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Statin Problems

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lchf statins
17K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Mare 
#1 ·
I thought this article needs exposure as it spells out most of the problems people can have with statins. It can be found here The Grave Dangers of Statin Drugs—and the Surprising Benefits of Cholesterol .

This is especially significant because the USDA guidelines have dropped the argument against cholesterol in the upcoming guidelines to be finalized this year.

To me this confirms what many on this forum are doing with LCHF and even the ADA has given this some credible validity.
 
#3 ·
Robert, thanks so much for this. I was prescribed Simvastatin (40mg) and Nitrostat (0.4 mg) back in May when I suddenly started suffering from severe chest pains and elevated cardiac enzymes and was admitted into the hospital. One day after my release from the hospital, I had a weird reaction that I immediately attributed to the statins (because it had never happened before). I blacked out and was told by my husband that I tried to jump from our moving vehicle and accused him of trying to kill me. This happened shortly after I'd taken the medicines for horrible chest pains. I still don't understand what's going on with my body though because my cholesterol was described as "perfect" by the doctors, but my triglycerides were totally out of whack. They've never been that high before, but the cardiologist said it's because my diabetes is poorly controlled. Well, it's been poorly controlled since I was diagnosed in 2009! I've been so terrified of it that I'm afraid to eat and I work out like crazy. But I'm grateful to you for this article. I have enough health issues without adding on to them with harmful drugs.
 
#4 ·
If this helps, great. Statins should not be for everyone although most doctors desire everyone to be taking them. For many, the harms outweigh the benefits and a few doctors are finding this out after the fact.

The low carb/high fat menu that many on this forum use works, not only for cholesterol management, but for blood glucose management as well.
 
#5 ·
Letha, first of all, some new studies are finding that statins do nothing for women do no good and only aid men after a heart attack so I'd wonder if they are in order for you, but I'm no doctor, so you need to ask about that.

The diet Robert mentions works like a charm for most of us Type 2's. My HDL doubled and my tris went to half in just a few months. Of course, I had to give up my cornbread, sandwiches, peas, beans, etc. They were however replaced with bacon, eggs, whipping cream, butter and numerous other goodies that I'd been taught were dangerous for me. I'm willing to give up my hot water cornbread for a rib-eye. Just a matter of learning a new way of living. And you know, I can eat all the pimento cheese on delicious crackers(in our recipes) until I am full. I can still have my turnip greens, etc. cooked with bacon fat or even fat back.

It ain't all bad! If you are a reader, give Blood Sugar 101 a good read and you'll know more than any medical person will ever know.

I'm no doctor, but just a happy camper to have been doing this 5 years now and with normal or even better than normal test scores.
 
#7 ·
I told my Doctor last time I saw him in July, that I was getting off of Simvastatin. I have never had "high" cholesterol, only 'borderline' high. Yet I was put on statins to avoid going over that line.

Since I joined this website, did my own research, I decided to get off of this drug. End of discussion for me....if anything changes for the bad on my lipid profiles, I will talk further and do more research, but for now....no more!
 
#8 ·
I spent 3-1/2 yrs trying to find a statin that I could tolerate without having horrendous muscle pains. Finally I said "No more" and quit. My cholesterol is not good but my current PCP and I have an understanding that these drugs are just not good for me. I saw the following on a Facebook group and just have to wonder - 'who is benefitting from THIS one'?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/h...-a-quandary-on-cholesterol.html?smid=fb-share
 
#10 ·
If you are taking a statin and experience muscle aches and weakness you may be experience a known serious side effect of statin medications.

Rhabdomyolysis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

This happens in 10% of people who take statins, so it's not a rare side effect. My doctors finanlly believed me that this drug was actually killing me.

I suffered a heart attack, had angio in hopsital with complete kidney failure while being treated for heart attack and blockage. It was discovered when the ck's enzymes would not go down 3 days after the heart attack indicating that some muscle (was not heart muscle at this point).

What I experienced months before was extreme muscle aches, weakness, and fatique and mental confusion. The same enzymes test they give to test for heart muscle damage can pick up if your metabolizing skeletal muscle for protein.

I do not take statins. If a medication make u feel bad then don't take it. And what's sad is all thst confortattion and my lipid panel didn't make one bit of difference on it or off of them.
 
#13 ·
My Ronnie was struggling with muscle cramps day and night. one particular night I asked him if he was taking statins. He said yes. I told him to stop taking them. His physician said he had to take a statin because he is diabetic. My husband was given another statin, a few weeks later he had a huge brain hemorrhage. He will never be OK again. End of story? No the doctors still tell us we need statins even though our neurologist says do not take statins. We take turmeric to reduce inflammation, the real cause of plaque in the arteries and also serapeptase, used in Europe to prevent plaque buildup by reducing inflammation. We have the neurologists blessing. He did mention that setia could help but he thought what we are doing is adequate.
 
#14 ·
Are you using supplemental turmeric or adding the spice to foods? I am looking into starting nattokinase, there are some that also have serrapeptase. I may have to look into serapeptase.
 
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#16 ·
We started out with culinary Tumeric in generous quantities shaken in to our smoothies along with a generous amount of black pepper. My sister-in-law had been advised by her Naturopathic physician, to take 1000mg of turmeric morning and evening for her arthritis/ inflammation. Dr. David Dow advises in his book "Brain Fog", to take some turmeric and black pepper in a glass of water daily to improve cognition. I have slacked up on it and have noticed a decline in cognition. That is how we ended up taking turmeric for our inflammation ie... plaque buildup in arteries. we also take 1000mg morning and night. The serapeptase was added when I did some further reading in natural remedies for plaque buildup in arteries. We are not really worried about decreasing our cholesterol. Even the physician who urges us to take a statin to reduce our cholesterol admits that medical science doesn't know what to think or do about cholesterol. I have a genetic predisposition to elevated cholesterol but the molecules are of the fluffy type (According to Berkly labs.) I will forever avoid medication if at all possible. I have read and seen so much working in medicine. I see the results of too many medications every day as an ultrasound/radiology tech for most of my life. I'm 67.
 
#17 ·
We are not too interested in thinning Ronnie's blood since he is just 3 years out from a severe brain hemorrhage. A note from Web MD
"How does it work?
Nattokinase decreases the ability of blood to clot. This "thins the blood" and might protect against conditions caused by blood clots such as stroke, heart attack, and others.
The following is not from web MD and not a direct quote.
Serapeptase is supposed to destroy the protein making up the plaque. It may thin the blood.
Tumeric is supposed to reduce inflammation and may thin the blood.
 
#18 ·
Thanks Ronnie. Nattokinase is also supposed to break down those proteins too, to a lesser degree maybe. I take a low dose aspirin, and will look into the serrapeptase as stand alone vs with nattokinase. The natto warns against using with other blood thinners, even aspirin.
 
#19 ·
This has been a very interesting and even more informative thread for me. My doc has had me on Avorastatin for ~20 years to fight the demon “high cholesterol.” I’m close to being a living example of more of the negative statin side effect symptoms in the ANH article than I’d like to admit.

My low carb diet and ramped-up exercise weight loss efforts start this week. I have about a month’s worth of Avorastatin left. I’ll finish this prescription, but I don’t intend to refill it. With luck (?), as I get my weight/triglycerides closer to where they should be my cholesterol level should hopefully also get down to where it should be and I’ll be OK without the Avorastatin.

I find it interesting I’ve complained repeatedly (over a period of years) to my doc about half a dozen or so of the statin negative side effect symptoms and he’s always pooh-poohed those complaints and treated me as if I’m a mentally unhinged hypochondriac.
 
#20 ·
I find it interesting I’ve complained repeatedly (over a period of years) to my doc about half a dozen or so of the statin negative side effect symptoms and he’s always pooh-poohed those complaints and treated me as if I’m a mentally unhinged hypochondriac.
Believe me, you are not the only one to be treated this way by your doctor! Good for you, jumping in and taking control of your health.

My father was on statins for years and had the worst leg cramps and pain bad enough to make a grown man cry. He started to get odd pits in his calves and was losing muscle. When I encouraged him to ditch the statins, he started feeling better quickly and was pain-free after a few months.
 
#21 ·
I was put on statins about 12 years ago and couldn't figure out what was happening to my body. Got to the point where I could barely walk and then my sister-in-law saw me walk and the first thing out of her mouth was the word statins. I stopped taking them and slowly returned to normal. At my next doctor visit, they asked if I was still taking them and I told them my sister-in-law took me off of them! They didn't say a word.

I often wondered, after that, how many really old people were put on these things and began to deteriorate and just gave up. It's a troubling thought, for sure.
 
#22 ·
I often wondered, after that, how many really old people were put on these things and began to deteriorate and just gave up. It's a troubling thought, for sure.
Several years ago a friend and I visited her older sister and partner. They're in their 70's (okay, not really old!), both physically active healthy women. Their doc put them =both= on statins at the same time.

When I heard that, I went into a controlled rant and mentioned muscle issues. The partner said her legs had started really hurting, and my friend's sister confirmed it. She still didn't think it could be the statin, but I implored her to just try: stop taking them and see what happens after a couple/few weeks. Naturally, the mysterious leg pain went away.

What's so troubling, is that all these cases are generally poo-pooed and don't get added to any statistical data, greatly minimizing the percentage who are harmed by the side effect. I wonder how many studies have been suppressed along the way, a common tactic w/ big pharma.

Class action lawsuit!
 
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#23 ·
When my Dad had surgery to open up the veins in his neck, his doctor was so nice? to bring out the "thing" that was doing the clogging, I thought my kid brother was going to pass out:vs_shocked: but although graphic, it was easy to see that something was causing his problem, I just can't be certain that we get the truth on just what that "thing" was and I'll take that over daily pain that will eventually make me bedridden.
 
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