Important information about statins that I’m going to ask my doc about

And yes Merry, I probably spend an inordinate amount of time trying to stay fit and healthy. For exercise, in addition to going at sort of an Energizer Bunny pace in daily activities, I walk daily and with my wife, do a relatively light weight routine 3 x weekly. I do all the food prep at our place preparing low-fat (i.e., no added cooking oils, no fried foods) 100% plant-based with only an occasional processed item like a Boca Burger, et. al.

I weigh less than I'd like to (120 lb's.) but can't seem to gain despite hosing down a daily Orgain pea protein chocolate shake plus eating high fat plant foods like avocado, olives and sinful dark chocolate bars. I think I posted my numbers earlier but in case not: Total cholesterol: 166, LDL 82, HDL 74,Trigs 52

@thrushsong - Good morning. I have what is called FH, Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited defect in how my body recycles LDL (bad) cholesterol. As a consequence, LDL levels in the blood remain very high – in untreated adults, above 190 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. Until I tried Crestor for the 4th time my numbers were off the charts no matter my diet, exercise...

I know that you mentioned this is your post. I'd like to stay with lipid number and FH. The advantage that I see in taking Crestor now is that my total score has come down from a bit over 300 to 215, and that's just over a month of taking it. A very low in take of meat is recommended but it doesn't have to be eliminated entirely. Exercise is a big factor in trying to lower your numbers.

Do you exercise a lot?

@thrushsong - Good morning. I have what is called FH, Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited defect in how my body recycles LDL (bad) cholesterol. As a consequence, LDL levels in the blood remain very high – in untreated adults, above 190 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. Until I tried Crestor for the 4th time my numbers were off the charts no matter my diet, exercise...

I know that you mentioned this is your post. I'd like to stay with lipid number and FH. The advantage that I see in taking Crestor now is that my total score has come down from a bit over 300 to 215, and that's just over a month of taking it. A very low in take of meat is recommended but it doesn't have to be eliminated entirely. Exercise is a big factor in trying to lower your numbers.

Do you exercise a lot?

I was put on Atorvastatin, and in less than 2 months I developed: (a) TERRIBLE muscle pain in both feet and legs; (b) partial tears in both my tibial tendon and plantar fascia; (c) sudden onset of Stage II CKD; (d) Pre-Diabetes; and (e) brain fog from hell. Statins almost killed me. And now, I am being told that "if I do not take statins, I risk death" because my cholesterol is NOT good. So I am being told to pick between one hideous disease that might kill me, or the absolutely certainty of Kidney Failure and Diabetes - that will also kill me, but not before it turns me into a Dialysis patient, and THEN kills me.

This is 2020. There have to be alternatives to the type of medical care that says "We'll fix (sort of) this problem, but the cure will kill you" type of scenario I am facing. Or put another way: right now, I have one hideous disease that might kill me. If I take Statins, I'll have three hideous diseases that will kill me. Because they don't "cure" heart disease. They just slow it down. Supposedly. And I have also read that there is little evidence of an increased life span from statin medication. Especially for women. The Statin Pharma Lobby is a really powerful organization. Biggest moneymaker in history. And that is fact.

By the way, my cholesterol was perfectly normal. Then I hit Menopause and Holy Mother of God. And I have discovered - the hard way - that the medications doctors are fond of giving to anxious patients (especially women) cause my cholesterol to surge even higher. Prozac was a biggie. 100 points. In less than a month of usage. I stopped the Prozac and that 100 point increase disappeared. I have since watched my numbers from BEFORE cholesterol was a problem to now. I have also been able to see what triggers spikes in cholesterol AND the sudden onset of potentially debilitating disease of other organs. I stopped taking Atorvastatin because I was practically crippled in less than 2 months. My "out-nowhere" Kidney Disease disappeared, as did my Pre-Diabetes. Not so lucky with the muscle pain, but it is getting better. I'll never be a power-walker ever again, however. My days of hiking are over. And it hurts to lose function like that. Not being able to really exercise is just as hard on a person's heart as the dreaded "Cholesterol" debate. I still wonder how a substances that is essential to healing the body (Cholesterol) has been so demonized. Isn't it inflammation to blood vessels that Cholesterol is generated to try and repair damaged arteries? Input from cardiologists without skin in the game would be really helpful.

What are patients like myself supposed to do? It would appear that we are damned if we do, and damned if we don't. I live with someone who has End Stage Renal Disease and has to endure the rigors of dialysis thrice weekly, and I will NEVER allow that to happen to me on purpose. It is a living hell. You never "get used to it" and your life, plans and EVERYTHING that matters(ed) to you take a back seat. And being told these are my only options are not sitting well with me.

Tim, it pains me to read of persons with elevated cholesterol relying on a med to do what practically everyone* can do by adopting a largely low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet. Side-step all the downside of statins while moving one's way-of-eating closer to the diet to which we're ideally adapted by our evolutionary history. *According to William C. Roberts, M.D., (American College of Cardiologists) the exceptions are people who have "familial" hyperlipidemia. Works for me; my lipid numbers are well below the reference range. And there's a bonus, "plant-based" avoids the environmental damage rendered by raising animals to eat and, in the wink of an eye, and one is no longer engaging the morally dubious practice of supporting the needless killing sentient creatures to eat for no better reason than they taste good. Don

@amberpep- My sister and I use to take Lipitor and we both had what appeared to memory loss. After we stopped it and went on to something else that loss returned. It's not permanent.
Where did you find the information that you stated?

Here is up to date information on Statins.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013

I take 5 mg. My LDL level was in the 90s before I started Crestor (rosuvastatin). It was lowered to 60 within a couple of months. I haven't had it checked lately,but it should be about 60, a 30% drop. The important thing for me is that I have improved ALL the lifestyle factors that contribute to heart health. Diet, exercise,stress, etc. Many people who take a statin don't follow up with changes in lifestyle, in which case, according to Mayo cardiologist Dr Stephen Kopecky, the statin isn't helping.

Follow up, I took Zita for 7 days. On Day 5 my hips and lower back began to ache. Next they got stiff and didn't want to function. I stopped it. Last Cholesterol lowering medication I'm trying. I had tried Crestor before and had the same kind of outcome but in my neck and shoulders. So it's Oatmeal and Celery for me. Had a metabolic panel done yesterday. We'll see what the numbers are later.