1. < Heart & Blood Health

Statin Intolerance: What did you do?

Posted by tim1028 @tim1028, Jun 4, 2019

I've developed statin intolerance over the 6 months I've been taking daily 40 mg atorvastatin. I'd like to hear from those of you who also have statin intolerance about what your next steps were. Did you lower the dose of the same statin? Switch to another statin? Stop statins altogether? Other approaches?

In my case, I developed muscle weakness, energy loss, shortness of breath and noticeable brain fog. I've stopped the statin until I am able to discuss the issue with my PCP. I started to feel better after the statin had washed out of my system. Risk factors that indicate that I should be on a statin are low HDL and a high coronary artery calcium score.

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rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21, 2024

I also can't take statins. Dr wants my ldl under 50. had calcium score score of 312. My ldl is 88.
There is another drug (not statin) called nexletol (raises uric acid and not good for people who are prone to gout).

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rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Apr 21, 2024
In reply to @llynch17056 "I looked into it in the past, the Ornish diet, and I just couldn’t do it...." + (show)
@llynch17056

I looked into it in the past, the Ornish diet, and I just couldn’t do it. I eat healthy, whole foods, organics, no sodas at all, no fast food at all, etc. and I still couldn’t do it. Were you able to? Thanks.

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Did you have any support? That's important.

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1 reply
daniel777 | @daniel777 | Apr 9, 2024
In reply to @jeridenn "I have high LDL cholesterol and my doctor has prescribed several different statins for me, all..." + (show)
@jeridenn

I have high LDL cholesterol and my doctor has prescribed several different statins for me, all of which I could not tolerate. The latest one he's prescribed is ezetimibe which I have yet to try.

I feel like a guinea pig with all these tests. The side effects are not anything I care to experience, either. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/20153-ezetimibe-tablets. They include skin rash, face, lips and throat swelling, joint pain, diarrhea, and possibly others not mentioned.

I'm trying to find a natural alternative. The high LDL cholesterol is the only negative in my labs. Everything else is normal. After losing 60 pounds over the course of a year, I had to go back on 1 50mg Losartan tablet daily for blood pressure. My BP is now very good - in the 116/74 range daily.

I exercise an hour daily walking and stationary bike and have a good diet eating mostly chicken, turkey, and fish and lots of fruits and vegetables. I cook from scratch, use avocado oil and ghee, and read labels. Even my husband does since I am gluten intolerant and have some food sensitivities. We don't buy products (condiments, etc.) with unhealthy additives or that are high in saturated fats. I'm reducing my salt intake even though it's normal (140 and the range is 135-245) which may help according to my doctor. My glucose is 83. My calcium is 8.9 (range is 8.7-10.4). So all labs are good except this high LDL. My father had blocked carotids due to triglyceride build-up, but he had a high fat diet, which I don't.

Any suggestions about natural alternatives to reduce high LDL are welcome.
Thanks!

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I could not tolerate any of the oral statins. Tried them all over a 20 year time span . Tried Repatha and no issues and cut cholesterol by 50% ! Great drug but can be expensive without insurance

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1 reply
emo | @emo | Apr 6, 2024
In reply to @dizzyprizzy "Every "body" is different. That is why they call is "guidance"." + (show)
@dizzyprizzy

Every "body" is different. That is why they call is "guidance".

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Exactly. The unfortunate thing is we saw doctor after doctor after doctor who presented the “guidance” as a hard and fast rule and pressured us into following the guidance. And…that’s how we ended up finding new doctors.

But at the time, my father was in an acute care hospital so we had very little control over what was being prescribed and pushed left and right.

It got much better after we finally got him out of the hospital.

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emo | @emo | Apr 6, 2024
In reply to @jeridenn "In reply to @emo, @hopeful33250, @rochelle369, and @mayoconnectuser1. I do eat lots of fruits and vegies..." + (show)
@jeridenn

In reply to @emo, @hopeful33250, @rochelle369, and @mayoconnectuser1.
I do eat lots of fruits and vegies daily via salads and green vegs with lunch and dinner, snacking on celery in between. I don't eat refined carbs regularly, but break over to having a few crackers now and the, usually gluten free made with almond flour. I've been on a special diet protocol since Jan 2023 to reduce inflammation in my body and lose weight, which was successful, and I've continued to follow the diet but am adding raw nuts, whole grains, and fruits like red and green apples, bananas, berries, melons, citrus, avocados, etc. into my diet along with more wild-caught fish.

I have not taken any statins since the three I tried caused a multitude of side effects making it impossible to function at all. I am checking with my heart doctor about the Cholesto-pure. That may be a possibility to investigate.

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That sounds great if it’s working for you, and hope you and your cardiologist are able to find a good solution. My dad’s cardiologist mentioned there are the newer injectable medications that work differently. And I think someone mentioned Zetia; that also has a different mechanism of action if you’re open to medication.

Restrictive diets aren’t a good option for my dad or me; he has limitations/disabilities and for me it triggered food anxiety and disordered eating things which were never a problem before. I was told it’s a common “common effect.”

But it’s great you’re finding things that work for you.

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HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 5, 2024
In reply to @rainerhans "My husband is on Repatha since a week, thanks for your information." + (show)
@rainerhans

My husband is on Repatha since a week, thanks for your information.

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I tend to have side effects with everything and was very scared to do an injection because once it’s in there you can’t take it out, but to my surprise I’ve had almost no side effects. One day my muscles and joints hurt. That’s it. I’ll do a fasting blood panel soon to be sure it hasn’t raised my blood sugar.

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rainerhans | @rainerhans | Apr 5, 2024
In reply to @llynch17056 "Same for me. I tried a lot of different statins in different doses and finally quit..." + (show)
@llynch17056

Same for me. I tried a lot of different statins in different doses and finally quit them altogether about 10 years ago. I was able to keep my numbers in the high/normal range with diet and exercise then suddenly they shot up. I am now on Repatha without side effects. It can cause raised blood sugar. I have only been on Repatha for 6 weeks and will test blood sugar soon.

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My husband is on Repatha since a week, thanks for your information.

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1 reply
HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 4, 2024

Agree. I hope it has no effect on my blood sugar, I’ve never had a blood sugar issue. That would be enough to take me off of it.

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bbonchek | @bbonchek | Apr 4, 2024
In reply to @llynch17056 "Same for me. I tried a lot of different statins in different doses and finally quit..." + (show)
@llynch17056

Same for me. I tried a lot of different statins in different doses and finally quit them altogether about 10 years ago. I was able to keep my numbers in the high/normal range with diet and exercise then suddenly they shot up. I am now on Repatha without side effects. It can cause raised blood sugar. I have only been on Repatha for 6 weeks and will test blood sugar soon.

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That’s interesting about your blood sugar possibly going too high while on Repatha. I have had the opposite happen where mine has gone too low. I’m keeping an eye on it. It is truly amazing how these drugs effect people so differently.

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HomeAgainLA | @llynch17056 | Apr 3, 2024
In reply to @bbonchek "I also cannot tolerate statins. I have gotten side negative effects from all the oral ones...." + (show)
@bbonchek

I also cannot tolerate statins. I have gotten side negative effects from all the oral ones. It is important I take this type of medication so I am now on Repatha injections every 2 weeks with no side effects. This seems to be a good alternative.

Jump to this post

Same for me. I tried a lot of different statins in different doses and finally quit them altogether about 10 years ago. I was able to keep my numbers in the high/normal range with diet and exercise then suddenly they shot up. I am now on Repatha without side effects. It can cause raised blood sugar. I have only been on Repatha for 6 weeks and will test blood sugar soon.

REPLY
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