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WAAYYY OT, but I hope you can help


Greenbomb

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I'm asking this here as I know that lotsa you guys are seasoned citizens and have experience with this and hopefully, don't have any axes to grind one way or the other. I had heart stents put in about 7 years ago and have been on a statin ever since. I started with Lipitor, but it made me feel like someone beat the dog outta me, so they switched me to Crestor. It's been alot better, by far, and my numbers have been really good. I'm on 20 mg. Well, about the last year I've been feeling like hammered goat poop, pretty much all the time. Aches and pains, no energy; I don't really care if school keeps or not most of the time. I don't sleep well and then it's a day's work just to get up in the morning. Then I'm sore as a boiled owl all day. I've tried all sorts of pills for pain, but Ibuprofen as needed seems to work the best. I've been concerned about how much longer I'll be able to work and overall quality of life SUCKS! So, a couple days ago an E-mail pops up about all the bad effects of Crestor and how I might be able to collect billions and billions of dollars for having taken it. I went ahead and googled Crestor and one thing led to another and there was all kinds of stuff that described exactly what I've got going on. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stop the statins and do something else, but I'm wondering if any of you guys have any experience with this stuff and could give some insight on some alternatives to statins. I'd really appreciate any help and insight you have.

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Green bomb... Find a new cardiologist. I found out the hard way that statins can be near deadly if your allergic to them. As you stated, lipitor kicked the tar out of me at 38 years old, felt like I was 90! Doc changed me over to zocor, and I was hospitalized one week later with a pancreas twice normal size. I now take a generic form of niaspan, a natural artery dialator which helps flush cholesterol. Diet and exercise are my only alternative at this point in life seven years later. There are other alternatives for sure, but you have to start by complaining to your doc and changing if you don't get the right advice. Life is to short to have to suffer like that and the first step starts with you. I know too well the pain your going through, pick up the phone on Monday and make a call that will change your life.

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Thanks Greg and Mark. Yeah, I gotta get the drs. involved now and get a new plan going. I'm real interested in how other people do things, as there's more than one way, usually. If I get things straightened out, I'll pass it on.

George

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George,

I've had five fairly recent surgeries for circulation and have also seen ups and downs but my problem is in my legs and not around my heart, which keeps it from being quite so close to home. I am fortunate in that I have no known allergies and the statin I take has had no ill effects.

You speak of diet and exercise almost as being last resorts but in fact those may be the strongest medicines you can find. I and several others in this forum have, to a greater or lesser degree, implemented the "Ornish" diet with success and if you haven't checked into it I would highly recommend at least reading his book. The best recommendation I've heard for it is all the cardio-vascular people with whom I have dealt feel it could be the biggest breakthrough in this field ever, but it's not easy to convince we carnivores to become vegetarians. Don't despair because it's an easy diet to follow and, while obviously the closer you follow it the better your body will take care of itself, you don't need to jump in feet first with an all or nothing approach as you would quitting smoking. Try a few dishes and see what you think. The book and the internet are loaded with recipes that won't make you look like a 120 lb. long-haired, tree-hugging, owl-loving pain in the butt, and a blueberry coffee cake I made went over so well I received orders for several for gifts. Hell, about all I did was substitute unsweetened apple sauce for sugar and yogurt for Crisco, so it's not like you'll get a major shock. Give Dr. Dean Ornish a look-see on Google and get his first book from the library. This isn't the sort of diet that promises to make a vain old hag irresistible only at closing time but it is medically proven to add years to your life through wellness. So will walking half an hour every day but that's best saved for another conversation.

-Randy

Edited by randroid
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Randy;

Truth be told, I've been ignoring the D & E aspect for ever. But, I know I gotta get with that, too. There's an old rail grade that's been paved for walking, so the wife and I will give that a try. I have zero excuses for not doing it. Thanks for the info about the book. I'll look into that, too. And thanks for your encouragement. It helps.

George

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I think that the side effects of cholesterol meds far outweigh the cholesterol myself. I've refused them for the past 20 yrs.

These drug companies want folks on drugs that they need to be on for life because that's how they make money for the shareholder. Guess who is more important?

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I have been on generic statins for a number of years and no ill-effects. For me the low dose does its job and keeps the numbers in check.

As was previously stated, if your doc isn't doing his job, that is, taking your health seriously, then you are destined to see Dr. G far too soon. The doc works for you. If he is lazy, inattentive, has a poor attitude or anything else, fire his a$$ and get a new one.

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I think that the side effects of cholesterol meds far outweigh the cholesterol myself. I've refused them for the past 20 yrs.

These drug companies want folks on drugs that they need to be on for life because that's how they make money for the shareholder. Guess who is more important?

I am very fortunate that at 62 I have very normal blood pressure and my cholesterol level is excellent. However, when I mentioned to my doctor that I eat a lot of red meat, cheese, etc he said that only 15% of your cholesterol comes from your diet. The rest is naturally produced by your body and if you have high cholesterol, it's not whether or not you need medication, it's which one and how much. Diet and exercise certainly help but will not lower your cholesterol as much as most people think. Not to say you should not watch your diet and exercise. They have extremely beneficial effects, especially exercise. I do eat a lot of vegetables and fruit and exercise on a regular basis but it sounds like for some, medication is the main way to best reduce cholesterol. I also find the more often I exercise on a regular basis, the less tired I feel overall. I am not an exercise freak but like hiking, moderate biking, swimming, etc. I would encourage all of you to exercise moderately on a regular basis, watch your diet, and only take medications if absolutely necessary.

Edited by RobertKB
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Thanks to all. I guess it pretty much comes down to one size doesn't fit all, so I gotta find what works for me. I'm thinking that moderation in all things is a pretty good adage. I'll be making a few changes here and will fill you in later about how it all goes.

thanks again.

George

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Guys, here's a short cholesterol story. About 4 or 5 years ago the Dr. told me I needed to take some sort of cholesterol medicine. It wasn't real high, but out of the acceptable range. I told him I'd try diet and exercise first. He was pissed, wouldn't see me on a follow up visit, so I fired him. Found another Dr, but over time the cholesterol didn't go down much. Fast forward a couple years. I developed an allergy to beef and onions. Not each time, but occasionally. I guess it hit a threshold and I'd end up in an ambulance and the emergency room. After 3 rounds of this, I finally was a believer that I didn't need beef or onions.

Fast forward another 6 months. Physical time with the new Dr. With no change except cutting the beef (and onions, but I doubt that was involved) my cholesterol was dead in the middle of the normal range.

I doubt that the commercial "Beef - it's what's for supper" will ever be followed with "and watch your cholesterol go through the roof", but I can tell you dropping it it made a big change in mine. Quickly. I still eat most any other meat. I would never have thought it would have made a noticeable difference.

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