OT - Anyone else have trouble tolerating statins?

[flying]

These days folks like Pere Attia prefer Repatha (PSK9 inhibitor), Ezetimibe / Zetia(cholesterol absorption blocker) or bempedoic acid (works in liver to reduce cholesterol production)

You kind of need to know if you are a excessive cholesterol producer or absorber

Then they have a drug called Nexlizet which has both Ezetimibe & Bempedoic acid in it. Which basically addresses both production & absorption I guess

So those three things are the new drugs which are not statins & for teh most part have no side effects for most people

Repatha & Nexlizet can be expensive if your insurance wont cover but if your doctor states you do not tolerate statins they allow it.

But lastly a very interesting thing about Statins is they have found (but don't advertise it) That Statins benefits are gained 80-85% with a 25% dosage

That means a low dosage & many folks report amazing results with no side effects & these were folks that could not tolerate them. But that was due to being heavily dosed

Many practitioners prescribe crazy high dosages like 40-80mg where in reality many folks get by on 5-10mg with great cholesterol lower effects. Some folks go 1.5mg a day & some even every other day

Something to think about?

That aside things like Berberine which is a natural form of PSK9 inhibitor is something to look at.

Last but not least we can help ourselves a lot by cleaning up our diets. Takes time but works well

[deluz]

I tried Berberine and Bergamot and they did zero.
Supplements have no place in treating heart disease IMO.
YMMV

[flying]

Originally Posted by deluz

I tried Berberine and Bergamot and they did zero.
Supplements have no place in treating heart disease IMO.
YMMV

True supplements are much gentler & thus slower. The big difference though is they require the support of the user. Meaning they work in conjunction with lifestyle & dietary changes. With those changes they do work well for many

For most folks the Rx version is stronger & faster as it can overcome a lot of abuse by the user ...but not all of it. No doctor can out prescribe poor lifestyle choices

[buddybikes]

My wife (whose mother had heart attack at 55 and died at 64) numbers were like 240. She did the whole heart diet, red rice or whatever that was at the time for 3 months, her numbers didn't budge. Took lowest dose of simvastatin and went to 175 in month.

Less than 10% have issues, least if you believe this massive study: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Pre...side%2Deffects.

[Jdm]

I had achy legs when taking Crestor. My doctor switched me to Lipitor. Legs feel much better. I also started taking CoQ10.

I started a statin because of a high calcium score and family history. Diet and exercise keeps my total cholesterol at about 215. When on meds, I’m at 150.

[Plum Hill]

Tried atorvastatin and hurt like h***, especially my hands. And I work with my hands.
Substitute doctor insisted I go on Livalo. Within a month I had blood in my urine. Urgicare and ER diagnosed me with rhabdomyolysis; completely overlooked the Livalo side effect.
Now they want me to go on Repatha. It looks like Canada and Spain have issues with testing done on the drug. Google hits seem more concerned about profit for Amgen than if the drug works or has side effects.
Need to call insurance company.

[Ralph]

CoQ10 did not help me take statins. I really tried. MY Repatha not too expensive. My United Healthcare Medicaid Advantage plan covers it. It's a tier 2 drug on my plan (don't know about yours), requires prior approval, costs $60 for 3 months. $40 if I get it from a CVS pharmacy. No side effects for me. My HDL is almost always in 50's now. I do admit to being careful with my diet. And I have 2 stents. I have a lot more trouble tolerating my BP meds. My arteries must be made like lead pipes.

[bigbill]

I've been on Lipitor (generic version) for twelve years. This summer, due to an issue with VA, I went without it for two months while still riding and doing hard property work and noticed no difference in how my muscles felt or performance. I recently reduced my dosage since my cholesterol was very low. No meds, 225, with meds, 135. With good HDL LDL ratio and low Triglycerides.

[bironi]

Look at the variety of replies here.
I've been on statins for a number of years.
More recently, my stomach doesn't like a number of products, even at low dosage.
So, what do the doc's do with all these different products and different reactions?
I don't have a clear path.
I've got no dancing bananas for you or me.

[superbowlpats]

I've been on simvastatin (Zocor), 40mg, for about 20 years (family history of heart disease...). the only side effect for me is memory loss, at least I think its a side effect. Maybe its just getting old (64) but I feel as though huge gaps of time have disappeared.

[oldpotatoe]

My wife couldn't tolerate statins either but is now taking Praluent and has no side effects at all. Lowered her very high numbers very effectively.

https://www.praluent.com

[Nomadmax]

Originally Posted by cnighbor1

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

Charles, how many mgs are you taking?

[flying]

Originally Posted by stackie

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.

This is something I always wonder about. I have a brother who smokes, drinks, is overweight by a lot & eats all kinds of crap but his number are great as he is on various pills for BP, Cholesterol & other things since now diabetic too.

So they take a pill change nothing in their life & think it's all good because "my numbers are great" ?
Obviously wrong but many live like that

[OtayBW]

Thanks for all the responses. Interesting that the range of variability in response (types of side effects and tolerance) is fairly wide. Muscle aches seem to be fairly common, but it was interesting to hear that a few had some other symptoms that I've been seeing as well....

[Ozz]

I've generally had pretty good cholesterol numbers, but they have been creeping up....doc put me on Crestor (5mg) back in August....brought the LDL down from 114 to 66, and total cholesterol from 185 to 128. I am on a pretty good diet with mostly seafood and veggies....occasional meat (mostly chicken) a couple times per month.

No noticeable side effects....