STATINS - The Good the Bad and the Ugly.

I was also having memory issues. I had been on simvastatin for many years. I stopped and tried to control with diet, but my LDL shot up. I was put on pravastatin. I guess it is a trade off but I still feel uncomfortable with this medicine.

@pcspetpro- My 1st question is what does your Dr. say? Have you seen a cardiologist? If so what do they say? I am not really up on the Ratio of Calcium to high LDL, but my lipid numbers shot up several years back and even though I was exercising 3x a week, I had a HA. in 2014. Since then I've been on 2 different statins at different times of 40 mg. I had some neuropthy develope in my feet and after several tests I was convinced that it was the Simistatin that was the problem. I moved to Atorvastatin and the problem has pretty much diappeared. On a appt. for second opinion at the Scottsdale Mayo the cardiologist recommended I switch to rosuvastatin 20 mg because he felt that does better against the LDL which was at 82 at the time and he wanted me to get below 70. After 6 months I had new lipids done and all my numbers were much better and my LDL was at 68 and that was on half the dosage I was taking with the other statins.
There is a lot we can do to help bring our numbers down by eating better and exercising regularly which I do, but we also have genes to contend with and I'm happy I got that 2nd opinion and will continue to improve on the many things I can do to eat wisely. Good luck! Jim @thankful

I was put on a statin (Lipitor 40 mg) after getting high score (1560) on a CT coronary arteries scan. I've had no side effects so far. I have a consultation with a cardiologist in a week. My feeling at this at the this point that I should take a statin because it provides a lowered risk of an MI or stroke. I've also exercised for years and eat a relatively healthy diet,(which I'm tightening up with saturated fats limited to

Did you have a stress test? How high is your LDL? It seems that some people have a high CAC score but have no arterial blockages.

@pcspetpro I had a triple by pass in 1996 Im still on a statin my cholesterol goes up and down even tho I watch my diet fat and sugar ,and exercise 3times a week .Mine is hereditary but I just had a echo and no plaque in my arteries so where does the p!aque come from?

That's a great question! The process of athrosclorosis is extremely complicated and there are many elements that are still a mystery. I certainly may have familial hypercholesterolemia, although I don't have the FH mutations. There maybe hundreds or even thousands of FH subtypes. I don't think there is one answer to this important question, it may be a different process for different people. I do feel that there are common culprits/contributors like toxic environments, poor nutrician, hypertension, stress, high blood pressure. High LDL could be a factor for some, but there are people that have high LDL and a zero calcium score. Oxidized LDL seems to be a more likely villain. It seems that damage to the glycocalyx commonly precedes damage to the vascular endothelium. Diet could definitely be a factor for some, for me personally I can eat a low carb diet or a low fat diet with very little change in my blood work. Our body makes 80%-85% of the cholesterol. Statins may help some people but it may not be because they lower LDL, they also lower inflammation and may help prevent glycocalyx damage and stabilize plaque. In some people statins will actually increase the calcium score (stabilizing plaque). Then there is the coagulation factor. There is still so much to be discovered.

I had a stress test with echocardiogram which was normal. LDL before starting Lipitor is 90. I don't how I cannot have significant coronary arterial blockages with such a high CAC. With a normal stress/echo any blockages are apparently less than 70%. And then there's the question of where the arterial calcification is located--artery inner lining, in the wall, etc? My calcifications are concentrated in two coronary arteries rather than scattered like buckshot throughout all the coronary arteries. And maybe collateral arteries are bypassing any blockages? I hope to find some answers when I see the cardiologist next week.

@pcspetpro you are so right our body is complicated just like why are we here in the first place when our family is grown ,married and has there family ,what is our purpose now ?you wonder dont you

Our bodies and our perceptions are unique...….. yet there is still a connection to oneness.

My LDL was 183, I'm discovering more and more individuals with high CAC scores and no symptoms/blockages. I'm motivated to find out why this is. I have a LAD 657 RCA 307 LCX 15. I can't find anyone that will interpret, or seems interested in volume and mass. Collateral arteries could also be an important variable. Let me know if your cardiologist has any important insights. Cheers.