1. < Heart & Blood Health

Statin Intolerance: What did you do?

Posted by tim1028 @tim1028, Jun 4, 2019

I've developed statin intolerance over the 6 months I've been taking daily 40 mg atorvastatin. I'd like to hear from those of you who also have statin intolerance about what your next steps were. Did you lower the dose of the same statin? Switch to another statin? Stop statins altogether? Other approaches?

In my case, I developed muscle weakness, energy loss, shortness of breath and noticeable brain fog. I've stopped the statin until I am able to discuss the issue with my PCP. I started to feel better after the statin had washed out of my system. Risk factors that indicate that I should be on a statin are low HDL and a high coronary artery calcium score.

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emo | @emo | Apr 6 12:53pm
In reply to @jeridenn "In reply to @emo, @hopeful33250, @rochelle369, and @mayoconnectuser1. I do eat lots of fruits and vegies..." + (show)
@jeridenn

In reply to @emo, @hopeful33250, @rochelle369, and @mayoconnectuser1.
I do eat lots of fruits and vegies daily via salads and green vegs with lunch and dinner, snacking on celery in between. I don't eat refined carbs regularly, but break over to having a few crackers now and the, usually gluten free made with almond flour. I've been on a special diet protocol since Jan 2023 to reduce inflammation in my body and lose weight, which was successful, and I've continued to follow the diet but am adding raw nuts, whole grains, and fruits like red and green apples, bananas, berries, melons, citrus, avocados, etc. into my diet along with more wild-caught fish.

I have not taken any statins since the three I tried caused a multitude of side effects making it impossible to function at all. I am checking with my heart doctor about the Cholesto-pure. That may be a possibility to investigate.

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That sounds great if it’s working for you, and hope you and your cardiologist are able to find a good solution. My dad’s cardiologist mentioned there are the newer injectable medications that work differently. And I think someone mentioned Zetia; that also has a different mechanism of action if you’re open to medication.

Restrictive diets aren’t a good option for my dad or me; he has limitations/disabilities and for me it triggered food anxiety and disordered eating things which were never a problem before. I was told it’s a common “common effect.”

But it’s great you’re finding things that work for you.

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emo | @emo | Apr 6 12:57pm
In reply to @dizzyprizzy "Every "body" is different. That is why they call is "guidance"." + (show)
@dizzyprizzy

Every "body" is different. That is why they call is "guidance".

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Exactly. The unfortunate thing is we saw doctor after doctor after doctor who presented the “guidance” as a hard and fast rule and pressured us into following the guidance. And…that’s how we ended up finding new doctors.

But at the time, my father was in an acute care hospital so we had very little control over what was being prescribed and pushed left and right.

It got much better after we finally got him out of the hospital.

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daniel777 | @daniel777 | Apr 9 9:40am
In reply to @jeridenn "I have high LDL cholesterol and my doctor has prescribed several different statins for me, all..." + (show)
@jeridenn

I have high LDL cholesterol and my doctor has prescribed several different statins for me, all of which I could not tolerate. The latest one he's prescribed is ezetimibe which I have yet to try.

I feel like a guinea pig with all these tests. The side effects are not anything I care to experience, either. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/20153-ezetimibe-tablets. They include skin rash, face, lips and throat swelling, joint pain, diarrhea, and possibly others not mentioned.

I'm trying to find a natural alternative. The high LDL cholesterol is the only negative in my labs. Everything else is normal. After losing 60 pounds over the course of a year, I had to go back on 1 50mg Losartan tablet daily for blood pressure. My BP is now very good - in the 116/74 range daily.

I exercise an hour daily walking and stationary bike and have a good diet eating mostly chicken, turkey, and fish and lots of fruits and vegetables. I cook from scratch, use avocado oil and ghee, and read labels. Even my husband does since I am gluten intolerant and have some food sensitivities. We don't buy products (condiments, etc.) with unhealthy additives or that are high in saturated fats. I'm reducing my salt intake even though it's normal (140 and the range is 135-245) which may help according to my doctor. My glucose is 83. My calcium is 8.9 (range is 8.7-10.4). So all labs are good except this high LDL. My father had blocked carotids due to triglyceride build-up, but he had a high fat diet, which I don't.

Any suggestions about natural alternatives to reduce high LDL are welcome.
Thanks!

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I could not tolerate any of the oral statins. Tried them all over a 20 year time span . Tried Repatha and no issues and cut cholesterol by 50% ! Great drug but can be expensive without insurance

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1 reply
rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21 8:49am
In reply to @llynch17056 "I looked into it in the past, the Ornish diet, and I just couldn’t do it...." + (show)
@llynch17056

I looked into it in the past, the Ornish diet, and I just couldn’t do it. I eat healthy, whole foods, organics, no sodas at all, no fast food at all, etc. and I still couldn’t do it. Were you able to? Thanks.

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Did you have any support? That's important.

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1 reply
rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21 8:51am

I also can't take statins. Dr wants my ldl under 50. had calcium score score of 312. My ldl is 88.
There is another drug (not statin) called nexletol (raises uric acid and not good for people who are prone to gout).

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HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 21 9:10am
In reply to @rochelle369 "Did you have any support? That's important." + (show)
@rochelle369

Did you have any support? That's important.

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There is no one sabotaging me, but I live alone. I can control my environment. I no longer eat fast food or drink sodas or eat highly processed food, for many years. I use olive oil only and almost exclusively organic non-GMO foods, however; I have an overwhelming craving for carbs and sweet. I know from experience that if I quit them and go through about 10-14 days withdrawing that the cravings will be gone or, at least, manageable on the other side, but like all addictions, it’s so hard to start and go through the withdrawal and the minute I eat even a few, after years “clean,” I am back on them. It’s a struggle.

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1 reply
rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21 9:15am
In reply to @llynch17056 "There is no one sabotaging me, but I live alone. I can control my environment. I..." + (show)
@llynch17056

There is no one sabotaging me, but I live alone. I can control my environment. I no longer eat fast food or drink sodas or eat highly processed food, for many years. I use olive oil only and almost exclusively organic non-GMO foods, however; I have an overwhelming craving for carbs and sweet. I know from experience that if I quit them and go through about 10-14 days withdrawing that the cravings will be gone or, at least, manageable on the other side, but like all addictions, it’s so hard to start and go through the withdrawal and the minute I eat even a few, after years “clean,” I am back on them. It’s a struggle.

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Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn were the first ones to show you can halt or reverse heart disease and say no oils (which damage the endotheial lining.

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2 replies
HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 21 9:20am
In reply to @daniel777 "I could not tolerate any of the oral statins. Tried them all over a 20 year..." + (show)
@daniel777

I could not tolerate any of the oral statins. Tried them all over a 20 year time span . Tried Repatha and no issues and cut cholesterol by 50% ! Great drug but can be expensive without insurance

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Same for me. I had no side effects on Repatha and it has dramatically reduced all the bad stuff and raised the good stuff. My doctor got me into a program for it at no cost to me. However, one of the “common” side effects is “raised blood sugar/diabetes.” I am very closely monitoring that because I’m not willing to trade high Chlorestrol for diabetes. If my blood sugar stays good, Repatha will be the way for me. I also have a healthy skepticism for the whole Chlorestrol/statin focus.

I do believe that if I can get back on a stringent heart health food diet it will be all I need. I exercise everyday and eat healthy, but not the fully restrictive heart health diet. It has helped in the past, but it’s hard to adhere to.

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HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 21 9:21am
In reply to @rochelle369 "Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn were the first ones to show you can halt or..." + (show)
@rochelle369

Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Esselstyn were the first ones to show you can halt or reverse heart disease and say no oils (which damage the endotheial lining.

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I agree, I’ve done theirs and I believe in it, but, it is hard

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1 reply
rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21 9:24am
In reply to @llynch17056 "I agree, I’ve done theirs and I believe in it, but, it is hard" + (show)
@llynch17056

I agree, I’ve done theirs and I believe in it, but, it is hard

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It is hard, but works. i started a support group for those who follows theres.

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