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Posted by Don on November 16, 2009, 8:22 pm
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wrote:
> There is no way I would ever ingest a statin.
>
> clams_casino wrote:
>
> | I initially went on Lipitor with a significant drop in cholesterol and
> | triglycerides (low 200's down to =A0about 140 on both). =A0After two
> | years, I switched to simvistatin =A0(generic Zocar) =A0in an attempt to
> | save money. =A0After about a year, I began having significant muscle
> | problems (inflammation, swelling / stiffness throughout my arms.
> | Within a few months thereafter, I could barely move my wrists. The
> | cholesterol numbers went up to 184 & triglycerices to 215 when tested
> | after 16 months. =A0 I then stopped taking the simvisatin. =A0Without a
> | statin, my doctor strongly advised losing 20-30 pounds (6 ft / 215
> | lbs). =A0It's been six months and with physical therapy, I've regained
> | perhaps 90% of my arm & wrist motion. =A0I've lost 15 lbs (increased
> | protein / significantly reduced carbs) . =A0My triglycerides &
> | cholesterol are now lower than when I was taking the simvastatin,
> | although admittedly not as low as with the lipitor, but below the 200
> | threshold. =A0And for the record, the "simple" blood test did NOT
> | clearly predict the =A0liver problems =A0caused by the simvisatin. =A0 =
In
> | my case, the problem was severe, but the increased ALT, AST values
> | only went from middle range to slightly above the upper limit of
> | normal. =A0The CPK value remained on the low end of normal.
> |
> | The crap was slowly killing me. =A0Furthermore, any savings with the
> | generic quickly disappeared considering the cost of doctor
> | appointments, extra blood tests & therapy.
> |
> | 1) Do consider losing weight before taking a statin.
> | 2) Be wary of the generics.
> | 3) Be very aware if you experience any muscle problems (in my case, it
> | was not strength, but a significant stiffening of the arms & wrist
> | muscles - not what I was picturing when they talked about potential
> | muscle problems.).
Joan,
This is news that is over a year old. I was on both, for a short
time, had side effects and went off of them without telling the Doctor
until I saw her again. She was not sure why I went off but she found
out a few weeks later when this news broke. If you don't need
statins, don't take them. If you need them take them. It might just
help you live a while longer. I've been on them since 1996 and before
that I only had a diet to use. It didn't work and I paid for it later
with clogged arteries. Had the statins been available I may have
averted surgery which I can tell you is no fun day at the office.
Don
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