I am amazed now! - High Cholesterol Message Board

Lulubells · 04-20-2009, 12:28 PM

Reading here on this cholesterol board has amazed me with the big CHANGE in peoples attitude about statin drugs in just 3 years. When I realized how much of my life statin drugs ruined/stole from me I started posting my story anywhere and everywhere I could. BOY! Did I get slammed and attacked for even daring to suggest something bad could happen to you if you took that stuff. I was even accused of making it up or not knowing what I was talking about..

Attitude are changing as more and more people suffer as a result of this drug, they are realizing THEY are having the horrid side effects or someone they know are. More and more people are questioning the doctors about getting on this stuff and looking at eating healthier and more natural ways to lower theirs. It has been a LONG time coming, even more and more health care professionals are waking up.

Last August I was invited to meet family in Atlanta. I did not know at the time, it was a set up and I had actually been invited to talk to a man on a statin who had suffered a TGA episode that no amount of testing could find a reason for. The more I talked to the man of my own personal experience, the more light bulb moments I saw he had. He has quit taking the drug and is 100% better and no more TGA! (The TGA scared the daylights out of him and he is a very well educated man that makes a lot of $$$$!)

I also have another man I have been talking to long distance that I have known for a long, long time. I could tell talking to him that something was wrong and asked him what drugs he was on. Being from the old school, he didn't know what he was on or what it was for but he had a bag full he took daily. I got a list from him and one was a statin drug. He had 3 problems that I know statins cause, trouble with shortness of breath, back pain and memory problems. I asked him to just try getting off for 2 months and see what happens. He is 80% better now OFF of them.

I met a guy in his mid 30's last month with his arm in a sling, he had carpal tunnel in his right wrist, tendon damage in his right elbow and right shoulder. I asked him if he was on a statin drug and he shocked me when he said he was! When he said "yes".. I said "BINGO!"...

I have learned to spot the people on statins. I always ask them if they are on a statin and they always are. What CHAPS my hide is I am not in the medical community at ALL, I am not a doctor, nurse or any ties to the medical profession... and I can spot them every time! WHY can't the DOCTORS see what I see and recognize it for what it is?

But attitudes are changing... Thank God!

rudiraven · 04-20-2009, 02:01 PM

Yes, attitudes are changing and thank goodness they are. For so long people have all blindly gone along with whatever the doctor says. Doctors have been looked at as gods and you should never question them. It seems that doctors and other medical professionals just want to run tests and prescribe a pharmaceutical. The don't seem to be interested in lifestyle changes or more natural remedies. When side effect complaints are expressed to the doctors they dismiss them and say there's no way the meds could be causing the problem and then prescribe another med to address that problem. On and on it goes

It makes me sad to feel I can't even trust a doctor anymore. It seems it's all about money, and nobody cares. We just have to look out for ourselves, I guess. Take care.

Buzzy523 · 05-11-2009, 11:42 AM

I too felt as though I was taking poison every time I put a statin in my mouth. At first I was on Tricor and was immediately taken off because of some elevated liver level. Now they put me on Zocor and I felt as though I had been in a boxing match and got punched in the mid section. Same with Crestor. Doctors don't believe how my liver hurt. They say I was only on the statins for a few weeks. Alkaline Phostaste levels went way up. Tried fish oil and that raised my cholesterol and HDL. Now they want to give me a pill that washes out cholesterol without injuring the liver?? It is not Zetia. Have lost 40 lbs. and do exercise. But levels still elevated. Do you believe that statins cause problems even after only a short period of time taking them?

JJ · 05-28-2009, 01:39 PM

In 2000 a former Dr. put me on statins, and in only 2 months I felt like I got hit by a train. My hubby had taken them for a few years and had all sorts of pains and aches, but we never even considered it was the meds. After I finally got on them and got sick I started researching, boy did I wake up in a hurry.

I told my Dr. but naturally got the same old line...NOT the meds...Yeah right. He even switched me to Baycol, oh boy, then the real fun began. I told him straight out...These drugs should be pulled, but all I got was...Oh no, they are the best thing since sliced bread. No sooner did I dump them, and him, it got reported about the recall.

Since then both hubby and I have told any new Dr., don't even think about putting us on a statin, and now even friends who took them for years are starting to wake up about the problems with them.

2 weeks ago I had my Cholesterol checked, as I told my newest Dr., who is not a statin fan, I could get my numbers down. Although they weren't very high, they were above the limits. Last check my numbers were:

TC........196

LDL.......111

HDL........59

Trigs.....128

Only thing I do is try and watch my diet, do some exercise and take a few suppliments, like C....Calcium....Garlic gel pills and a multi vitamin. I tried the fish oil, as did hubby, but it raised my LDL, so stoped them. Hubby's numbers have improved as well, but he seems to have not been able to get rid of many of the pains, probably cause he was on statins for almost 5 years. Even his Cardio guy said neither of us should be on them, as we are the type that just don't agree with them, so some Drs. are waking up!

MT10149 · 06-03-2009, 05:39 PM

Well lets assume for a minute that you are correct. Lets say they are bad,bad, bad and they get pulled from the market.
Okay where does that leave people like me.
I am 43 been on statins for a long time. No appearent problems. Nothing obvious anyway. But high cholestrol is a heriditary problem for me. Dad had his first heart attack at age 39 and died at age 53. Mom had six way bypass at age 55 died 7 years later with heart failure.

When I first went on Lipitor my cholestrol was 325 and Doctor said I was probably on schedule for heart attack at age 40. My numbers have been good since I started statins. And have had no heart problems.

And diet aint going to do it for me. I tried, my mom tried also. It is not resonable to expect everyone to be able to lower their numbers by diet.
So where does that leave me? If I stop statins and Tricor also, my numbers will go through the roof. Then what? Oh I guess my muscles will feel better for rehab after surgery from heart attack. Is thier something else we can take?