Crestor

[bamanana]

Could my shortness of breath. weakness and aching be cause by Crestor? I have seen a pulmonary doctor and a cardiologist. They say my heart and lungs are fine.

[SassyLassie]

Hello~You could be having a reaction to it. I would stop taking it and ask your pharmacist, they are pretty knowledgeable on issues like this.

[mkh9]

I don't think the colds are related. But the body aches are possibly rhabomyalgia. So you should be off of it. You could try generic Lipitor (atorvastatin). It usually has less side effects. Also, we totally changed our diet so that my husband only takes the lowest does and 3 times a week. I think he hardly needs it now if at all. We are on the Dr. McDougall diet which is a whole plant based diet, with no added oil or fat. It is basically a  fat free vegan diet.  It takes some getting used to but eventually your tastes change. Of course that is up to you but there is proof in that atherosclerosis has been totally reversed by this diet. My cholesterol went from 200 to 130 (I am not on any pills) and my husbands was 260 and bad lipid profile and bp 140/90 and now his cholesterol is also 130 with the atorvastitin 3 times a week and the oil free vegan diet. His bp is 120/70 and we both lost a lot of weight. He had some muscle pain and he doesn't with the atorvastatin but his platelet count is a little low. His doctor isn't worried about that though. We do eat 2 Tbs of flaxseed with oatmeal in the morning and cut out all sugar except fruit. The diet also increases your immunity and can help with some types of cancer prevention. So it is a thought. I don't know if you have seen the video Forks over knives but that is similar to this. How high is your cholesterol without Crestor?
regards,
mkh9

[SherryLynne]

I have been on Crestor for 2 years.  The last 4 months I have been tired, body aches, mainly legs, depression.  Im on my 3rd cold since the end of December which is unusual for me.   All my blood work came back fine except my cholesterol was up despite being on Crestor which I took every day.   My dr is suggesting that I stop the Crestor for a month and see how I feel at the end of this.  Has anyone else been through this?

[mkh9]

Also, regarding the Coenzyme Q10. You really need to take 100-200 mg of it to replace what the statin drug removes or makes inactive.
mkh9

[Red_Star]

From the same article...

"Interestingly, the small reductions in death in men under 65 with pre-existing heart disease was independent of cholesterol reduction and was almost certainly due to their anti-inflammatory effects (there are safer ways to get this effect).

In fact the number needed to treat may be a lot higher than 100 because it has only been pharmaceutical studies which have shown this benefit and they used patients with multiple risk factors. Independent Government funded studies have found on benefit at all. Professor Nortin Hadler from the University of North Carolina states that a NNT>50 is “worse than a lottery ticket.”"

To read more: Dr Greg Emerson - Cholesterol Reduction.

[Red_Star]

Yes.

Excerpt from Dr Greg Emerson's article on Cholesterol reduction...  

"Remember that these drugs [statins] are often associated with side-effects including nausea, headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, shortness of breath, memory loss, liver problems, muscle weakness, muscle pain, peripheral neuropathy and cardiomyopathy due to a depletion of Coenzyme Q10.

Recent studies have shown no reductions in death in people over the age of 65 or people with no existing heart disease on statins (regardless of how much their cholesterol was lowered) and no benefit at all in women of any age. It is very important to understand statistics here and the difference between relative risk and absolute risk reduction.

Much of the advertising with statins describe a 36% risk reduction in heart attacks. This is a relative risk reduction. The absolute risk reduction is a decrease from a 3% risk to a 2% risk. In practical terms, this means that in men under the age of 65 with pre-existing heart disease, 100 (the NNT- Number Needed to Treat) have to take a statin for 3 years to prevent 1 heart attack. The other 99 men receive no benefit.

Professor James Wright from the University of British Columbia states that “most people taking statins are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm.”"

[mkh9]

The weakness and aching are signs of rhabdomyalgia which is a side affect of statin drugs. You need to see the doctor that prescribed the meds as he/she needs to check you. I don't know about the shortness of breath. It could be a drug reaction too.