Statins? Crestor (pain, blood, soreness, diabetics)

[jambo101]

Doctor just prescribed an increase in my Crestor,up to 40mg from 20mg appears i have continuing elevated cholesterol levels.
More than a few of my friends have told me these Statin drugs arent that great for your health and several of them refuse to take this type of drug even though they have prescriptions for them.Do i have cause to worry?
Doctor says any side effects are not worthy of worrying about when considering the benefits of the lower cholesterol levels these drugs provide...

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Do some reasesrch via google. Statins carry risks; I developed signs of a side effect and had to stop. OTOH we don't know your cardiac condition. Seems like a longer discussion with your doc is in order.

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[newtohouston2]

yes, for a lot of people the risk of statins are a lot smaller than the risk of having high cholesterol. i

[jambo101]

I've been with the same doc for 25yrs and have never had any heart problems, so i guess i wont try to second guess the guy andcontinue with the pills..

[old_cold]

How diligent have you been on trying to lower your levels with diet?
It's more work but involves fewer drugs.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by old_cold

How diligent have you been on trying to lower your levels with diet?
It's more work but involves fewer drugs.

Like many others weight control is my Achilles heel. its been a latter life struggle and my failure to control it has led to diabetes,higher than normal bl;ood pressure and the elevated cholesterol levels, giving up Tobacco and alcohol some years ago was childs play compared to getting my eating habits under control..

[gypsychic]

My husband has to take statin drugs for his cholesterol, and Crestor made him violently ill. In fact he has had to switch several times before finding one that he could tolerate (sorry, don't know the name of the current one). He has been diligently losing weight so that he can get off this medicine (he takes BP meds, too) I don't believe these are good for long term use, they do destroy your liver given enough time. You might need this in the short term, but try to control it with diet and exercise so you don't take it forever, is my advice.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Doctor just prescribed an increase in my Crestor,up to 40mg from 20mg appears i have continuing elevated cholesterol levels.
More than a few of my friends have told me these Statin drugs arent that great for your health and several of them refuse to take this type of drug even though they have prescriptions for them.Do i have cause to worry?
Doctor says any side effects are not worthy of worrying about when considering the benefits of the lower cholesterol levels these drugs provide...

The actual risk of a serious side effect from a statin is low. If you have not had any muscle weakness with it by now, that is probably not going to be an issue.

Coenzyme Q 10 is available over the counter and may help with muscle soreness and joint pain if you do get them while on a statin.

See here for an explanation of the effect on the liver:

Do Statins Harm the Liver? « Cholesterol Management 101

This study showed a reduced risk of liver cancer in statin users:

http://www.natap.org/2011/HCV/ajg2010475a.pdf

"In summary, results of this study demonstrate a 38 % risk reduction
for liver cancer with statin use below 215.4 DDD as compared
with individuals who did not use statins. Given the widespread use
of statins, this magnitude of risk reduction would have a substantial
public health impact. Our study suggests that statins have a
potential role in the chemoprevention of liver cancer. Further and
larger studies, particularly prospective randomized trial studies,
are necessary to confirm our findings and the value of statins in
liver cancer prevention and treatment."

Studies continue to show those who use statins have a lower risk of dying:

Ongoing Statin Therapy Associated With Lower Risk Of Death

" Patients with high cholesterol levels who continually take statins appear to have a lower risk of death over four to five years, regardless of whether they already have diagnosed heart disease, according to a report in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."

And a summary of the overall risks & benefits:

http://www.cvtoolbox.com/downloads/c...sk_Benefit.pdf

The overwhelming evidence is that benefits of using statins outweigh risks.

Considering your other health problems, stopping the statin would be unwise. Your risk of cardiovascular disease is many orders of magnitude greater than the risk of using the Crestor.

The weight really needs to be addressed, though, difficult as it is. If you have had trouble dealing with it, consider consulting a nutritionist, who can help you with decreasing total calories and controlling the carbs to help control the diabetes. If you do not exercise, try a simple walking program. Thirty minutes a day at a pace where you can talk but not sing would be a good place to start.

Losing weight could mean reducing or even eliminating some of the meds you take.

[stepka]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Like many others weight control is my Achilles heel. its been a latter life struggle and my failure to control it has led to diabetes,higher than normal bl;ood pressure and the elevated cholesterol levels, giving up Tobacco and alcohol some years ago was childs play compared to getting my eating habits under control..

Jambo, if you can get off sweets, most of your job will be done. It takes 3 days to get the mad longing out of your system, but heck, you're a grownup--you can do this. Then you should probably wait a couple of more months before exposing yourself to major temptation but then it's much easier sailing after that. Really, you should vow to leave them alone entirely and then keep that vow. Diabetics have a much harder time than non-diabetics at controlling their sweet tooth so you need to treat it like recovering alcoholism. The thing that I discovered about being off sweets is that your appetite will naturally calm down and you won't feel the need to be eating all the time.

Also, I've read that just one exercise session can improve your blood sugar profile almost immediately so you should def be exercising. Start slow and work up.

I will say that I'm pretty much against statin drugs (for myself) and that you should be trying to control this naturally if possible, but it sounds like your health is compromised enough with the other issues that it would be a good idea to take them--for now. The benefits would outweigh the risks at this point but while you're taking them you can make it your goal to get off of them. If you get to that point I believe that you'll find that the other issues have improved greatly and your expenses for pills will decrease as well. Do read up on the side effects so you know what to look for--not all are well known.

[nurider2002]

I have tried 3 different statins and experienced diffuse muscle pain on all three. My doctor is a strong believer in statins but, the side effects are not worth it to me. I would rather feel well now and suffer the consequences in the future than feel bad every day. I tried vegan diet, various supplements, with no measureable results.