[muck]

My fasting reading this morning was 4.8 I don't remember ever being this low before, although I deliberately didn't take my Crestor 29mg (statin) last night going to bed to see if it would make a difference to my fasting levels.
I wonder if perhaps taking it in the mornings around the time I am more likely to do some form of exercise would make a difference.
I did discuss with my doc last month at my 3 mthly check up decreasing dosage from 20mg to 10mg as my cholesterol level had dropped from 8.4 to 4.5 over 6 mth period doc wasn't keen he wants me under 4.
Would appreciate your advice guys

 

[jwags]

There was a guy on another D forum who started taking statins and his HbA1c went up. He then stopped them and in 3 months his HbA1c dropped. After I stopped statins my bgs dropped a lot.

 

[muck]

There was a guy on another D forum who started taking statins and his HbA1c went up. He then stopped them and in 3 months his HbA1c dropped. After I stopped statins my bgs dropped a lot.

2 qsts for you jwags what was your cholesterol level when you stopped taking Crestor & how long before you noticed a difference in your levels

I'm not sure how long it takes for statins to be non existant in body & it it was just a coincidence that the night I stop taking it next day levels are down

My doc increased my dosage from 10mg to 20mg & my next A1C after that rose from 5.9 to 6.2...mmmm Im getting suspicious, I dont want to go against my docs advise but need to do whats best for me

 

[naynay]

I take crestor at bedtime as well, 20 mg. I wonder if this is contributing to my DP? Also, why are we instructed to take at bedtime? When I took Lipitor, I always took it in the morning. Hmmm, I'll have to do some research on this one. I never heard of a correlation between crestor and higher bg's. Interesting. Thanks for giving me a new topic to research. The old ones were getting boring.

 

[Carolina]

I stopped my Lipitor a while ago & my ## have come down.

 

[naynay]

Really. Hmmm, this is something I will have to find out about when I have my next blood work and doctor's appointment. High cholesterol and high tryglicerides are a hereditary thing in my family, and unfortunately have been on a statin for many years because of it. When I went off the crestor two years ago, my cholesterol shot to over 1,000 and my tryglicerides shot to almost 7000! So, I went back to the crestor and my cholesterol has been doing pretty good and the trigs are coming down, so hopefully with my new LC/HF diet I will have success with those numbers as well. Fingers-crossed!

 

[muck]

I take crestor at bedtime as well, 20 mg. I wonder if this is contributing to my DP? Also, why are we instructed to take at bedtime? When I took Lipitor, I always took it in the morning. Hmmm, I'll have to do some research on this one. I never heard of a correlation between crestor and higher bg's. Interesting. Thanks for giving me a new topic to research. The old ones were getting boring.

I didnt take my Crestor again last night & this mornings fasting was 4.5 which is unheard of for me, I'll take Crestor tonight & see what tomorrows number is.

Not sure why we have to take it in the morning I have to see my doc tomorrow to get some stitches out I'll check with him then.

Im taking 3g of fish oil a day now to try & reduce my cholesterol

My next A1C not till end of Dec will be interesting to see what difference LCHF has made

Keep me updated on your research & I'll post tomorrow once Ive seen Doc

 

[naynay]

Muck, I did some research on the net about higher bg's and crestor, and sure enough it is one of the side effects. Why don't the doctors tell us this stuff? They obviously know about that! It really irritates me. I am going to try and not take my Crestor tonight and see if it affects my bg's in the morning. I did also do a bit of research on a natural alternative to taking statins. I found some information about a drug called policanisol (I think this was the name). It is derived from sugar cane and beeswax. It has shown some really great results, however there also seems to be some controversy surrounding it because all the trials were done in Cuba, and the manufacturer of this natural drug is located in Cuba, and blah blah blah. So, not sure if I should try this. Interesting. I will do some more research on it however and keep you up to date on what I find. Keep me posted on what you are told.

 

[muck]

Muck, I did some research on the net about higher bg's and crestor, and sure enough it is one of the side effects. Why don't the doctors tell us this stuff? They obviously know about that! It really irritates me. I am going to try and not take my Crestor tonight and see if it affects my bg's in the morning. I did also do a bit of research on a natural alternative to taking statins. I found some information about a drug called policanisol (I think this was the name). It is derived from sugar cane and beeswax. It has shown some really great results, however there also seems to be some controversy surrounding it because all the trials were done in Cuba, and the manufacturer of this natural drug is located in Cuba, and blah blah blah. So, not sure if I should try this. Interesting. I will do some more research on it however and keep you up to date on what I find. Keep me posted on what you are told.

I found this site interesting: Got high cholesterol? Policosanol is the absolute best answer.

Not sure if we have this drug in Australia, we are so far behind in releasing new drugs here usually takes about 3 years of testing after UK & America have finished their clinical trials for Aus to release, we still dont have Victoza on our PBS (Prescription Benefit Scheme) here yet so very expensive !! Its up for review at next PBS meeting next month.

I was disappointed at my last A1C that I had gone up from 5.9 to 6.2 & thought I wasnt trying hard enough ( was eating low GI carbs as advised then) & I did query my doc about at least lowering the dosage of Crestor but he was very adamant that I stick to 20mg, he said my cholesterol would go up again otherwise, but no mention of the likely cause of why my A1C was higher & I confess that I dont have a great deal of knowledge re cholesterol will have to educate myself.

Not sure how much the fish oil does to reduce cholesterol but I have started taking it anyway, cant hurt!

 

[naynay]

Muck, I take 2 grams of fish oil daily, and might up it to 3 grams if I decide to find out if the crestor is raising my bg's. I'm also cutting back on my Zoloft (currently take 100 mg; I'm going to try and do 50 mg). The fish oil does help immensely. I have difficulty with very high triglycerides, and the fish oil really helps reduce those. Be sure to watch the DHA and EPA levels in the one you take. My cardio doctor said you want the combination of DHA and EPA levels to be at or around the amount of mg's the fish oil states. So, if you have a bottle of 1000 mg fish oil, be sure the DHA and EPA levels are listed separate and that they equal close to that amount. Many supplements say 1000 mg, but only contains around 300 mg of DHA and EPA combined. The rest is just other fish oils. This is very important. Otherwise you are wasting your time with it. I don't know if you take cinnamon, but it is also supposed to be good for lowering cholesterol. I've read things both good and not convincing that it helps with lower bg's. I used to take cinnamon for quite a while and I did not find it to do anything except give me heart burn! I do love cinnamon, so I will add it to many foods just for the flavor. However, if you do a supplement be sure to drink plenty of water with it.

 

[muck]

Renee I just checked the fish oil I use which is 1500mg EPA is 270mg & DHA 180m...bummer This is a brand that a chemist recomended!!
Yes I have some fresh cinnamon but havent used it much
I do take Chromium tabs though I take 1 after each meal it too is supposed to help lower BG
My fasting this morning was 5.3 which is ok (took Crestor last night) but the 2 previous nights when I didnt take Crestor was 4.8 & 4.5, am seeing doc this morning so will ask why we need to take it at night, my daytime numbers tend to be lower so would make sense to take it then.

 

[canadiandude]

Geez Louise Muck! Did ya have to go and solve my mystery?! I have been wondering for the past week and a half why my morning BG numbers have been in the 4s lately. It never once dawned on me that it might be related to the fact I stopped taking my Crestor two weeks ago.

@naynay - careful with the Zoloft!!! That's how my wife gained over 40 kg (80lbs) during the 1 year she took it. She's only now starting to lose that weight after following me on a LCHF diet. Im sure you already know about the problems of using Zoloft but wanted to mention it just in case.

 

[muck]

Canadiandude Sherlock Muck here lol Yeah I was getting frustrated at why my morning BG werent coming down going to bed I would be lower, I remembered reading that statins could possibly raise your BG, but the article said that the benefits of reduced heart attack & strokes outnumbered the small increase to BG. I didnt take Crestor for 2 nights & it did make a difference to my morning numbers, as soon as I took Crestor again my BG were raised.

I discussed with my doc this morning if I could try taking Crestor in morning when I have a better opportunity of monitoring by testing during the day & he was fine with this just adv me to take after food, so I will miss tonights dosage & take tomorrow morning & monitor from there.

At least by knowing what is potentially causing a rise in morning BG we can then discuss with doc or make decision based on cholesterol numbers whether to continue with Crestor or not

 

[canadiandude]

Canadiandude Sherlock Muck here lol Yeah I was getting frustrated at why my morning BG werent coming down going to bed I would be lower, I remembered reading that statins could possibly raise your BG, but the article said that the benefits of reduced heart attack & strokes outnumbered the small increase to BG. I didnt take Crestor for 2 nights & it did make a difference to my morning numbers, as soon as I took Crestor again my BG were raised.

I discussed with my doc this morning if I could try taking Crestor in morning when I have a better opportunity of monitoring by testing during the day & he was fine with this just adv me to take after food, so I will miss tonights dosage & take tomorrow morning & monitor from there.

At least by knowing what is potentially causing a rise in morning BG we can then discuss with doc or make decision based on cholesterol numbers whether to continue with Crestor or not

I agree that taking the Crestor in the morning is probably a better solution if you are "required" to take it. However, my main argument with my doc is that my cholesterol levels are now below the average range for healthy people so why is my being on Crestor necessary. He will, of course, argue that it was the Crestor that lowered my cholesterol to that level and that may be true but the Crestor isn't responsible for the rest of my trigs being at excellent levels, all within the ranges required. So, the only argument he can use (and likely will!) is that the Crestor is necessary to raise my HDL numbers further (even though they are in an acceptable range).

Now, my doc also dismissed my claims of muscle damage (I have a lot of lower back pain and aches with other muscles as well since starting on Crestor that I didn't have when on simvastatin). He insists that my aches and pains are training related and pointed to one of the trig level results from my last blood tests that showed themselves to be within the acceptable range. He said that an exceptionally low level for that trig would indicate muscle damage so as long as that level was normal, I wasn't being affected by the Crestor. I have no answer for that argument.

 

[moon]

So, the only argument he can use (and likely will!) is that the Crestor is necessary to raise my HDL numbers further (even though they are in an acceptable range).

I wasn't aware that statins had much effect on HDL if any.

 

[naynay]

CD, I am aware of the dangers of Zoloft and weight gain. I have, however, been on the Zoloft for over 7 years due to anxiety and panic attacks. All of this is related to perimenopause and I cannot take HRT due to a blood clotting disorder, so Zoloft would be what they would prescribe for hot flashes and such anyway. I've been on 100 mg for at least 5-6 of those years, so I'm thinking it is time to reduce the amount and see how I do. The anxiety thing has been much more managed and I would like to reduce whatever I can. Zoloft did not affect my weight that much (maybe 10-20 lbs, but that was in the beginning of taking it). What affects my weight more is carbs. But, thanks for the warning!

Also, as far as the Crestor or statin is concerned; a statin really does not control the trigs. Trigs go hand in hand with blood sugar, so if one is up, the other will be up. The higher the bg's the higher the trigs. Trigs are more carb related than they are fat related. Cholesterol has everything to do with fat. That is why I'm not sure I want to quit the statin because I have had a problem with cholesterol since I was in my early 20's. Diet and exercise will only bring down so much. If I show a large decrease in cholesterol level at next blood work (end of November), I might talk to doctor about taking me off, but I think my lower cholesterol level right now is due to the statin. I am only on 10 mg right now, so we'll see what happens. I am hoping more for the trigs to be alot lower with the LC/HF since they were almost at 500 last blood work (end of August).

 

[naynay]

Moon, I just copied this from a website regarding statins and HDL:

Statin drugs have been seen to lower LDL levels from 18% - 55% and to raise HDL levels 5% - 15%.

5-15% doesn't seem that high, but I guess it still constitutes a raise of some sort. The lowering of LDL from 18-55% is actually more significant IMHO, but statins do have to do somewhat with raising HDL levels.

Just wanted to clarify. Thanks.

 

[naynay]

Renee I just checked the fish oil I use which is 1500mg EPA is 270mg & DHA 180m...bummer This is a brand that a chemist recomended!!

Yep, I would definitely try a different one. I believe my fish oil has 1200 mg overall, but the EPA and DHA equal almost 1000 mg together. The cardio doc told me that the closer you get to the full amount between EPA and DHA makes for a better fish oil and will work much better for the trigs and such. He's a pretty great doctor, so I tend to believe him. He actually gave me a copied article on it, and I would post if I knew how to do that! hehehehe

 

[muck]

Taken Crestor after breakfast & exercise my levels so far seem to be ok 2 hrs after breakfast it was 4.8, I am very ignorant of what my cholesterol levels should be I will post my cholesterol numbers & would appreciate "someone" with more knowledge than myself to look them over please. I started Crestor 10mg Nov 2010 this was increased to 20mg on 18/2.

29/10/2010 18/2/2011 27/5/2011 16/9/2011
Chol 8.4 6.6 4.5 5.1
Trigs 1.5 1.9 0.9 1.0
HDL 1.9 1.6 1.7 2.1
LDL 5.8 4.1 2.4 2.5
CHOL/HDL Ratio 4.4 4.1 2.6 2.4

 

[moon]

Thanks Renee. Just more reason I'm glad I didn't go with statins. Lessee - statins would've increased my HDL 10% maybe - eating lots of fat increased it 60%. And the side benefits of high-fat rock.

As someone somewhere said "Even the frying of bacon sounds like applause!"