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

Posted by Barb @amberpep, Aug 10, 2020

Just a bit of information I discovered last week. One of the side effects of taking "simvistatin" is temporary memory loss. It is the only statin that has this effect. I am going to talk to my .doctor about stopping it, with his guidance of course. I have had some short lapses in memory .... forgetting part of my phone number, etc.

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My cholesterol has been off the charts since my 30s. Over the years I tried several different statins, and every single time had horrendous side effects, very weak muscles and pains and aches in my legs and would refuse to take them. Now, at age 70, the Cardiologist convinced me to try Pravachol. I have absolutely no side effects whatsoever from it and my numbers are dropping.

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@bijouxb My cholesterol was around 300 then finally Dr found a statin that has brought my numbers way down without any side effect it is rovustatin or Crestor this is the only one that will work for me and no side effects have you tried others?

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@bijouxb

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.

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@bijouxb- Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You sound very very frustrated and angry. Taking statins are the pits. I have had terrible experiences with them. But I'm back on Crestor. My blood work shows that my muscles aren't breaking down so I'm trying to put up with the aches. Exercising helps with this. My cholesterol went from over 300 down to 215. I'll put up with this until it gets worse. I have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. I have had a stent put in an artery. So far I have not had any heart issues.

I wish that I had an answer for you about what to do when caught in between rocks and hard places. I do think that you might ask about blood work that shows inflammation because you might have an underlying cause other than the statin.

I think that we have to face up to not taking care of ourselves. I smoked which led to lung cancer. I also have other things niggling at me so not being able to move is a very big thing for me.

Perhaps this following page will help with some ideas? Let me know!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/help-for-your-cholesterol-when-the-statins-wont-do

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@tcokeefe

My cholesterol has been off the charts since my 30s. Over the years I tried several different statins, and every single time had horrendous side effects, very weak muscles and pains and aches in my legs and would refuse to take them. Now, at age 70, the Cardiologist convinced me to try Pravachol. I have absolutely no side effects whatsoever from it and my numbers are dropping.

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@tcokeefe- This is such great news. Exercising and a clean diet of veggies and fruit and fiber will also help it. Did you ever have a blood test to see if your muscles were ok while taking other statins?

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It’s been many many years but I believe I did once and it did not show that condition of muscle wasting. But I did not want to full around with it because the heart is a muscle.

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@amberamberpep Thank for sharing such important information on stations.

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@lioness

@bijouxb My cholesterol was around 300 then finally Dr found a statin that has brought my numbers way down without any side effect it is rovustatin or Crestor this is the only one that will work for me and no side effects have you tried others?

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Interesting. I had muscle weakness and fatigue with Atorvastatin and Pravastatin, so had to stop. Rosuvastatin works well for me at a low dose and has dropped my LDL to 60. No side effects;

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@tim1028

Interesting. I had muscle weakness and fatigue with Atorvastatin and Pravastatin, so had to stop. Rosuvastatin works well for me at a low dose and has dropped my LDL to 60. No side effects;

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@tim1028 Thanks for posting this info on Atorvastatin which I'm on. These statins are awful and not sure if they truly help cholesterol. Had side effects with other statin drugs so no other options for me.

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@marjou

@tim1028 Thanks for posting this info on Atorvastatin which I'm on. These statins are awful and not sure if they truly help cholesterol. Had side effects with other statin drugs so no other options for me.

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Many people can successfully take Atorvastatin and other statins with no side effects. I had to get off one statin, wait a month or two, then try another. There are other LDL lowering drugs available that are not statins. When I started Atorvastatin, it was at a moderate dose. When I started with rosuvastatin, I took the lowest dose, once a week, then gradually increased to the highest level I could tolerate (4X weekly). This 'low and slow' process took 9 months.

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@tim1028

Many people can successfully take Atorvastatin and other statins with no side effects. I had to get off one statin, wait a month or two, then try another. There are other LDL lowering drugs available that are not statins. When I started Atorvastatin, it was at a moderate dose. When I started with rosuvastatin, I took the lowest dose, once a week, then gradually increased to the highest level I could tolerate (4X weekly). This 'low and slow' process took 9 months.

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@tim1028- I loved Lipitor and it worked so well for me, for many years. Then I began to notice memory problems and I had to get off of it. Since then I have struggled to find one that I could tolerate without muscle pain or memory loss.
It's not really known why statins affect people's muscles but they can damage them. I'm doing better this time with Crestor. It is considered the best statin right now and the strongest. My total cholesterol went from the 300's to just over 200 with Crestor so for now, I'm staying with Crestor. This is the 3rd or 4th tie that I have tried.
I don't know if my tolerance right now has anything to do with the power of suggestion but when I first started this again I did with a positive attitude and not one of doom.

This might help with understanding what we are taking.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013

Is anyone taking statins even though there is mild to moderate muscle pain?

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