Cholesterol Management Community

I would agree with Dr. Richman the increase in diabetes with statins is very small. Nonetheless, this small increased risk has repeated itself in several trials, and has raised some eyebrows.

I can't help but notice every time concerns arise about the safety of statins, Dr. Richman is quick to defend them.

I suppose if I too were in the cholesterol lowering business, then I probably would defend statins as well since they would be one of the primary tools of my trade.

But I am not in the lipid lowering business. Therefore I am in a position to view the issue of safety with statins objectively and without financial bias.

I can say with 100% certainty that statins do bear risks as I have witnessed the damage they can do.

Consumers should stop, think, and weigh the risks and rewards before taking any drug.

Are statins safe? Ask the families of those who stand over the graves of those who took Baycol. Ask the Airline Pilot who had to ground himself because he could no longer perform his job after Lipitor. Ask the old lady taking zocor who limps and struggles to walk. Ask these people if statins are safe.

You will get a different answer.

I am a 56 year old male, and was prescribed a statin (Pravachol) by my physician, an internal medicine specialist about a year and a half ago. My bad cholesterol level was above the marginal level, my good cholesterol was in the good range, as were my triglycerides. He prescribed me to take a Coronary CT Angiogram with Calcium Score (Aquilion One"122) test, and it ranked me in the 70% range (which meant that 70% of the men in may age range have less calcification in the arteries surrounding the heart than I). Due to the two negatives, he thought I needed a statin medication, as I have a family history of CHD. After taking the drug for two months, I began exhibiting many of the side effects related to the drug (feverish feeling, swelling of the ankles, exhaustion, and muscle fatigue and aching). I contacted my physician of my side effects, and immediately stopped using the drug. I substituted taking several cardio and cholesterol controlling supplements (from xtend-Life.com). With exercise, I have lost weight and all my side effects have vanquished. I feel great and look forward to testing my cholesterol levels again. I will be surprised if my bad cholesterol levels have not dropped significantly and my good cholesterol has not gone up. Doctors should not immediately recommend or prescribe statins, unless its the last remedy left. The potential side effects are just too great to proceed in this manner.

I had been on Lipitor and Zetia for several years with no obvious side effects. When my insurance raised the copay my doctor said he could save me some money and put me on Simvastatin 40 mgs a year ago last Jan. I suffered with shoulder/arm pains for months. My hips hurt bad when walking a couple blocks or mowing the lawn. All the while I was blaming RA which I have had a mild case of for years. After reading an article on the side effects of Simvastatin I quit taking statins to see if the pain would go away. After about three weeks the pain is gone. I can walk and mow the whole lawn without the pain.

I imagine my cholesterol will go up so I will see the doc and probably end up back on Lipitor paying the increased copay.

Some times the cure is worse than the disease.

My husband is taking zocor-80 mg. He has been on this for months. He also has been aching so bad. He even says his back hurts. He too is exhausted and this seems to really be a problem. This has been going on since zocor. Can he just stop this med or does he have to taper off. He wants to try without and see how he feels. Also, what are the supplements you take? I have been giving him the fish oil and a friend said he needs more. Also, was told Niacin(non flushing). Anyhow, read you just stopped the drug you were on. Thanks.

I believe crestor has damaged my body, bad aches and weak hands and lower legs, pain to where i thought i would mentally melt down, had to stop taking them, and the body feels a bit better, but after 5 yrs, i'm not sure i'll get everything back, and I'm a strong 48 yr old man, or i was.. My cholestrol never stayed all that great anyway. How can my cardiologist think this is the only way to go?

I'm sure Osama Bid Laden is thrilled with the damage these cholesterol lowering drugs have done to America and other nations.

With statin drugs being pushed down our throats, who needs to fear the Taliban or other terrorist organizations? We have our own home grown bio-terrorism right here, stemming from the greed of big pharma and everyone else that has a commercial interest in these drugs.

In July 2009 I suffered from a heart attack and now have a stent in my LAD. I was only 33 with no previous medical conditions or signs of illness! My cholesterol details were as follows: LDL = 70; HDL = 24; Tris = 52. I was started on Lipitor and was quickly switched to Crestor. I also take Niacin. The goal is to fix my risk ratio. My last Cholesterol screening had my LDL @ 29 and my HDL at 39. Is it safe for my LDL to be so low? And is there any other way to get my HDL up other than Niacin and excercise? But since I am so young, I am very concerned about taking the Crestor long-term.

Your post underscores the point I have been trying to make for a long time. People with low cholesterol can develop artery plaque and have a heart attack just as easily as people with high cholesterol.

Heart attacks happen to people who have had low cholesterol all their lives.

Merke defines hypolipidemia as total cholesterol of 120 or below. For LDL cholesterol, you will find anything below 50 defined as to low.

However, this is the first time in the history of the world that we have driven LDL to such low levels. Nobody knows what the long term consequences will be for the population as a whole since we have never done this before.

I can tell you this. There are populations documented with high LDL (170) that experience little to no cardiovascular disease.

Statins do bother my leg muscles. So I ask, is Zeta a do match for high cholestrol (270). Thanks 1380florence

"I have witnessed the damage they can do." Please, what 'damage' have you 'witnessed'?

The damage I have witnessed in other persons from statins presents itself as difficulty walking. Anything from a casual limp, to severe difficulty walking with agonizing pain.

The worst case I have witnessed from cholesterol lowering drugs (just prior to statins hitting the market) was a case of severe muscle breakdown. (Rhabdo) This young man looked like a holocaust victim. Bed ridden and dying.

I myself took a cholesterol drug, although not a statin, (niaspan) and encountered severe muscle pain, spasms, and difficulty walking. I had to cling to the counter tops to stay upright, unable to support myself with my legs.

That was 10 years ago. Today I still have residual muscle weakness that limits my ability to be active. I have six hours. Thats it. Then I have no choice but to rest. I am limited to part time work.

Let's be fair, Rhabdo is an EXTREMELY rare side effect that occurs in.001% of those taking a statin. I have seen first hand the affect of someone with high cholesterol, people in CHF that was irreversible due to excessive damage in the heart muscle, looking like a holocaust victim in a bed dying.

The bottom line is that side effects do happen but they are rare and in the vast majority of cases, the benefit from statin therapy greatly out weighs the risk. I have been on statins for years as have many, many associates and have yet to see the first complaint of a side effect from any of us.

Do the research, make your own decision.

I would agree that Rhabdo is very rare. However I was asked what I have witnessed, so I answered the question accurately.

I would like to comment on this study. In 2001 I had a quad bypass due to CAD. Following surgery I was placed on a statin drug. After 6 weeks I returned to work and with no problem. After being on the statin meds for a couple of years I had been written up for making to many mistakes at work. A coworker brought to my attention that everyday I asked the same questions and made the same mistakes and this was unlike me. They also told me that statin drugs are known for memory loss. I looked into this information by search on line and found enough information to support this statement. I made an appointment with my doctor and requested a change in my drugs to a non-statin drug. He prescribed Zetia. After a very short period of time I flet like I had been reborn. I started remembering things and my errors at work were greatly reduced. I worked in a hospital scheduling radiology appointments. Over the course of a few years I begin to see a pattern of patients on statins and diabetes (Type II) . Every patient who was a diabetice became so after their by-pass surgery. It puts credience to the statement "statin drugs cause diabetes".

I have no records just my personal study but the occurences were every case that I interviewed who were diabetic became so after their bypass surgery. It was near 100% for those whose surgery was more than 3 years ago.
By the way, I was diagnosed as diabetic 3 years following bypass surgery. As was my mother. We were both on statin drugs.