I'm worried about taking statins and side effects

I started this medication are you in a half ago now my body hurts more than ever I used to take Pravastatin also made my tinnitus worse

Statins are not likely to prevent progression of heart disease according to Dr. Sinatra in The Great Cholesterol Myth. But they can cause adverse events and maybe your issue is related to the muscle problem you are experiencing. Here is what Dr. Sinatra says "Research shows that (with rare exceptions) any benefit from statin drugs is seen only in middle aged men with documented coronary artery disease."

Statins can be the lesser of 2 evils. Crestor is the best…

@sharonrider So sorry your husband is experiencing the worst of cholesterol med. I've had a trial and error with statins for over 10 yes Finally found one Crestor that doesn't give me muscle damage .Yes you have to take Coq 10 with it I take 60 mg

If you read The Great Cholesterol Myth by Bowden and Sinatra you will find that statins cause depletion of CoQ10 resulting in muscle pain, weakness, fatigue and thinking and memory problems. It sounds like your husband had textbook adverse events associated with the prescribed drugs.

My husband took statins for 2 years and we recently found out that proteins were spilling into his bloodstream. His leg muscle cells were dying He lost 25 lbs and became very weak. I thought it was age related..but soon found out it was a rate side effect of statins. His recovery is going to be a struggle as he could barely hold himself up. Im thankful for a great Dr who ran the right tests to discover this. He can never take that drug again. He barely gets through therapy now. But we are hoping over time he can regain his strength. His thinking was affected too. I thought he was getting dementia. But it was the drug

Thanks for your feedback!

Hello @dorothyp, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. I also have neuropathy and arthritis. A few years back my doctor wanted to put me on statins to help with the cholesterol numbers but I chose to work on eating healthier to raise my numbers. I didn't want to take statins because of the chance of it making my neuropathy worse. Here are a couple of articles that may help you lower your high cholesterol numbers naturally.

-- Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
-- Cholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol-lowering-supplements/art-20050980

Has your doctor offered any suggestions or have you discussed alternatives to taking statins with your doctor?

I have nerophathy, diabetes, and arthritis. Is ther something to help control high cholesterol I can take besides statin drugs?

Pic below. 300 mg. Crestor (and generics) work differently than Lipitor (and generics). Years ago I was on Crestor and did fine for about a year before terrible body aches. I changed to Lipitor generic and was much better. After calcium score scare my cardiologist doubled my intake and I started to be bothered and then I started the COQ10 and have found relief and seem to have a bit more energy. I play 20 hours of court sports a week and walk 45 min each day plus weightlifting and yard work so I put a lot of stress on joints and muscles.