OT - Anyone else have trouble tolerating statins?

[Dekonick]

lotsa fiber.

Steel cut oats for breakfast...etc...

Milk thistle to assist your liver?

good luck. Hope it works out for you.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by mosca

I have been on Lipitor (10mg) for about 2 years now with no side effects. My cholesterol numbers were only slightly high, but both family history and the calcium scan put me in a high risk group, so I'm sticking with it even though I hate the idea.

Resurrecting this thread......

I recently had moderately high Ca-CT numbers and with a family history, but only moderate cholesterol levels. I was put on Lipitor a couple of months ago by 2 cardiologists who I really respect. My principal side effect is achy quads (feels like the soreness 2 days after a hard workout). But also, i) my RHR dropped from ~60 to closer to 55 bpm, ii) my distance vision, which is normally great, has gotten noticeably fuzzy, and iii) my ability to focus and think critically (e.g., for like data analysis and report writing, etc.) is also off somewhat. All this is not over the top bad, but this seems like a lot, and I'm starting to wonder if this is something I'm willing to evaluate for a longer period, or inquire about trying something else.

Any similar experiences? Thx...

[Ralph]

I had such severe side effects from statins, I'm now on Repatha. No side effects and far more effective than a statin....for me. LDL mid 50's now. It's a tier 2 drug on my formulary and requires prior approval. (Tried Zetia, and it caused me severe constipation.)

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

Resurrecting this thread......

I recently had moderately high Ca-CT numbers and with a family history, but only moderate cholesterol levels. I was put on Lipitor a couple of months ago by 2 cardiologists who I really respect. My principal side effect is achy quads (feels like the soreness 2 days after a hard workout). But also, i) my RHR dropped from ~60 to closer to 55 bpm, ii) my distance vision, which is normally great, has gotten noticeably fuzzy, and iii) my ability to focus and think critically (e.g., for like data analysis and report writing, etc.) is also off somewhat. All this is not over the top bad, but this seems like a lot, and I'm starting to wonder if this is something I'm willing to evaluate for a longer period, or inquire about trying something else.

Any similar experiences? Thx...

I've been taking simvastatin for a number of years now and the only side effects I seem to have is an occasional "hot flash" that i feel in my face/head.. usually goes away after 30-45 seconds.. I also started lisinopril for BP at the same time, so not sure it's a factor in that.. I recently have noticed a lower RHR as well, but have been on the statin way longer than lower RHR..

[unterhausen]

I'm on crestor and haven't noticed any issues. I always heard about them though and that's why I took so long to try it. Same with BP meds. Both of these problems would go away if I lost the weight I should, so this might be part of why I'm different than a lot of people.



For whatever reason back when this was first posted, I was never allowed to register on here so maybe I shouldn't post this comment.

[johnniecakes]

I was diagnosed with high triglycerides (686) and immediately reduced carbs by about 75% and went on tricor. Had tight and painful back pain. Doc switched to simvistatin (Zocor) and all pain went away and triglycerides now hover around between 120-140

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Ralph

I had such severe side effects from statins, I'm now on Repatha. No side effects and far more effective than a statin....for me. LDL mid 50's now. It's a tier 2 drug on my formulary and requires prior approval. (Tried Zetia, and it caused me severe constipation.)

Yes, for anyone who has challenges with statins, Repatha (or Praluent) can be a very effective alternative. It cut my TC in half.

Ask your doctor.

[Nomadmax]

I'm on a med called Ezetimibe, it's not a statin. I go back in a month to see how much good it's doing (high LDL only). I gotta be straight with you, if this doesn't work, I'll take my chances because the way all those statins made me feel, that ain't living.

BTW, I have no side effects that I'm aware of on the med I'm on now.

[cnighbor1]

CoQ10 ultra by Qunol
Recommended by heart doctor to offset side effects Works for me
Charles

[DfCas]

I treid 7 oral, and had leg aching on every one. Then they tried Zetia, which caused anxiety/deprerssion.
Most recently tried Repatha which cause low grade headache and backache.

My numbers are only slightly elevated, but because I'm diabetic they want the LDL numbers as low as possible.

I'm gonna refuse to try anymore.

[OtayBW]

Thanks for all of y'alls' info! I think I'm going to try the Qunol Ultra CoQ10 for starters and give that a try for a couple of months. The ratings that I've seen for this are through the roof positive. So, we'll see.

[e-RICHIE]

i’m on rovastatin or whatever it’s called for about 140 days now. cholesterol has dropped by fifty percent maybe more (i’m of eastern european descent and my people have always had high cholesterol…) and there are no side effects to report. my hdl levels are in the high 130 zone. to be honest, i’m not too concerned with any of these issues. but i succumbed to the statin thing because i was tired of listening to my health care provider and all her inane statistics.

[stackie]

So funny,

I'm a sort of doctor. MD anesthesiologist. So, sure statins can cause severe myalgias per the textbooks. What is myalgia? Muscle pain. Well, pain can be of all sorts of variations. Sharp vs dull, cutting vs burning, achey, pressure....

Well, I went on rosuvastatin a couple years ago because I am a weak individual and treat my depression/childhood trauma/life stress with food. I love pizza, chocolate chip cookies etc.

Well, gosh darn it, my legs have ached all the time. Much like after any Saturday morning World Championship ride, or Sunday 'recovery' ride. Kind of like any ride. But then again, my legs have always been sore for hours or even days after hard workouts for the last 20 years. Oh, and ya, now that you mention it my vision is blurry. And my brain is foggy. I just thought the vision was age related presbyopia and the brain fog was just senile cognitive decline. This year, my primary upped my dose as I have not reached target HDL. Legs ache more. Brain foggier. Vision worse. I'm also older.

I'm comforted to know that I am not the only one who has these symptoms. I guess if they get bad enough, I might push the primary to switch me to Repatha. One of my surgeon friend who subsists on cured meats, cheeses and copious amounts of alcohol got on it and has the most ridiculously good cholesterol numbers. It's literally like a cheat code. I'm not sure of his insurance but he qualifies for MediCare, and he gets it for nothing and I'm pretty sure the list price is in the $1000's of dollars per month. So, I'll have to check how much it would be for me. My wife is on Dupixent which is another exorbitantly priced drug but somehow she is on some sort of patient assistance program that she gets it for about $35 a year. List price is over $3500/month. I don't know how the insurance/pharmacy industry is scamming the system, but I'm sure there is something going on. Sorry, that got tangential fast. That's that brain fog.

Anyway, I realize as I type this, it may sound snarky, but it's my honest to god truth. I wonder if some of the side effects are just aging as I am now 56 years old, or just basic poor physical conditioning and stretching. I've never been a good strength workout guy or stretching guy. I'm sure if I had better mental fortitude, I could get up early before I go to work at 7 am and get in a nice weight workout and stretch.

Anyway, I'm there with you all on this journey. High cholesterol, getting older, and losing fitness and brain power.

Jon

Originally Posted by OtayBW

Resurrecting this thread......

I recently had moderately high Ca-CT numbers and with a family history, but only moderate cholesterol levels. I was put on Lipitor a couple of months ago by 2 cardiologists who I really respect. My principal side effect is achy quads (feels like the soreness 2 days after a hard workout). But also, i) my RHR dropped from ~60 to closer to 55 bpm, ii) my distance vision, which is normally great, has gotten noticeably fuzzy, and iii) my ability to focus and think critically (e.g., for like data analysis and report writing, etc.) is also off somewhat. All this is not over the top bad, but this seems like a lot, and I'm starting to wonder if this is something I'm willing to evaluate for a longer period, or inquire about trying something else.

Any similar experiences? Thx...

[deluz]

I have been on statins since I had a heart attack in 2020 and had 4 stents placed.
Last year was not feeling well and had an angiogram and 2 more stents.
Initially Rosuvastatin brought my LDL down but then it drifted up to 100 over a period of several months. Then I added Zetia and it lowered my LDL in the 60's but my cardiologists wants it below 55. At one point I tried Repatha alone but it was worse at lowering my LDL than Rosuvastatin. Recently I tried all three at once and my LDL dropped to 17. So then I dropped the Zetia and now it is at 34 so I am planning to stay on Rosuvastatin + Repatha. Last year I was having severe leg pains and could not ride but doctors could not figure why. I am doing better this year and it seems that since I dropped the Zetia the pain seems less but can't be sure if that it why. High LDL and a non-zero calcium score are definitely risk factors.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by deluz

High LDL and a non-zero calcium score are definitely risk factors.

Same here. Doc said that 50 years of riding helped build lots of compensating pathways.