MayoClinic.org
- important information about statins -
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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@gator123– Hello. Are you asking @tim1028 about Crestor? Are you taking Crestor?
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.
Hi: I have a question, my Cardiologist had me start taking a vasodilator to relax the blood vessels and allow better flow. As well as a newer Zitia which is supposed to block the absorption cholesterol by the stomach. My numbers are good 135 but he says that I have too much small particle LDL in my blood. Wondering if anyone else has used either of these med?
@grandmajan– Good morning. Yes, I have used Zita, and its done nothing for me. I hope that your situation is different and that it dows for you.
I've scheduled blood work in 2 weeks, so we'll see. My Cholesterol numbers are pretty good. Triglycerides _ 72, HDL 48, LDL 72, tot. 137. But my LDL-P is 1136. I do seem to have more energy and feel better since I started the vasodilator (Isosorbide Dinitrate. I will let you know if the blood work improves. Thanks for listening.
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.
@grandmajan– This surprises me because Zita works in the stomach. Perhaps something else might be going on? I feel some achiness with Crestor but I also have some arthritis.
Most of the side effects of Zita happen in your digestive system.
https://www.drugs.com/sfx/zetia-side-effects.html
Do you have any of these symptoms too?
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
@merpreb, Just found this new discussion and appreciate what you wrote and the link you provided. @johnbishop had posted two links on the effects of statins and peripheral neuropathy. This link adds more reason for me to have a “statin discussion” with my doc at my next annual exam because I’ve taken Lipitor in the past and now take Atorvastin for cholesterol.
@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?
@bijouxb, While I am taking Atorvastatin and haven't experienced the dreadful side effects you wrote about, I do sincerely empathize with the dilemma you share about finding yourself between a rock and a hard place on which meds to take and which to stop. For those of us with multiple serious chronic health issues, it becomes confusing, frustrating and difficult to know which paths to follow for the best outcomes in treatment.
The more prescribed meds we add to our daily arsenals, the more risks we may take in experiencing side effects from one or more. It becomes more mind boggling when we see multiple specialists intent on their one condition. For many of us, there isn't the coordination among docs about an individual's health and with very little time with each doc for the patient, it becomes a challenge to get asked and answered the "top of the list of concerns" we are having.
Multiple health issues have certainly changed my daily life as well but I am grateful for the medical advances made and glad to "still be here". I can't do all that I once could do but I choose to focus on what I still can. Whether it is lungs, bones, kidney, diabetes, stroke or something out of the blue, I want to keep working to maintain the best health I can for as long as I can. Best to you and others who share this complicated journey.
Aha! yes Merry, "Familial hypercholesterolemia." That's the mouthful word I didn't remember correctly, calling it "Familial hyperlipidemia.