Quit taking lipitor.

scottyboy76

Day before yesterday, I got tired of the physical pain from the muscle wasting and joint pain from taking this stuff.

Its the third statin my doc tried, crestor and an older one i cant remember the name of came first, insurance stopped paying for crestor, im now making a concerted enthusiastic effort to change my diet to lower cholesterol and triglycerides instead of taking statins, but many times its a function the liver stops doing well, and even very diet concious people have to take something.

I didnt take it one night, by the next morning, i felt like a different man, even better today.

Would be interested to know if anyone has dealt with this and if you had to go back on meds.

My blood tests are messed up as far as these factors, and with my dads sides family history, I have to do something.

Thanks guys

mhardy6647

Pravachol is another old-school statin (pravastatin) and the generic simvastatin was sold under the trade name Zocor.
Some folks can tolerate these drugs, some cannot.

gp4jesus

I was on it for about either 6 or 9 months. After I dropped a bunch of weight, over 30 lbs; down from 218lbs, 5'8", my total Cholesterol dropped to about 180, down from 260-280 and ceased taking it. High cholesterol was a memory but not the pain & stiffness from the drug.

You may be pre-disposed to High Cholesterol. I tried diet and all kinds of supplements. After a 2 year search to avoid the drug I reluctantly took it.

These days as long as I take 2X daily:
1000mg Vita C
max doses of Glucosemine
5000mg Niacin; not for pain, helps w/good cholesterol
and get some calcium usually thru dairy (ice cream, yum!) once a day, I feel younger @ 55 than I did in my early forties.

to your health

tony

dorokusai

While these bits of information are vital for some folks, lets not turn Club Polk into the pseudo health information database for search engines guys.

If anyone has taken or is taking these drugs, please consult a doctor or other resource as this place can only lead your wallet into Polk speakers and way more pain than you can imagine.

Mark

gp4jesus

dorokusai wrote: »

While these bits of information are vital for some folks, lets not turn Club Polk into the pseudo health information database for search engines guys.

If anyone has taken or is taking these drugs, please consult a doctor or other resource as this place can only lead your wallet into Polk speakers and way more pain than you can imagine.

Mark

to the OP: Mark is VERY right concerning medical advice.

I chimed in because, while on the med I experienced a vast increase in pain in my hands. I'm an outside telephone tech and a musician .

I ceased using the Lipitor under my doctor's care. A PA/friend suggested the glucosimine. I was already taking the Vita C and, like the Niacin, its water soluable so you'll pass what you don't use. For me, if I run out of "C" and let too much time go by, 2-3 weeks, aches & pains start to return.

BTW: I've kept the weight off. 170 lbs down from 218, for over 4 years - my doctor is pleased w/my total and especially my ratio of good to bad cholesterol. My program works for me. It may not work for you

Sorry, Tony

BlueFox

I was on it, but got to the point where every joint ached, and my lower back (muscle) hurt all the time. This was in 2002. After researching it on the Internet, I found thousands and thousands of people complaining about Lipitor. At that point I quit it. After about 2 weeks my joints started feeling better, and the back still hurt, but not as bad. I told the doctor to forget about any other satins. I will take my chances with "high" cholesterol. Anyway, today I feel pretty good, but I have had to really exercise my lower back to get it sort of normal.

Do your research, talk with the doctor, and make your decision as to what you feel is right for you.

mdaudioguy

Good advice, Mark. I'll just take this thread as motivation to avoid the need for such drugs, as best I can. Good luck to ya, scottyboy.

scottyboy76

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Pravachol is another old-school statin (pravastatin) and the generic simvastatin was sold under the trade name Zocor.
Some folks can tolerate these drugs, some cannot.

Thats it, zocor is the one i could not remember.

Im afraid i might be one of the ones who cant tolerate but sorely need this stuff.

Well see.

scottyboy76

gp4jesus wrote: »

I was on it for about either 6 or 9 months. After I dropped a bunch of weight, over 30 lbs; down from 218lbs, 5'8", my total Cholesterol dropped to about 180, down from 260-280 and ceased taking it. High cholesterol was a memory but not the pain & stiffness from the drug.

You may be pre-disposed to High Cholesterol. I tried diet and all kinds of supplements. After a 2 year search to avoid the drug I reluctantly took it.

These days as long as I take 2X daily:
1000mg Vita C
max doses of Glucosemine
5000mg Niacin; not for pain, helps w/good cholesterol
and get some calcium usually thru dairy (ice cream, yum!) once a day, I feel younger @ 55 than I did in my early forties.

to your health

tony

I appreciate you sharing your experience.

I tried The slow release prescription niacin and broke out in a mottled almost leprosy like skin condition along with serious hot spells, took awhile to get over that.

scottyboy76

I too agree with mark, theres an incredible number of supplements, prescription meds, etc. that can be bad enough on their own, let alone mixing them and the problems that alone can cause.

Really i was looking for others first hand experiences and results related if similar to what im going through, not so much recommendations how to go from here,or what to try, although i appreciate anyone who chimed in.

scottyboy76

BTW, i meant to put the letter I before quit in the title of thread, not to read as a piece of advice or warning, just noticed that.

nooshinjohn

My wife thinks that Lipitor should only be used for the worst cases, and that a combination of diet and the mildest statins should be used. If you have questions about drugs and interactions, shoot me a PM and I will be happy to pass them along to her. She's a doctor of pharmacy.

mrbigbluelight

One of the greatest things about the internet is that it's sort of like a modern Library of Alexandria.
A mountain of information about a lot of subjects.

It's up to you to sift through the sands to find the gold, to be sure, but you have the ability to find the same sources of information that your doctor has. And more.

My suggestion would be to NOT ignore any site. Be discerning but read every source you can.
While in this case "lipitortinfoilhats.kom" may not have the most authoritative and reliable information, one can usually find that these sorts of sites will reference rock solid sources that can be relied on.

Using these sorts of sites, one may find that a certain drug was about to be black-labelled (kiss of death) in Canada. At least until a former high ranking employee of a MAJOR pharma company was put in charge of the Canadian committee making the KOD determination. Then ... VOILA ! Drug gets approved in Canada and VOILA ! A relatively short time later it is approved for us in the USA based largely in part by Canada's decision.
...... and so on.

Not speaking of the "L" med here (avoiding a search engine hit), but .... read. Then read some more.

Just an ancecdotal reference, but we used to get "Anabolic Steroids Insider" newsletter in the mail while my son played HS football. NOT because he/we were using steroids, but because it was a great source of info on non-steroidal supplements (protein powders/shakes, etc).

And, as always, trust very few including your doctor. If you do trust, verify.

potee

nooshinjohn wrote: »

My wife thinks that Lipitor should only be used for the worst cases, and that a combination of diet and the mildest statins should be used. If you have questions about drugs and interactions, shoot me a PM and I will be happy to pass them along to her. She's a doctor of pharmacy.

Ask your wife about Niaspan and redrice yeast. Niaspan worked very well for me. BTW I have been a heart patient for 17 years. Had bypass 15 years ago.diet and exercise are a must. you can do it if your serious.

teekay0007

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

One of the greatest things about the internet is that it's sort of like a modern Library of Alexandria.
A mountain of information about a lot of subjects.

It's up to you to sift through the sands to find the gold, to be sure, but you have the ability to find the same sources of information that your doctor has. And more.

My suggestion would be to NOT ignore any site. Be discerning but read every source you can.
While in this case "lipitortinfoilhats.kom" may not have the most authoritative and reliable information, one can usually find that these sorts of sites will reference rock solid sources that can be relied on.

Using these sorts of sites, one may find that a certain drug was about to be black-labelled (kiss of death) in Canada. At least until a former high ranking employee of a MAJOR pharma company was put in charge of the Canadian committee making the KOD determination. Then ... VOILA ! Drug gets approved in Canada and VOILA ! A relatively short time later it is approved for us in the USA based largely in part by Canada's decision.
...... and so on.

Not speaking of the "L" med here (avoiding a search engine hit), but .... read. Then read some more.

Just an ancecdotal reference, but we used to get "Anabolic Steroids Insider" newsletter in the mail while my son played HS football. NOT because he/we were using steroids, but because it was a great source of info on non-steroidal supplements (protein powders/shakes, etc).

And, as always, trust very few including your doctor. If you do trust, verify.

Uh.....yeah, that's what the USFDA usually waits for to approve drugs for us to prescribe here, the blessing from the Canadian medical system! :rolleyes: I think not.

polkfarmboy

If mama cant make it, don't take it

teekay0007

What the OP, scottyboy76, needs here, is to keep a very open and ongoing line of communication with his physician, along with regular office visits. Statins are largely very good drugs, but they do have several side effects, some worse than others and some can be tolerated as bothersome whereas others are more in the range of unacceptable to very dangerous with continuing use. For many people, statins can lower LDL by over 40% getting them to well within their target zone. Often times when one statin is unacceptable for any of a number of reasons, another can be substituted and found to have a reasonable side effect profile while giving the desired results.

Further, many people are genetically predisposed to have high levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. and no amount of exercise and diet modification, no matter how disciplined or extreme, will make an acceptable amount of difference. Yes, they both can and should be beneficial to the patient, but oftentimes the desired results can only be attained with the addition of a pharmacological agent. Again, and I can't stress it enough, the best answer is to keep an ongoing relationship with your physician and work together to find the best route.

zingo

I think linking an article is one thing, but prescribing or asking for serious medical advice is totally different.

tonyb

While statins have their place in medicine, we seem to push drugs more so than trying to find out whats wrong. Your health and well-being, if left to a doctor and drug company will result in an empty wallet and possibly create more problems as a side effect. Only you are in charge of your own health and education is a big part of it. Sure, you have to sift the sands of info to find some shread of truth in all of the info available online, but just use common sense, there are no miracle cures....for anything.

My problem with modern medicine is they treat symptoms and not the actual problem. Of course thats a pretty broad brush, and not all are like that but a darn good chunk of them are. If you can avoid statins, or any other lifetime drug, do so. Find the root of the problem and deal with it. In other words, don't accept force fed info by people or drug companies who's only interest is your wallet.

It's been my experience that once some do find the root of their problems, and it involves diet changes and excersize, they'd rather pop a few pills every day.....then complain they can't afford their medication and need everyone else to pay for it. Sound familiar to anyone ? Just my .02...but if you can't invest some time and knowledge into your own health and well being, then you deserve to lose it. Like the Dentist slogan, ignore your teeth and they will go away. Ignore your health, and it too will go away.

gdb

FWIW....I'm gearing up to start the South Beach Diet and I'm hoping that it will lower my numbers enough to be able to stop taking simvastatin. You might wanna check it out yourself. (should be in your library) Good luck ! Have you had your "T" levels checked ?

sda2mike

i take pravastatin...no aches..last time i checked my blood was all in the good range

cnh

Two words: Stop eating. You'll be dead in no time. No doctor or drug company can refute that! lol Oh, and read Kafka's "Hunger Artist". That ought to bring you down but also put an ironic smile on your face.

Or if you want you can just play a lot of scrabble or words with friends, read a Thesaurus or write in a "stilted" prose that is a little taller than you are!

BTW, we used to have an M.D. or two on this site? What happened to them?

cnh

boomerfss

About 2 years ago my health wasn't the best and the Doctor was going to start me on meds for high blood pressure. My cholesterol wasn't great either. I took a long look at the road ahead and decided to change my life. I have dropped almost 100 pounds in the last 2 years (changed diet and exercise). Just had my yearly check up a few weeks ago and all of my tests came back completely normal ranges.

I know cholesterol can be a heredity/genetic issue. But you might be surprised just how much impact losing weight and getting shape will have on your numbers (in addition to whatever your Doctor has you doing).

Good luck.

scottyboy76

Thanks for all the great replys, pretty much common sense stuff.

After 15 surgerys, including 2 back and 2 knees, I have not been able to keep up the physical activity i used to.

But i have made a heartfelt commitment to increased activity and we both have been changing our diet.

I think after seeing my sister go through all the temporary Theme type diets and every jenny craig send you godawful prepared foods type deal, and failing, I think im going to just not bring the wrong things into the house, and stop and think harder when we are out and about and getting something to eat.

Also, from a lifetime of playing sports and being active, ( landscaping company owner, avid gardener, carpenter etc.) i know once you get rolling, you feel you have invested something, you start seeing results, and it gets easier to keep a better lifestyle.

As far as whether even these measures take care of the problem or whether my no.s stay high i say this.

As long as I live long enough to see little debbie through her cancer, and live one more day, i have done what god sent me into this life to do, and as long as im doing the best i can with what I have been given,Thats all I can do.

And living the way i was living on statins was definitely not living, not in my case.

Again i cant thank you all enough for your help.

BTW, after getting gastric bypass surgery several years ago, and making a 180 as far as diet and exercise, my sis lost almost 100 lbs., kept it off, and is about to move to Ojai California to start an exercise, body image and styling business tailored to 50 plus ladys with a friend she met while she was home depot cofounder and atlanta falcons owner Arthur Blanks personal assistant.

So I dont have to look far for inspiration.

Scott and deb

dorokusai

I totally understand your post and intention Scotty....no worries. It was just a disclaimer since folks at Polk seem to be off the hinges with Polkfest coming up....way too much legal talk at HQ, unreal man.

Mark

bikezappa

Every one is different but you asked how we have dealt with this.

I tried crestor and it dramatically reduced my cholesterol levels. It also made it very difficult to exercise, pain in muscles. I like to commute to work by bike and my muscles felt old and tired. That was 18 months ago. I'm 64 now and have made the following changes with my doctor advice for over a year.
Stopped crestor
Had a very low fat diet
Dramatically reduced beer intake
Bought a new bike and ride it about 150 miles per week

Results
Lost 30 pounds over the year (6' 1" 190lbs now)
Extremely low cholesterol numbers
Feel better

mrbigbluelight

teekay0007 wrote: »

Uh.....yeah, that's what the USFDA usually waits for to approve drugs for us to prescribe here, the blessing from the Canadian medical system! :rolleyes: I think not.

I would like to think not, too, Teekay.
Unfortunately, I can't.

You, and others, might find it informative to learn of the "new and improved" fast track for drug approval. Approved by Congress. It's the law now.

I mentioned tinfoil hat sites before; many consider " infowars.kom" and "prisonplanet.kom" (misspelled so it doesn't create a link) as tinfoil hat sites. As a suggestion, go there, hop a few links, and soon you'll find sources that you can quote to your pastor/minister/priest/rabbi/imam.

Trust, but verify.

DMara

bikezappa wrote: »

Every one is different but you asked how we have dealt with this.

I tried crestor and it dramatically reduced my cholesterol levels. It also made it very difficult to exercise, pain in muscles. I like to commute to work by bike and my muscles felt old and tired. That was 18 months ago. I'm 64 now and have made the following changes with my doctor advice for over a year.
Stopped crestor
Had a very low fat diet
Dramatically reduced beer intake
Bought a new bike and ride it about 150 miles per week

Results
Lost 30 pounds over the year (6' 1" 190lbs now)
Extremely low cholesterol numbers
Feel better

I admire you, sir! No drug can help fight against cholesterol issues more than what you've been doing

tonyb

Congrats to some of you for taking the bull by the horns regarding your health. It's not as easy to do as some profess. Breaking from old habits can be a pain....literally.

Once you start to see results, it motivates. May I suggest some of you guys already motivated get your read on about digestion and how our ageing bodies digest foods differently than our 20 year old counterparts. Digestion is big, real big as we age and a good chunk of our overall health as we get into middle age and up.

I at times find it funny, that we live a lifestyle full of fast foods, sugary foods, eat like it's the last supper, lacking in physical activity,for decades then go to a doctor and expect them to fix it....now. I believe if there was a screening test, like a blood sample test for home use that could tell people what certain important levels are at, people would be more pro active. Thats a great idea, so if anyone comes up with it I want royalty fees. Kinda like that home test for diabetes that measures your blood sugar only expanded to read other important factors. Lets face it, some including myself avoid doctors like the plague, but a home test gives you a cost effective way to make changes before sh$t hits the fan.

gp4jesus

gdb wrote: »

FWIW....I'm gearing up to start the South Beach Diet and I'm hoping that it will lower my numbers enough to be able to stop taking simvastatin. You might wanna check it out yourself. (should be in your library) Good luck ! Have you had your "T" levels checked ?

RE: FWIW if both my (fraternal twin) brother and I let our waistlines go, so does our cholesterol. That said, the SB program should help you w/the scale; MAYBE, maybe not w/your cholesterol. Some are pre-disposed as others have posted. Even w/my weight below 160 @ 5'8" I had/have to stay on BP meds.

YMMV. Tony

drumminman

There is a naturally ocurring form of the statins found in an over the counter supplement called red yeast rice. Do some research on it. Lots of health food stores sell it, I buy mine at costco. It has been used in asia for thousands of years.

My cholesterol dropped 40 points after I started it and so far no side effects. Because it's naturally occuring and not synthesized I believe it's easier for your body to metabolize. It's probably also a little less potent.

One interesting fact about statins: they reduce the level of ATP (adensosine triphosphate) in your body, which is the substance that powers all your cellular activity. I've read recommendations to supplement statin use with COQ-10, which is also supposed to maintain/improve cardiac health. I took the RYR for about 2 years, and then started the COQ-10. I found that my energy level did improve and I had a better sense of well being.

As stated previously, it's important to do your own research, and make your own decisions, but that's my 2 cents.