 2 months spring 2024 and dropped 25lbs. Against my drs advice I stopped all spripts, again they were low dose generics - how much good could they do?

My blood work came back as good w/out meds as w/meds and my gut health is much improved. Diabetes meds seemed to cause the gi discomfort but while on the statins I did have lower leg cramps. I'd try clean diet first but it took me 20 years to figure that out.

I'm Type 1 diabetic, and this year at my annual checkup with my family doctor he really got on me about my cholesterol. He said he wants to see my LDL down to 70 by next year, or he's going to recommend I start taking Cholesterol meds. That seems unachievable, especially with my diet.

My last tests results were as follows:

Cholesterol Total: 198
HDL: 67
LDL: 120
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio: 2.96
Triglycerides: 56

Is this really that bad?

after having my cholesterol numbers rise a few years in a row during my annual physical, doc put me on the lowest dose of what he said was the weakest statin (prevastatin??)

after a couple of years, my numbers improved, but I started getting pains in my mid section, hips and waist, like my belt was way too tight or I had done something,

so I dropped it,
did 2 or 3 fish oil each day, and watched my diet before the next tests, and all was good,