Cholesterol lowering drugs.

I dont need anyone to tell me the dangers of these drugs. i have experienced them first hand. i was a 40y/o women who went to the dr's for a blood test. everything was perfect except for the dreaded cholesterol. due to genetics, my cholesterol was high. the dr told me of this exciting new wonder drug called crestor. gave a free sample pack to last me 3 months. i started to take these drugs and went back after the 3 months and got a prescription for them.

The side affects didnt just happen overnight, it seems it was a gradual thing. i had been taking this drug for about 18 months. i am employed in a hospital as a wardsperson. its a tough physical job. you do lots of walking, lifting, pushing, holding etc. i had been doing this job for over 4 years and loved it. loved the physical challenge, the patient contact and the interesting adrenaline challenge of being on the trauma team.

from memory, i didnt just notice it one day it was a process over a few weeks. all of a sudden i was finding my job hard. i was going home exhausted and aching from head to toe. i was very upset as i thought dont tell me my age is going to take me from the job i love. i noticed it more and more everyday. i would get home and my legs would ache and ache. my arms, my back, my neck all felt like lead weights. i thought maybe im just unfit, and overweight, i will embark on a fitness plan and get my strength back. so off i go, i think i will start walking and build up my fitness. so i head off one morning on my local streets. my calf muscles are killing me but i keep going. i got about 1 kilometre up the road and found a bus stop with a seat. i sat down and cried. i didnt have the strength to keep going. i rested for a while then took it slowly back to home. the next day i headed back to work. during my shift i came to the decision that i had to quit. i decided that the next week when my boss returned i would hand in my notice. i was devestated. i went home and was having my radox bath trying to ease my aches and pains, when i heard on the radio the most amazing life changing thing.

on the radio was a Doctors segement where you ring in and get medical advise. someone had rang in who was in their 60's and was talking about aches and pains. they were going on and on and im lying in the bath thinking oh my god - this is me - just 20 years younger. then the doctor said these amazing words. "are you on cholesterol lowering statins"?. the person said yes and the dr gave a big sigh. he said i think your problem is the statins. he then explained that the main side affect of cholesterol lowering drugs was muscle weakness, fatigue and aches and pains. i couldnt believe it. it was like a light bulb went on. i needed to find out straight away. i hoped out of the bath and was on a mission. on went the computer and i googles "crestor and statin side affects". up came thousands and thousands of pages. story after story the same as me. people in despair who had been fit and healthy reduced to feeling like 80 year olds. I threw my crestor in the bin and vowed never to take it again. within 1 week i was feeling better, within 6 weeks i was back to normal. NO MORE PAIN, NO MORE WEAKNESS.

skip forward 3 years. im now 43. i go to my doctor 8 weeks ago and he checks my blood. my cholesterol is 6.8 and he says you must go on crestor. i told him of my experience 3 years ago and he says its not related. he tells me i MUST go back on this drug. gives me another sample pack. i go home and say to the family, alright - im going to prove to him and myself that i was right. i start taking the drug again and within 2 weeks, back they come. those same bloody symptoms. the legs start to ache especially my calf muscles. i get the pills and throw them in the bin. within a week, back to normal. i have done it, i have proved to myself that i was right. it wasnt just a coincedence.

i am now not on any prescription drugs whatesoever. i take fishoil now as i dont eat any seafood. and the only other thing i have started taking is a low dose asprin. in all my research which includes hundreds of hours reading of the side affects and what you can do to prevent heart disease they keep coming back to low dose asprin as the miracle cure. a 5 year study in britain has now been suspended after 2 years because those on low dose asprin were dying less than those not and the results were so outstanding.

3 weeks ago i embarked on a fitness program and i now walk 7 kilometres (4.35 miles) a day. i even think that in about 4 weeks i will be up to jogging. i have lost 5 kilos and i feel 30 not 40. i dont care if you are in your 50's, 60's or 70's these bloody drugs could be ruining your life.

The reason for my telling this story is in the hope i can help just 1 person. if it does then i will be the happiest person on earth. if you are taking any of these cholesterol lowering drugs (statins) and you feel any pain, aches or just feel tired and dont want to get of the lounge, think about what i have told you about me. i HONESTLY believe that in years to come, this will all come out as one of the greatest pharmacy scandals of all time. they know the big drug companies. they know what their drug is doing to people but it is now officially their greatest money spinner.

dont just take my word. read for yourself. google statin side affects and read the thousands of other stories JUST LIKE MINE.

good luck to you all and i help this may help just one person.

Great to hear you have found out the right thing to do for you.

I'd be carefull about using this as a general claim about all cholestorol drugs, i know several people that take them and they are all fit as a fiddle. Definately not experiencing the side effects you mention.

Have you tried any other tablets? You only mention the one.

Maybe a second opinion from another doctor?

CX.

thanks for sharing your story im sure it will be hepful for many people who are searching on ATS or even google. Im sure your story will be great information for people suffering the same symptoms .

These pills doctors give the side effects pros and cons are sometimes not even worth it . But of course who are we to judge were just some dumbass public with no degree like them . Our job is to stfu take the pill and come back in 6 weeks for more pills when we have more complications. Kudos to you for doing your own research and finding your own alternative medicines ! Good luck with your cholestrol !

I recommend folks take niacin to adjust their cholesterol levels.

Niacin

Taking niacin comes with a side effect - the niacin flush. It isn't a bad thing but can certainly be something that causes alarm if you aren't familiar with it or prepared for it.

You can also take niacinamide which will provide the bulk of the benefits without the flush.

I am not offering medical advice nor am I going to indicate how much you should take. I'm merely pointing out what I recommend to my family.

Edit: BTW, niacin is vitamin B3 and is not a prescription drug.

The reason why prescription drugs have so many side affects is because
the main ingredient is always GREED. Greed makes people sick.

Before taking any drugs make sure you know the truth about cholesterol.

High cholesterol is good.

Here's a good start:

www.marksdailyapple.com...

My husband takes Lipitor for his cholesterol although his has never been high. He has to take it as a preventative measure because of a heart condition. He also complains of general fatigue and muscle aches. His doctor says that he wants him to stay on it because his heart condition has improved so much, but I think that is because of all the other stuff he's taking. The doc is basically saying he doesn't want to touch the meds now because all seems well with his heart. I worry that his aches are getting worse and he has to nap every afternoon because of fatigue.

I'm not a doctor, buy I play one here on ATS

Seriously, your body gave you all the warnings you needed.... don't second quess yourself.

Here's a possibility:
Copper gives elasticity to your body tissues. If you are deficient in copper, your blood vessels can develop small cracks. In response, your body then creates and uses cholesterol like 'Bondo'...... to schmutz up the cracks.

Can you tell I live in PA Dutch country?

I tend to over-simplify. My point is, something as simple as a mineral deficiency can develop into a serious condition.

Minerals are the building blocks. The human body can create nearly every vitamin it needs so long as it has the correct building blocks. Try a daily dose of Colloidal Minerals (a liquid). Make sure it is derived from Humic Shale, which is from a mineral deposit in Utah. This is where the glaciers stopped progressing in the last ice age here in the US. The glaciers left behind a huge amount of ground up stones and boulders from their advance, containing nearly every natural element on the periodic table.

To your health!

reply to post by bozzchem


Fully agree with you on this one. Niacin is the only nutrient that not only lowers ldl, and raises hdl, but it also lowers the risk of mortality following a heart attack. Statins actually increase mortality risk!!

I agree with the OP completely. I went through the same exact things
for months on end. The pain was excruciating. I was first on SimvaStatin,
and then on Niaspan which is a big horse pill of Niacin. I thought I was
going to die with the pains I was going through. I went to the doctor and
they took me off the statin and started me on Niaspan. The Niaspan is the
absolute worst for me at least. I have been off of the high cholesterol
medicine for about two months now and I feel fine. No aches and pains,
and I can finally sleep through the night. It got to the point where I couldn't
find a comfortable position to sleep in because of the pain.

I was 207 cholesterol when I went on Simvastatin. It dropped me to 137, but
the pain almost killed me. I then went back to around 186 with the Niaspan,
still actually not too high, but the pain was unbearable with this medicine. I go
in to get my blood work done in February, so we will see what it reads then.
I told my doctor the other day that I would rather have high cholesterol than go
through the terrific pain with the medicine.

Originally posted by Tasty Canadian
My husband takes Lipitor for his cholesterol although his has never been high. He has to take it as a preventative measure because of a heart condition. He also complains of general fatigue and muscle aches. His doctor says that he wants him to stay on it because his heart condition has improved so much, but I think that is because of all the other stuff he's taking. The doc is basically saying he doesn't want to touch the meds now because all seems well with his heart. I worry that his aches are getting worse and he has to nap every afternoon because of fatigue.

you are the exact kind of person who i wrote this story for.

i also come from a family with heart troubles. my grandmother and all her 14 siblings all died instantly of heart attacks. some in their 50's and 60's. my mother is 67 and in good health. we both attend the same doctor so he knows the family history, cholesterol is high in me because of genetics and at that stage probably also the wrong foods.

i honestly feel for your husband. i too used to nap during the day. i remember just feeling so exhausted. i went from mowing lawns which i loved to just not having the energy to do it. besides that, my aches and pains would never let me.

everyone needs to look into this for the own circumstances. not everyone is the same. i dont know your husbands heart condition. but the thing i weighed up most was what quality of life if i stayed on the drugs. was i only going to live 2 years longer when i old if i stayed on the drugs. to me that meant 2 more years longer of lying on the lounge watching the others through the window outdoors having fun. or i could go out and join them.

the MAIN problem that worries me is that there is no time frame. you dont take these drugs and dr says stay on them for 6 months and your cured. they put you on them, and never review it. thats it. for life. the thing is we all want to live longer to be with our loved ones. if a dr told us to jump on one leg 1000 times every morning and we will live longer, we would probably all do it. 10 years later when we are getting our leg cut off due to damage, we say to the dr "you didnt tell me this". he would say your alive arnt you....and we didnt know this would happen back then.

the only advice i can give you is read read read. start doing your own research, arm yourself with it and go back to your dr. if he wont listen, find one that will.

Originally posted by endtimer
I agree with the OP completely. I went through the same exact things
for months on end. The pain was excruciating. I was first on SimvaStatin,
and then on Niaspan which is a big horse pill of Niacin. I thought I was
going to die with the pains I was going through. I went to the doctor and
they took me off the statin and started me on Niaspan. The Niaspan is the
absolute worst for me at least. I have been off of the high cholesterol
medicine for about two months now and I feel fine. No aches and pains,
and I can finally sleep through the night. It got to the point where I couldn't
find a comfortable position to sleep in because of the pain.

I was 207 cholesterol when I went on Simvastatin. It dropped me to 137, but
the pain almost killed me. I then went back to around 186 with the Niaspan,
still actually not too high, but the pain was unbearable with this medicine. I go
in to get my blood work done in February, so we will see what it reads then.
I told my doctor the other day that I would rather have high cholesterol than go
through the terrific pain with the medicine.

edit on 19-1-2011 by endtimer because: spelling

i hear you loud and clear. the thing is and the reason for my post is that how many others of us are out there and not putting it together?. if i hadnt heard that dr. on the radio, i would have quit my job. i would have put it down to getting older. how many people in the 60's are no longer gardening, or playing golf or just generally living life because they think that their muscle wasting is due to age?

Another thing that helps people is to drink a lot of tea. My father had high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. He had to have two stints put in last year. They gave him a stress test and he passed out. His blood pressure was in the stroke/heart attack range. This was after a decade + of being on statin pills, and years of me telling him that statins actually are horrible for you.



He's very naive and stubborn, and uses the illogical appeal to authority way, way too much.

Anyways, he's now taking a range of nutritional supplements, and post stints his blood pressure is in the optimal range.

I'm going to provide a few links that mention the healthy effects of tea drinking on heart disease:

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Thank you for shareing your story, the more people that know about these statins the better. four years ago l went to my doctor, l had been suffering with bad headaches. He took my blood pressure and told me he was concerned because it was quite high. He started me on statins, Within three weeks my joints were so painful l had to stop and rest several times just going to my local shop, less than a quarter of a mile away. l was also finding it hard to breathe, l was having palpitations and my whole body ached. i went back to my doctor and he told me l had asthma and gave me a script for an inhaler, he also told me to carry on taking the statins and that l must keep taking them. The pains in my joints he said were wear and tare because of my weight. l weighed just over fourteen stone and l'm five ft 10 in height. At this time l had no idea it was the statins. One morning l sat down to watch my favourite comedy show 'Becker' he plays the part of a grumpy doctor in new york. Well, in this episode he was treating a patient who had two personalities. One of thepersonalities wanted to take the meds 'statins' he prescribed and the other one refused. he threw the pills at becker and said ' no, l'm not taking them', and shouted ' have you read the side affects of these things'. l sat there dumbfounded, l had not read the leaflet that came in the box. When l read it l was shocked, lt was all there, the side affects, l could'nt believe it. l stopped taking the statins, went back to my doc. l told him l was not going to take them any more, he said he would give me a different one but l told him NO you don't understand, l never want to see another statin. l just take a low dose of asprin now. lt took me about six weeks to get back to my self again. l still have the asthma though, yet l had never had asthma in my life before taking the statins. l often sit and smile to myself, had it not been for me watching becker four years ago l swear l would not be sitting here typing this to you now. Big pharma must know the affect it is having, yet they still portray it as a wonder drug. The more people we can tell the better. thank you so much for posting. Peace starchild.

reply to post by endtimer

sorry to hear of your pain. lecithin is a really good way to lower your cholesterol, my neighbour told me last week, she has been taking it for 10yrs, lts not harmful and does'nt interfere with any meds you may be taking. lm starting on it tomorrow. just google it to find out all about lt. Peace starchild.

reply to post by unityemissions


Please let us know about the tea, l have not heard of that before. One thing l can recommend is an lonizer. l have had one for 12yrs they are excellent. They purify the air, they work on dust particles, cigarette smoke any impurities in the air. l have a small one , you can get all kinds and sizes, the elanra is the best but it is top of the range, just a dream one for me lol. seriously though, anyone who suffers with any kind of breathing problems will find it very beneficial. The small one l have was only about $12 and it cleans the air in 10 mins. just google ionizers. Peace starchild.

Wow.....I may have to try something different.
When they caught my high cholesterol it was over 300 and they put me on Pravastatin which got it back to normal.
I also have Fibromyalgia and when my pain started getting worse I thought it was just the Fibromyalgia getting worse.
Maybe I should bring this to my doctors attention.

reply to post by star child


The tea used in most of these studies is merely Japanese green tea. I personally use the highest quality Japanese tea, referred to as Gyokuro , and the highest grade white tea from China called Silver Needle .

Both of these teas are a bit expensive, but if you have an asian shopping center close by, you can usually find these specific kinds of tea on the cheap. Any tea will likely benefit you, but black tea is most oxidized and has the most fluoride in it, while also having the least EGCG and l-theanine. The higher quality the tea, the more EGCG, l-theanine, and caffeine. The theanine gives the tea an excellent flavor, imo, and also relaxes the mind and increases alpha wave activity. My focus goes from being great to superb! If I ever need to cut out some of the health benefits in my diet due to financial insecurities, these high quality teas would honestly be the last things to go. I truly believe in them that much!

reply to post by unityemissions

Thank you for the info, l do have asian shops in the area l live. That will be the first on my shopping list 2morrow. Thank you.

reply to post by Tasty Canadian


I used to take lipitor after i had a tripple bypass, The after effect i sufferd was severe neck pain, Identical to whiplash. So the doctor put me on Crestor and now the side effects are the same as the OPs. But all being said i choose to stay on Crestor until i can't take the calf muscles any more.

Regards, rob.