I’ve been on Tricor/Fenofibrate for almost 18 years and have never noticed any adverse side effects. LDL is down to 96.

+1 on the red yeast rice. I replaced a statin with it and dropped my #s significantly.

I took Simvastatin for about 10 years. When I stopped, my blood sugar dropped significantly. Simvastatin & other statins can cause type 2 diabetes in a small percentage of people.

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
try taking a few Fish Oils a day and a couple Red yeast rice capsules,

helped me drop mine

The reason red yeast rice is an effective treatment for cholesterol is that it has a chemical in it called “monacolin K.” Monacolin K is also called “lovastatin” and is the active ingredient in the first commercially available statin in the US, Mevacor (although in Mevacor it is chemically synthesized in a pharmaceutical factory rather than extracted from red yeast rice).

By taking red yeast rice instead of a statin pill, you’re still taking a statin, you’re just taking away the ability to precisely control dosage (because the actual amount of lovastatin in red yeast rice varies widely) and exposing yourself to the risk of agricultural contamination. I guess you’re avoiding the risk of pharmaceutical contamination if that is a concern for you.

If you feel bad change to a different one. Liptor left me easily injured - muscle strains. Simvastatin = no issues. Also did not change glucose. My diet sure will though.

My doctor and I are in a head butting exercise every six months over it. This last checkup he insisted that diet and exercise would be useless in controlling it, I should take the statins and there were no valid reasons I shouldn't.

I suspect next year the thresholds will once again change and new research will show something different, again.

One time he explained what a statin would do is help "glue" the cholesterol in the blood vessels and keep it from creating a stroke or heart attack. Opponents of statins point out that is exactly a description of what happens in Alzheimer patients, a large web forming around neurons and limiting the transfer of signals. A number of coworkers and friends have explained that is exactly what happened to their parents - started taking statins and deterioration was quickly detected. This seems to be an very individual situation, as posted some can tolerate it and some can't. The fact that the rise in Alzheimers and statin use are chronologically linked doesn't prove there is a cause, but consider who pays for the research.

Pharmaceuticals pay a bonus for prescribing Rx - our current situation with the vaxx has uncovered this and worse in some countries. Second, someone on maintenance drugs is a continuing income stream. A patient cured is profit lost. If you are borderline, do your own research and think it thru. If there is anything we have learned in the last two years, the medical community can make mistakes and may recommend procedures that will not be in your best interests. If you watch the alternative broadcast channels there is a reason why certain lawsuits were won, FDA approval does not mean its safe or effective. It means the FDA had all its required fees met; 47% of the FDA is financed by Big Pharma.

I do take CoQ10 along with my Crestor. My doctor insists on it.

flashguy

I was previously taking atorvastatin (Lipitor), asked my PCP to switch me to rosuvastatin (Crestor), as I know it to be the most potent statin with the least interaction with other drugs. I have no side effects, and my LDL is now very low.
It wasn't very high before, but because of my age I was at moderate risk of a heart attack.

I had been waiting for some time for rosuvastatin to be available as a generic.

I used to sit on an interregional panel of physicians recommending heart disease prevention guidelines for our health plan with millions of members. Reviewed all the data. Rosuvastatin was shown (JUPITER Study) to reduce overall mortality and heart attacks in people with elevated markers of inflammation EEN WITH NORMAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.

Here's a link to a discussion of the study: JUPITER Trial: Results, Controversies, Implications for Prevention

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
try taking a few Fish Oils a day and a couple Red yeast rice capsules,

helped me drop mine

The reason red yeast rice is an effective treatment for cholesterol is that it has a chemical in it called “monacolin K.” Monacolin K is also called “lovastatin” and is the active ingredient in the first commercially available statin in the US, Mevacor (although in Mevacor it is chemically synthesized in a pharmaceutical factory rather than extracted from red yeast rice).

By taking red yeast rice instead of a statin pill, you’re still taking a statin, you’re just taking away the ability to precisely control dosage (because the actual amount of lovastatin in red yeast rice varies widely) and exposing yourself to the risk of agricultural contamination. I guess you’re avoiding the risk of pharmaceutical contamination if that is a concern for you.

I’m against pills for pretty much everything. That being said the risk of pharmaceutical contamination is absurdly low unless the drug is made in India or China. I work in biotech and the contamination control is beyond what anyone would even consider reasonable.

Due to my family history, my Doc wanted me closer to 100.

I have been on 10 mg Atorvastatin for a few years. No side effects, but does keep my cholesterol where my Doc is happy.

Aren't most drugs made in China or India ? Every time I picked up an RX at CVS they asked me why I wasn't on a statin. My Doc was pressured into providing one for me. I have never had a cholesterol problem.
Told him he could prescribe it. Didn't say I'd take it

I have personal experience with this very drug in that dosage. I'd never tell you to defy your doctor, but since he's giving you a window, please make the most of it. What I'm about to say is based only on my personal experience:

AVOID IT IF YOU CAN. ROSOUVASTATIN 20mg HAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED MY LIFE.

Despite weight loss and constant exercise, my cholesterol was recently 261 and my doc freaked. I wasn't suprised because I eat a lot of fat and meat and my liver makes the stuff. He implored me to get my cholesterol down because of "bad genetics." During this visit, high cholesterol was the only negative symptom I had.

My side-effects after beginning a statin are numerous:

1) Murdered my libido. Went from hero to zero. No interest now.
2) Depressionary symptoms. Do not care about anything. Flat.
3) Short-term memory has faded. It was not bad before.
4) The worst are the nightmares. Nuclear war. Plane crashes. EF-5 tornadoes. My kids drowning. I started taking my statin in the AM instead of
before bed to help reduce the nightmares. It has helped.

If you can reduce cholestrol dietarily, in my experience, that's a better option given my personal experience with the side-effects. My current program:

1) Drop the sugar. Stop sodas. Stop bread and gluten. Avoid processed carbs and trans fats.
2) Eat a Paleo-style diet focusing on lean meat, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil. Cook with avocado oil and drizzle olive oil on cooked food and salads.
3) Eat salmon. Lots of salmon. Any cold water fish. Get the good stuff from Sam's.
4) For soluable fiber, hit the salads with romaine or spring greens. I do eat "overnight oats" in a jar using only 1/3 cup of Bob's Red Mill oats, almond milk, and stevia. I'll also have a sweet potato and apple a couple of times a week. I also add polyethylene glycol 3350 (ClearLAX) powdered fiber to my black coffee in the AM. It's tasteless with no grit and lowers cholesterol.
5) Supplement advice here is awesome. Organic no-odor garlic capsules, CoQ10, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Vitamin B complex, Turmeric with black pepper, organic fish oil.
6) Exercise in the AM fasted. As a rule, I try not to exceed 75 carbs a day.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I really hope you can lower your cholesterol without the statin. Again, your doc knows best, but my personal experience has been negative. I had a really good doctor's report a few days ago and he's lowering my dose, so maybe the side-effects will go away. Here are some nutritional links that I hope you find helpful. Good luck!

Mark's Daily Apple and Primal Blueprint.

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Dr. Becky Gillaspy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...nel=Dr.BeckyGillaspy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...nel=Dr.BeckyGillaspy

The point I was making is that dietary cholesterol intake does not equate to blood cholesterol level, and blood cholesterol level does not cause arteriosclerosis.

Most of what you are being told is not based on actual scientific evidence. Trans-fats were invented so that vegetable oils can be solid at room temperature and thus mimic butter and lard. No cholesterol they claimed. Except we now know that trans-fats CAUSE your body to make more cholesterol. Oops. There are many other factors involved, but it's not just "eat less cholesterol".

Arteriosclerosis is the result of cholesterol building in the arteries, but that is an effect not a cause. The cause is inflammation and irritation of the arterial walls which creates disruptions in the very smooth lining that cholesterol can stick to. The question is what causes the inflammation? There is evidence to support the cause is excess sugar transport from the blood to tissues via insulin. Diets high in simple carbs and refined sugars cause high swings in blood sugar and corresponding high swings in insulin, which causes the arterial irritation. Humans did not evolve to eat this kind of diet and it does not exist in nature.

But politics and dogma are in the way. Anti-meat activists want us to eat more grains, so does the USDA. The "food pyramid" told us to eat more grains and carbs and less meat, but since then things have gotten worse. Admitting that meat is essential to health is not going to happen. They have been telling us to reduce saturated fats for a long time, but the synthetic fats made things worse. Big Pharma makes too much money from statins, so they aren't going to tell us to just cut carbs and sugars and we will likely be fine.

That said, once you HAVE arteriosclerosis, there is value in keeping cholesterol down because you already have the arterial irritation that allows the cholesterol to stick. This is similar to cutting salt if you already have high blood pressure. But absent pre-existing high blood pressure, salt isn't going to CAUSE high blood pressure.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
The point I was making is that dietary cholesterol intake does not equate to blood cholesterol level, and blood cholesterol level does not cause arteriosclerosis.

Most of what you are being told is not based on actual scientific evidence. Trans-fats were invented so that vegetable oils can be solid at room temperature and thus mimic butter and lard. No cholesterol they claimed. Except we now know that trans-fats CAUSE your body to make more cholesterol. Oops. There are many other factors involved, but it's not just "eat less cholesterol".

Arteriosclerosis is the result of cholesterol building in the arteries, but that is an effect not a cause. The cause is inflammation and irritation of the arterial walls which creates disruptions in the very smooth lining that cholesterol can stick to. The question is what causes the inflammation? There is evidence to support the cause is excess sugar transport from the blood to tissues via insulin. Diets high in simple carbs and refined sugars cause high swings in blood sugar and corresponding high swings in insulin, which causes the arterial irritation. Humans did not evolve to eat this kind of diet and it does not exist in nature.

But politics and dogma are in the way. Anti-meat activists want us to eat more grains, so does the USDA. The "food pyramid" told us to eat more grains and carbs and less meat, but since then things have gotten worse. Admitting that meat is essential to health is not going to happen. They have been telling us to reduce saturated fats for a long time, but the synthetic fats made things worse. Big Pharma makes too much money from statins, so they aren't going to tell us to just cut carbs and sugars and we will likely be fine.

That said, once you HAVE arteriosclerosis, there is value in keeping cholesterol down because you already have the arterial irritation that allows the cholesterol to stick. This is similar to cutting salt if you already have high blood pressure. But absent pre-existing high blood pressure, salt isn't going to CAUSE high blood pressure.

Lefty Sig, this post is absolutely outstanding, and I believe it to be 100% Gospel truth.

I can't prove it scientifically, but I agree with every single word based on my personal experience. Your post should be helpful to Bonfire.

In my case, I told my doctor this same thing about dietary cholesterol not affecting blood cholesterol, and he said I was wrong, period. We argued. I held my own, but my ego wasn't as big. I should've stuck to my guns.

Inflammation is everything. When I go on a "carb-laden rampage" during the holidays, my joints and muscles ache, BP skyrockets, I lose strength in my hands, my heart races, and I've even had my vision blur. Not at all good. When I clean up and go back to a Paleo low-carb diet and stop the grains and sugar, I immediately feel better and the symptoms disappear.

Thank you everyone for the advice and information. I got a CAC scan which came back with a score of 1 in the RCA. Still waiting to hear back from my doctor on his advice but the research I have done shows that I should be able to hold off of statins until age 55 with that score. The CT read says very little to no calcium. I am sticking with my changes to my diet by increasing veggies and whole grains. Will have my blood taken again in a month or two to see if the diet changes are working. I know diet changes can take 3-8 months to show but I want to make sure I am on the right path.
I might look for another provider or talk to a Cardio doctor. I really hate how his first choice was put me on a medication when there were other tests or things that could be tried. The CAC was about $250 out of pocket which is stupid but gave me the information I really needed.

My own internist tormented me for years on the statin concern.

As a type 2 diabetic I've been chasing increasingly tighter dietetic/exercise controls and have arrived at 'within normal limits' for all my labs. I tried several different types of statin & sustained significant headaches resultant from that exposure. My older brother had the same complaint, unknown to me until we had a little chat one day.

Further, I ran across an actual NEJM study that reported their findings showed insignficant improvement with statins in my age group, the benefit which only amounted to 1/2 of 1% in measured outcome.

Forgot to mention that I am taking more omega 3s and added plant sterol pills to my diet.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
Cutting carbs out almost completely fixed my high blood pressure, cholesterol and pre-diabetes in 4 weeks.

Eat real food. Eliminate sugar, seed oils, and grains. My LDL is 144. But my Trigs are 91 and HDL is 61. Trigs/HDL >3 is a more accurate indicator of CVD than ldl alone. Lipidology is fun. Statins have their place but it is ver difficult to medicate a metabolic disorder.

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
I took Simvastatin for about 10 years. When I stopped, my blood sugar dropped significantly. Simvastatin & other statins can cause type 2 diabetes in a small percentage of people.

I am confident that statins caused my type 2 diabetes. Family history of high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Dietary changes did little for either one.

If one gives you problems, another may still work without issue. I can’t do Lipitor. It leaves my muscles ridiculously easy to strain. Simvastatin, no issues.