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I am curious what folks are taking for high cholesterol?
I was recently diagnosed and the doctor (and I) believe it is hereditary, as I eat a fairly lean diet and exercise 5-6 days a week doing at least an hour of cardio each time. There really isn't much room for improvement with my diet, so the doc put me on meds. He prescribed Simvastatin.
Right away I noticed side effects. I've had some vertigo, although that has mostly subsided now. What is really bothering me is the muscle fatigue. As I stated, I work out 5-6 day per week with at least an hour of cardio each session. Since starting this medication, I've noticed a drastic change in how my body feels while working out. Basically, I feel drained. I sweat more and it really takes much more effort to complete my workouts
I will be seeing my doc again this week and asking him to change the meds, but I don;t know if there is anything else out there that won't have these side effects.
Anyone out there taking a non-statin drug for high cholesterol. Has anyone else experienced these side effects?
Healing foods beat statin drugs for lowering high cholesterol by Mike Adams the Health Ranger (http://www.naturalnews.com/008310_drugs_statin_drugs_foods.html - broken link)
Since my problems with statin drugs and I started posting my story everywhere I could find.. maybe 4 years ago, I have seen attitudes changing about these drugs. People like you are starting to question them everywhere and notice the side effects sooner. You need to go to the FDA and report your experience on them. Until enough people report, they see no problem and will keep letting them push this stuff on unsuspecting people. The FDA now has a reporting system for people like you and me. DO NOT count on your doctor to report it for you, do it yourself.
Your side effects are typical statin drug side effects right down to the vertigo. I had constant vertigo the whole time I was on them and it stopped soon as I got off of them. I NEVER associated the vertigo with statins until I quit them.
If you have had these problems already, you are should not be taking them. Forcing working out when your muscles are hurting can and will do some damage to them. Drained? I was totally unable to do anything, "0" energy at all, again, never associated that with the statin until I quit them and had so much energy that everyone who knew me asked me what I was "on". Man, I was to tired to do anything and I hardly left the house anymore.
Be warned, these drugs can and do permanent damage and will cause other problems throughout your life. I am about 4 years statin free and am suffering life long problems now because of what they did to my hormones. Cholesterol is the precursor to your hormones for males and females.
It does my heart good to see these attitudes changing. More and more doctors are also beginning to see what these drugs are doing too. I never saw a doctor for so many problems in all my life as I did when I was on these drugs. Hardly see them anymore. I use supplements and diet to keep mine down and I DO have the inherited cholesterol so don't let them tell you it can't be done. I tweaked and tweaked my diet until I found what worked for me. And for the record, I do not believe in those extreemly low numbers they want these days, I try to keep mine between 240 to 250, otherwise I feel really bad and always end up at the doctors.
Thanks for the info! I quit taking the meds today and will talk to my doctor on Thurs. There was no way I was going to keep taking them as they make me feel like CRAP!
One of the links posted above has some great info an dietary supplements. I will be taking that to my doc and letting him know that I am going to try that route for now.
It's good to hear from someone else with inherited HC that it can be controlled without these terrible drugs.
I, too, have hereditary high cholesterol. I am a fitness trainer for a living, teach 9 cardio/strength classes per week, practice yoga and Pilates 2 days per week, strength train on my own 3 days per week. I don't eat beef or pork, no dairy products, eat mostly lean proteins, vegetables and fruits. I am 43 years old, weigh 130 lbs. at 5'4" and my cholesterol is still 220. I refuse to go on any statin medication and am using fish oil supplements (twice per day) and take 2 servings of Metamucil per day (alot of research has indicated high fiber diets help with cholesterol). I try to include oatmeal in my diet 4 or 5 days per week also. Even if my doctor suggested I go on the medication, I wouldn't. I will just keep mine at the lowest possible level I can, for my body, keep working out and not worry about it....I am doing the best that I can and I think the medical community has become quite alarmist in regards to the low numbers necessary.
pilatesgal318- My doctor is happy with mine being in the 220's range since he knows he will never get me to take another statin (yea, he already tried). Now he just tells me to keep doing what I am doing.. My daughters is in that range also and her doctor has never offered her a statin, he tells her to keep doing what she is doing too.
Seattleite61- Most likely he will try to give you another one telling you another one may not have the same side effects.. Mine tried that. I flat out refused in no uncertain terms "I will NOT ever take another statin drug, changing to another CAN make it worse and I have suffered enough!". I had another doctor tell me there is a "new class" of cholesterol drugs that are not statins and he would give me one of those... I laughed at him and said "NEW class? NEW means AVOID at all costs! NO THANKS! I will not be their guinea pig again!" He was extremely upset I had went on the internet "to get my list of symptoms" as he said.. I told him THEY (the doctors) are forcing us on the internet because they won't believe us or brush us off and we KNOW something is wrong, we know how we feel.
He will try to talk you into staying on them but the choice is ultimately yours to make.
Thanks, guys. I definitely will NOT take another type of statin if he suggests it.
Funny thing is, Saturday was the last time I took the drug. I am already feeling better. I will try modifying what I can with my diet and try dietary supplements recommended, but no more meds for me. I am too young to be feeling like crap.
Oatmeal and psyllium husks reduced my cholresteral from 5.5 to 4.1. tryglycerides 0.6. The dr said my cholesterol was as if I were taking anti-cholesterol medication. I admit, it wasn't high to begin with. (Do not take this as medical advice).
2-3 eggs a day cooked in coconut oil or butter (egg yolks contain choline and lecithin. choline dissolves cholesterol in the arteries. lecithin takes fat and cholesterol and melts it so that it can be passed through the bloodstream and not attach to artery walls. 500mg red yeast rice a day
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