Who Is Taking A Statin?

"The raging statin debate: Should you take a cholesterol-lowering drug?"

I personally disfavor statins. I base that on the fact that every one of my acquaintances who began taking a statin, experienced serious adverse effects. For example, our friend from Indiana, Gary, normally quite agile, was nearly unable to climb our front steps, a few months after beginning Lipitor. He stopped taking it, and was soon back to normal agility, no pain as while on the drug. Frank


"If you are over the age of 40, chances are you already pop a cholesterol-lowering pill called a statin. An estimated 32 million Americans take statins -- a number equivalent to the combined populations of Texas and Oklahoma. Statins can lower bad cholesterol, known as LDL, by 30 percent and are estimated to prevent thousands of strokes and heart attacks in the U.S. each year.

But the medicine is not without controversy. In some studies, as many as one third of people taking statins suffered side effects and half stopped taking the drugs because they had muscle pain, flushing or confusion. In rare cases, some experienced liver damage, memory loss or a breakdown of muscle tissue. Statins can also increase the risk of diabetes, especially in women."

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...ould-you-take-a-cholesterol-lowering-drug.ece

 

Sometime in June, my husband was prescribed Zimvastatin to lower his slightly high cholesterol level as per the blood chemistry result. The dosage was once a day but his prescription said 100 tablets. It's a good thing that my husband has that habit of buying medicine partially so he bought just 20 pieces. When he went back to the doctor, he learned that it is already a maintenance medicine for him to avoid heart attack. When I asked my sister who is a nurse, she said that the doctor is wrong and the drug can damage the liver of my husband. So now there's still 12 tablets left since my husband quit taking statin. Now he has to find another doctor.

 

For the last couple of years, my VA doctor has me on Atorvastatin Calcium (Lipitor) for cholesterol. I take 1/2 tablet (20mg) a week. Looked up the Side Affects of this med and wondered if it had anything to do with the nagging/achy daily pain I get in my shoulder that I had rotator cuff surgery in March of last year. However, since I've been taking this med for a couple of years, and before my surgery, doubt if this med is contributing to that pain. Anyway, I only take 1/2 tablet/20mg one day of the week........not daily.

Unfortunately, most prescription meds have some kind of side-affects.

 

I take 20 MG of Simvastatin. I also am pre-diabetic...changed my diet-put lentil, brown rice with white rice and sometimes add black rice and always add barley. I found Quacker quick barley and it's so good. Eating more soy beans, vegetables and take herbs like turmeric, oregano, going to get sage next and keep researching about how to fend and stop diabetes 2 forever. I exercise too, and TRY to get in an hour a day for 5-6 days a week. I use either Splenda or now more of Stevia...cheap at Walmart. I try to find what lowers LDL cholesterol too and do it that way to keep the 2 dreaded old age diseases away forever. I got bursitis now and found that ginger root, glucosamine HCI 1500 MG and MSM 1500 MG plus Swason Herbal Joint Care with acetaminophen works well to stop the pain. But when I go to sleep and wake up the pain is the most painful. My Mom who is 90 has no such pain and she took Simvastatin for over 20 yrs. She now for 2 yrs. doesn't need her diabetes meds. So we are lucky, I think, so far. I am trying to stop cheating on my diet and stop eating pastries, but it's so hard especially now that the holiday season is here. I'm glad more bakers are baking with no sugar added...the pumpkin pie no sugar added is still sweet and I can eat it without guilt. I hope we all get well and won't need any statins in the future.

 

@Krissttina Isobe, it's sad to hear that you are afflicted with diabetes. Cholesterol level is easy to lower down with a good diet but diabetes is too difficult to handle. Do you mean to say that you are taking Simvastatin as a maintenance drug? My husband is changing doctors because he was prescribed that same drug for maintenance which according to my sister may harm my husband's liver. But anyway, you look so creative in your diet. It's the fad now for seniors to turn to organic food and herbs for relief especially when the prescribed medicine is not effective. I've heard that bursitis is like arthritis with the pain it gives, tsk, tsk. Maybe it is with the food we eat?

 

Sorry to hear about arthritis problem...I don't know about arthritis, but bursitis is from the bursae joint between your joints and limbs that acts like a little sponge to buffer carrying things so the limb won't broke or snap. Bursae needs to be replenished with nutrients like MSM and Glucosamine HCI. But the Swanson Herbal Joint Care works like a charm. From the first day I got it and drank it the pain decreased 99%...I love it!!!!! I drink acetaminophen as needed and doctor said to exercise too. My doctor gave me 2 exercises to do daily for it. I know milk thistle protects the liver. I research a lot, but ask doctor and pharmacist too for I don't want things to clash or cause me more harm. Best to ask doctor and pharmacist to be safest.

 

Anyone here drink hot Green Tea for it's health benefits including lowering arthritis and bursitis pain?

 

@Cody Fousnaugh

Does it have to be hot? My wife drinks cold green tea.
Frank