Statins, I did the research....

[mammo]

I didn't find a correct Topic so disregard the one that's there.  I asked awhile back about Omega 3 being a good alternative to statins and was told of the negative effects of statins.  Because of the advice I received on here, I and my husband stopped taking ours, and our muscle pain has disappeared.  My husband could barely walk due to leg pain, could not exercise due to muscle weakness, and now this is gone. So, I did my own research and was shocked to learn about statins and all the problems they cause.  Our doctors have approved of us stopping these, so we did the right thing.  I want to thank everyone for their help and great advice, especially for my husband, he has gotten his life back.  Thanks to all!

[peggy64]

That is fantastic news!! I think you guys did the right thing.

My cholesterol is over 300, they wanted me to start them. I was like NO WAY!!!  

[mammo]

Thanks!  We thought our doctors would not be happy, but they were all for it. I had pain in both my arms which is now gone, and my husband can walk pain free again. In my research I read that half the people who have heart attacks do not have high cholesterol.  Plus, statins deplete our bodies of Coenzyme 10 which the heart uses an abundance of.  They have found that people who live to be 90 and older have high levels of this.  Plus, the test they do every 6 months while on statins to determine if there is liver damage is not very accurate.

[allmymarbles]

My cholesterol was only vaguely over the desired limit. He want me to take statins. I said no. Adjust your diet. That is what my husband did - and he was way over. Unfortunately doctors know all about pills, but nothing about nutrition.

[mammo]

So was mine. So, I started eating healthier, have always walked 6 miles a day, but with healthier eating I lost 50lbs. last year.  So my cholesterol may be good now because of my efforts and not just the statin.  I have also been able to stop my medication for high BP, and it is staying in the low end of the normal range.  I've always been a health nut but started eating all the wrong things, which did me no good. My doctor says I'm doing everything right and it's paying off. Now I'm working on my stress, I lost my son and a grandson just last year so this is a tough one.

[peggy64]

Mammo I am so sorry. Words just aren't adequate for the kind of pain you have gone through.

      My cholesterol is elevated because of my thyroid. Can't seem to get it under control.  I know all the other health issues caused from it are not controlled by drugs, so I don't see cholesterol being either.

I read that the statins block cholesterol, and our bodies need it for certain metabolisms. We don't need it stopped, just for our body to utilize and expell what we don't need.

[mammo]

Thank you.  You will not get a correct cholesterol reading while your thyroid is out of whack, it may be just fine.

[Paxiled]

How come it throws the cholesterol readings out of whack?  My wife's thyroid died a few years ago and she's been on synthroid since; does this mean her cholesterol readings are unreliable?  Do they show too high or too low?  Thanks for the info.

[margypops]

They wanted to do the same to me my cholestrol level was 264 and they gave me a pile of crestor samples ,I too didnt use them as I had seen first hand the effects on some neighbors I knew ..i havent had it checked for a while but I feel fine , the multi vits I am now taking agree with me after searching for ones I can take without side effects ...so its all good news..

[gymdandee]

The FDA has approved Crestor for completely healthy people with normal cholesterol levels.
Under the new guidelines, docs can now give this drug to people with "other" risk factors for heart problems such as elevated levels of C-reactive protein. This was based on a single study funded by the drug's maker.
The plug on this study was pulled  two years early the moment they got the result they wanted.
  A recent article in the New York Times points out that 500 people would have to take Crestor for an entire year--at a combined cost of $638,000--to avoid a single usually survivable heart attack.

[Northcoast]

I'm on Zocor for high cholesterol.  Everyone in my family is on some type of statin drug.  We have a family history of high cholesterol that isn't related to diet (according to our doctor).  Should I not be taking this drug?  

[allmymarbles]

My husband had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. He refused statins, uses a variety of supplements and keeps his weight down. He has his cholesterol under control. By the way, high cholesterol runs in his family.