Problems with taking statins? (cholesterol meds)

superjedi

Sr Hunter
Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone has ever had a bad reaction to a statin medication.
About 6 weeks ago my doctor prescribed simvastatin to try to reduce my cholesterol. I was on a 10mg dose.
For the past 5-7 days, I've noticed that I was feeling a little tired, and my legs were getting sore just from simply walking up a couple flights of stairs. It kept getting worse, and yesterday I could barely get out of bed. It felt like someone had beaten my legs with sticks while I was asleep.
I wound up going to the E.R. and they ran a bunch of blood tests and asked me about any prescriptions I was taking, and the doc said that some people have these kinds of side effects with statins.
He told me to stop taking it immediately and to follow up with my doctor this week to let her know what's going on.

He gave me some pretty strong anti-inflammatories, and this morning it feels significantly better.

I was reading on the web about statins and side effects, and sure enough, there were many stories about people having bad muscle pain, as well as fatigue, dizziness, reduction in mental alterness, etc.

Anyone ever have problems from taking a statin?
 
Yeah that is a very common side effect to some of the statin drugs. Getting off of them and getting it out of your system should make you start feeling better really soon. There are other statins that might not affect you the same way. The problem is you just don't know till you try them. At least now you know the signs to start looking out for if you take another kind.

In a related story . . .

Have you changed your diet to help with the cholesterol? I am sure you probably have, but I just wanted to mention that there are some great ways to control cholesterol with your diet. I recommend eating a big bowl of oatmeal every morning. I like the rolled oats versus the instant kind. I put fresh or frozen blueberries in it and it tastes great. Also, you can up your fiber intake. I like the benefiber (or generic versions of it) kind of fiber. Fiber swells like a gel when it hits your intestine and grabs hold of cholesterol carying it out of your system so that it isn't absorbed. You can put the benefiber in plain water and not even taste it. You can even sprinkle it on food. Another thing that can help is fish oil/krill oil. These supplements can help bring up your good cholesterol while regulating the bad.

Sorry that it was more than a short answer. If you can't tell I work in the medical field and diet and health are important to me.
 
Appreciate the response. I have been taking fish oil for nearly a year. Hopefully it's doing something.
I have tried to be more sensible when it comes to diet. I try to eat more fiber and have mostly cut out
things like white bread and white rice.
 
You can try krill oil which is a little stronger than fish oil is. They both do some good, but it can be hard to judge just how much good they are doing since we tend to combine them with other changes like diet and medications. Give the benefiber a shot too. Having a glass of it after a meal can help bind up the cholesterol. I know this will sound cliche but exercise can help with cholesterol too. I have trouble with my good cholesterol (as in I don't have hardly any) and these things are helping to regulate my levels a little better. Like I said don't give up on all the cholesterol medications either. They can probably find one that will work for you. I hope things get better for you soon.
 
Maybe get a second opinion. And if the doctor can't tell you the percentage of your LDL that is type B, or doesn't know the difference between A and B LDL, he probably has no business putting you on a statin anyway. Given your reaction to the drug, you definitely need to look deeper into whether you really need a statin. IMO, they are over prescribed.

Just my two cents. I am not a health professional.
 
Hey Superjedi- I couldnt agree w/ Lufo more. The 2 types of LDL particles he is referring to are "small"( less than 25.5 nm), and "large"(larger than 25.5 nm). It is often the "smaller particles asociated w/ a "high cholestrol" reading. That being said, there are several ways one may reduce the smaller LDL particles w/ some very easy dietary changes. These particles have also been documented as being highly responsible for atherosclerosis..heart attack and/ or stroke. Although there is no "easy" way to make perminant changes with regards to lifestyle/ wellness, I recommend a "keep it simple" approach:
1.) Reduce blood glucose rollercoaster as a result of consuming high glycemic and/ or processed foods
2.) Increase consumption of low glycemic carbohydrates such as broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, green beans, cauliflower etc.
3.) Research "glycation", "AGE's", and LDL particles
Feel free to Pm me if you are interested in reading material.
Good luck
B
 
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