I just read some threads and articles in here regarding statins, cholesterol, heart disease, etc. Now I am worried. I am on Crestor (until now I think) I guess what I am asking for is some bottom lines. My last two doctors (Internalists) are no help cuz all they want to do is med me up. I do trust opinions and knowledge of the people in this forum.

A little history: 1995 - First heart attack
1997 - Three Stents inserted in my heart
1999 - Gall Bladder removed
2001 - Second heart attack; two stents inserted
High BP since my teens
My cholesterol has always been high w/o meds. Triglycerides were controlled until I did Meat and Egg.

I take Atenolol and Linsinopril (sp) for heart, daily aspirin, multivitamin, 1000mg vitamin C and 1/2 prilosec (OTC)

Last August I chose to do meat and egg WOE, got off statins after reading some articles in another forum, and my numbers went as follows:

Cholesterol in August = 178
October = 378
I don't remember the ratio of LDL/HDL but it wasn't good.
Tris in August = 118
October = 376


I went immediately OFF of meat & egg and back on Crestor. In December, I had these numbers: Chol. 263 Tris. i don't remember, but it was above 200.

I am experiencing sharp pain from my hips down to my ankles and have been for several months. The doctor says it is weight bearing pain, but I disagree with that. After reading today, I am beginning to wonder if it IS the Crestor.

Would ya'll please shed some light on these concerns...I sure would appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

~Sallie

Meat and egg is not exactly a well balanced diet...

The solution is simple

1) reduce calories (reduces synthesis of cholesterol)
2) Eat only low glycemic foods (mostly veggies)
3) Extra virgin olive oil rather than Saturated fat
4) Lots of nuts (almonds, walnuts)
5) Berries - Blueberries, Rasberries, strawberries
6) Consider high dose Niacin
7) Green Tea extract or Sencha Green tea
8) CoQ10 supplement

The most important is to eat a WIDE range of vegetables which contain many compounds that REDUCE cholesterol, and more important TG's.

May aswell take a look around this website http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Click on any particular food and it will bring up details of what that food does for health. All statements are backed up with references listed too.

Thanks so much for the 411 Whoa...that site is now in my favorites. An absolute weath of info.

I am not doing M&E right now, though I now realize it does have its place in LC. Just not for me for months at a time.

Basically what I'm asking is...should I discontinue taking the Crestor? BTW, I have had no chest pains, nothing to think my heart isn't ok since 2001. I feel great as far as my heart is concerned.

Thanks so much for any input, advise, criticism, etc.

~Sallie

In your situation, you've got a history of problems and I think taking advice from folks on the Internet that aren't experts isn't the best thing. I do like to read this guy's blog: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com

Good luck!

Thanks for the response Nancy...I sort of figured no one would want to go there with my history...lol. I guess I mainly need reassurance and such. I am gonna go off Crestor for a couple of weeks to just see if the pain in my legs may ease or disappear. I have more bloodwork planned in March so we'll see what happens then.

I have lost 10 lbs. this past week ( ) With the exception of my constant leg pain, I feel wonderful!! And this time dh and I are trying recipes from the forum...last time we really got bored with LCing. We also didn't include the veggies that we now are. Anyway, I feel alot better since reading the heartscanblog...thanks so much for the input.

~Sallie

Here are some web site that you might find interesting to read.

http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/...de-effects.html
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/
http://www.thincs.org/Malcolm2.htm#sep16-2004

Hiya Sallie,

I wonder if you read some of my posts, as I've always been very vocal about my statin complications. Every time I stand on my own two feet and have to walk away with a limp - I want to tell my story but it's not meant to scare anyone just to let the truth be told as it happened to 'me'.



All you need is 2 weeks to see if Crestor is the reason for your pain. I felt great alleviation 2-3 days after I stopped Lipitor so I knew for sure that was the reason for my pain.

Good Luck!

Thanks Larry for the interesting reads. I have decided to quit taking Crestor and let nature take its course. The more I read the more I believe that my leg pain IS a result of the Crestor. Back in 1995 my cardiologist put me on Zocor and I could barely walk after a few weeks on that. I have also used Baycol (which was taken off the market a few years back) and Lipitor, but had no ill effects from those (that I know of).

Ya'll have been so much help by giving me resources to research. I want to thank everyone in this forum for being so kind and supportive. I knew I came to the right place!!

~Sallie

Another source to consider is the Zone Diet. Developed by Barry Sears, PhD, he formulated it to deal with his own heart problems. Everything Whoa mentioned diet-wise would be recommended by the Zone as well.

Two weeks may NOT be enough, especially if it's nerve pain. And blood work may come out normal, even if the drug is causing the side effects. Some of the statin side effects go away very quickly, but others linger for months....and still others seem to never go away. I felt some of the side effects for better than 2 yrs after stopping Lipitor.

StoppedOurStatins ~Yahoo groups is a great site for info. It's a fairly large group, but not too active. Fran, the group owner is excellent and has a lot of information available.

Sallie, there was a study done not too long ago on green tea and heart disease. It may not affect cholesterol dramatically, but will prevent inflammation and oixdation of LDL.

There are certainly far better ways to normalise cholesterol and inflammation than statins. I hope you manage to improve your risk factors, by whatever means.

http://www.physorg.com/news77388732.html

"Researchers at the Tohoku University School of Public Policy in Sendai, Japan, said drinking five or more 3.4-ounce cups of green tea daily reduces the risk of heart disease by 31 percent in women and by 22 percent in men, WebMD reported Wednesday. The scientists said the reduced risk was compared to people who consume one or fewer 3.4-ounce cups of the beverage daily. "

---------------

What a coinkidink!!

Dh and I have just started drinking green tea at night. It is Lipton brand with mixed berries. We add a touch of Splenda. I also drink the Lipton Diet Green Tea w/Citrus from the bottle. It looks like it would be to my advantage to drink a bit more. I will bring some to work to have hot in the afternoons...instead of coffee.

Thanks again to everyone for the valuable info and support here.

~Sallie

Also, fish oil apparently helps you clear postprandial cholesterol (after-meal). I think the heartscan doctor I linked blogs about this. And make sure you're getting plenty of vit. D!

Sallie, I'm with you, it IS confusing and upsetting when you learn the truth about statins, isn't it? I must unfortunately agree with Cindysue, statin side affects may or may not clear up in 2 weeks, and proof they are causing damage may or may not show up in those ck tests that are supposed to show it. My doctor ran the test when I told him I was having adverse effects, and they came back negative. He also told me if the statins were causing it, the symptoms would have cleared up in 48 hours. He's wrong on both counts, but I don't blame him, he's been brainwashed by Big Pharma. I stoppped last September. The extreme fatigue, pain and weakness has eased up considerably in 7 months, but has not totally cleared up yet, and I don't remember feeling much different after only a week or 2. For me, it was much more gradual than that. Perhaps because I took the drug for about 3 years? I blamed my gradual deterioration on diabetes. It wasn't until I got so bad, far beyond what I had ever heard of diabetes causing, that I began to question if something else could be the cause. My statin story is at the bottom of page 1 of my journal.
I also recommend reading Dr Duane Graveline's site, spacedoc.net, and Dr. Michael Eades blogs which you can access through the link in the thread "Statin Panic" in this folder, if you haven't already.
All you can do is read, read, read, and make your own decision.
It's scary to have to make what may amount to life and death decisions on our own, I know.
The people and resources here have been wonderful. Have probably saved my life. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. Last summer, I really thought I was nearing the end of my road.
Good luck to you. Stay a part of things here and let us know how you're doing, ok?