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Statin alternatives for coronary artery blockage
I had a catheter ablation procedure in Jan 2016 for A-fib and am currently doing fine and am off of metoprolol and eliquis. Based on a CAT scan of Nov 2015 which found some blockage in my coronary artery, my cardiologist recommends I take a statin medication, thought my cholesterol, HDL/LDL, triglycerides, and platelet counts all seem to be in the good to low range, and I exercise regularly. I've read much about taking statins for high cholesterol, but not much about taking statins for coronary artery blockage, or of what help statins might be for that condition. I'm resistant at this point to taking a statin medication having read or heard about the side effects. I would appreciate any feedback you might have to offer, and what supplements might be of benefit.
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@yoanne, I didn't mention the anticoagulant involved, because that wasn't the point of my comment. In fact, it was Coumadin. It's not that the ER staff didn't know what to do. They said they didn't have any of the Vitamin K antidote on hand, so they called for a helicopter to take my friend to another hospital. For me, the ER oversight in a neighborhood full of senior citizens was unforgiveable.
From my research over the past year, I have become convinced that the criticism of Coumadin is deliberate degradation of its record and usefulness by pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the "new" anticoagulants. In the article you attached, for example, the great shortcomings of Coumadin are 1) the coagulation index (INR) of a patient's blood is checked regularly in a laboratory (although a friend of mine has a home testing device to keep track of his 10-year use of Coumadin) and 2) "Patients taking warfarin must be monitored every two to four weeks," the Drugwatch article complains. I read a less subjective report on anticoagulants last month; it declared that the standard Coumadin antidote returns the blood to normal in 10-20 minutes on the vast majority of cases.
In contrast, there is no antidote available now for any of the "new" anticoagulants. There is one in controlled clinical testing for the makers of Pradaxa, but we'll wait perhaps another year before that will be ready. I'll stick with Coumadin, thank you!
I'm sorry to hear that your brother's medical treatment team failed to keep him alive. I know from your postings here that you are too well informed and too prepared to manage your own circumstances to let that happen to you. I think the chances of you being victimized by a-fib are very small to zero, as they are with me.