i'm in the statin fog

• By Siun
• Reply 3373154
• September 13, 2012 at 8:12 pm
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I am not a statin fan - and I am still trying to sort out if one of them will be better for me given some of my body's reactions but just the other day I met with my integrative doctor who is both highly qualified (works at the integrative institute at my hospital) and highly skeptical of much of "big medicine". I asked him about staying on statins and he said that if he or a family member had had a heart attack, he would do statins ... that they have just been shown, even for women, to have benefits (lower cholesterol but also anti-inflammatory) after HA. If I had not had an HA, he's say stop. I took that really seriously given his orientation and expertise. He did suggest I fuss to get other statins tried for me - and possibly, though with some risk, red yeast rice but he was genuinely concerned about risk. Sorta stopped my anti-statin tirade with that!

• By sautee
• Reply 3374193 · In reply to 3373154 by Siun
• September 14, 2012 at 8:03 am
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I've been on red yeast rice for years. What did he say the risks are?

• By Siun
• Reply 3376574
• September 15, 2012 at 12:55 am
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Hi - his concern is that red yeast rice does not work for everyone and he feels that cholesterol increases can happen rather fast in folks who've had HA - and thus too quickly put you at risk of another. If you've been on it for a while and it's working, no problem at all.

I've been very anti-statin until this conversation since I figure my cardiologists of course want me on it almost without thinking but my integrative doc really evaluates more independently ... we'll see what happens next but I'm no longer just as sure I'd want off completely. I think the trick for so many of us is how to balance the protections of our meds with the side effects and sort out when we need to just learn to live with it and when we need to fuss. So many things to learn. eh?

• By mawmawx5
• Reply 3377096
• September 15, 2012 at 9:24 am
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I'm still taking Pravastatin 20mg, I haven't had blood tests yet....but I know it be good when I do. HC is a booger for me to control, mine is genetic, plus life style I'm sure. In the beginning, I think they thought total cholestrol should be under 240, which mine is....but now they want it under 200. There lies my problem. My hdl is always low, which doesn't help at all. I also take Niaspan 1000mg for that. My mother had it, my Dad does not. One of my brothers has it, the other does not. My only sister doesn't
have HC either. It's a real dilemma for me, I'm afraid NOT to take the meds, but afraid TO take them. Makes total sense to me if you haven't had a HA, don't take it.

• By sharon54321
• Reply 3425910
• October 2, 2012 at 7:24 pm
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I have had a heart attack and I am afraid to take the statins. I guess I am just in denial about needing them because they make me feel ever so horrible. My muscles are in agony with them. Does that mean I should plow through the pain of the muscles to help the heart? It makes me crazy. When you read the side effect labels they say muscle pain is a sever side effect and that you are to stop immediately. If it is a sever side effect, why do physicians keep insisting I need them. Am I trading one life threatening disease for another? I am totally despondent over all the meds I have to take since the stent. Plavix, aspirin 1mg, Benicar, Amlodipine, and they want me to be on a statin too?

• By Siduri
• Reply 3427020
• October 3, 2012 at 8:10 am
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I definitely am not a proponent of taking statins of any kind but.......but.......with my high cholesterol disease, family history on both sides of strokes and hart attacks, and my own heart attack......well I had to make some decisions and compromises. I deplore the statin fog you speak of and in one of those, "fogs" I found myself driving the wrong way down a one way highway......it was horrible and I was terrified! And the muscle pain, oh my.....I told my new dr about a month ago I was hurting and the nurse said it was joint pain but to keep an eye on it, get more details so when I see them the end of this month they can better determine what is going on. I forget things that I have never forgotten before and find that my organizational and scheduling training I used when I taught students with Autism has been a life saver for me in functioning through this, "fog!" Yet I had tio determine what was worse, another heart attack or take the statin and gamble?

I take Lipitor 80 mg now. I was on prevastatin 80 mg but that wasn't as effective. My cholesterol problem is so bad that at one point if it hadn't gone down after the addition of niacin and fish oil then my cardiologist was considering the blood filtering technique. My levels were down in almost desirable ranges 6 weeks ago. I am due for new blood work and a check up soon so we'll see. I too have the weight gain problem, I lost 25 pounds after my HA but in the year since....nothing but a yo-yo of ten pounds. I watch what I eat and excerise but can't drop the weight!