Statin Update

Post by **tex** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:04 am

Hi All,

Some of you may remember that back on February 20th, I stopped taking Simvastatin, after taking it for a little over 9 months, because I thought that it might be the reason why I sometimes woke up during the night, or the next morning, with either stiff or locked fingers. When they were locked, I had to use the other hand, to force them to fold, (to make a fist). Once they were flexed down, they seemed to be relatively free and normal, again. Sometimes it would be one hand, and occasionally it would affect both hands. This only happened roughly once or twice per fortnight, (2 weeks, for those who haven't seen that term used in such a long time that they've forgotten what it means.

), though occasionally it would happen several nights in a row.

The day that I stopped taking it, I had an appointment with my GP, so I told him what was happening, and that I was going to stop taking the Simvastatin. Naturally, he commented that he doubted that it was the cause of the problem, (standard MD response to a complaint about a serious drug side effect), but he suggested that if I were going to stop taking it for a while, I should give it enough time to allow for a fair trial, because it might take a while for the effects to wear off. (As it turned out, he was right on target with that suggestion).

A couple of weeks later, I was still having the problem, on an occasional basis, so I was beginning to think that I was barking up the wrong tree. I gave some thought to resuming taking the statin, and then I thought, "Naaaaaaaaw, lets just see what happens after a few more weeks". Then I forgot about it.

Yesterday, it dawned on me that I haven't had a stiff finger event, (let alone locked fingers), in at least a couple of months.

Not only that, but if I work extra hard one day, the next morning, my body isn't stiff and sore, the way it was when I was taking the statin. I thought that old age was really working me over, back in February. Now, though, I wake up feeling normal, (not feeling drugged, achy, and/or exhausted). Clearly, statins are not my friend.

Anyway, I thought that I should post this update, in case anyone was wondering how my little trial turned out. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Tex

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:07 am

Wow. what great news! I knew statins really sucked out muscle strength, so it makes sense about the soreness and stiffness. Good for you, and your sleuthing, Tex!

(How's that for a seldom-used word?

Post by **tex** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:21 pm

Marliss wrote:(How's that for a seldom-used word?

Tex

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:21 pm

Very good, Tex.

I had the same thing happening with Lipitor. I remember the fingers on my
hand "gluing "themselves together which made it impossible to use my curling iron.

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:57 pm

What are you taking instead of the statin? Or is your cholesterol ok now?
grannyh

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:40 pm

That's fabulous, Tex. There was just a little flutter of bad news about Simvastatin I heard on the radio, in which everyone was falling all over themselves to urge people not to stop taking it. Hmmm.

I ask my friends periodically to remind me why they are persuaded that a statin would be of benefit. I have one friend who, I believe, has a good reason to follow this regimen. The rest are listening to doctors who are waaay behind the news.

Oops - rant barely averted. Marliss - excellent use of the vocabulary word of the day!

Love,
Sara

Post by **tex** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:42 pm

GrannyH,

My cholesterol always was "OK", not great, but OK. My LDL has always been near the upper end of the "normal" range, and my HDL has always been at the lower end of the "normal" range, and my total cholesterol has always been in the 215 to 225 range. As my GP says, that's normal for me, because it's determined by my genetics.

The statin was prescribed as part of a stroke-deterrent program, last year, after my second unexplained one-sided numbness event was ruled as a TIA, because the doctors couldn't figure out what caused it. My total cholesterol was already coming down because of the removal of several inches of my terminal ileum a few months earlier, (it was down about 20 points or so, in 3 months, at 195). (The terminal ileum is where the bile fatty acids are reclaimed/recycled, to produce cholesterol for use by the body, so with part of it removed, my cholesterol was bound to go down.) After I started taking the statin, my total cholesterol dropped another 50 points, (to 145), in less than a month, then it rebounded to 169 after another month.

Interestingly, my LDL climbed to 162 about 2 months after my surgery, and then dropped to 105 after another month. Obviously, my body was having trouble trying to establish equilibrium after the removal of part of my terminal ileum. My LDL dropped to 95 a month after beginning the statin, but then climbed to 118 the next month. Sooooooo, it's difficult to say that whether or not the statin actually had any beneficial effect on my cholesterol profile. It appears to me that other factors dominated.

The body has to have cholesterol in order to function properly. Here's what Wikipedia says about cholesterol:

Cholesterol is a waxy steroid of fat that is manufactured in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals.[2] It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes. It is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. In addition cholesterol is an important component for the manufacture of bile acids, steroid hormones, and Vitamin D.

Thinking back, my vitamin D level dropped from 96, the year before, to 46, about 2 months after I started taking the statin. I couldn't figure out why, at the time, but now, it seems pretty clear why that happened. In view of the role of cholesterol in cell membrane health and permeability, and it's role in the production of steroid hormones and vitamin D, I can easily see why the statin had such a detrimental effect on me. I'm glad I tested it out, though, otherwise I would have never known for sure.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:46 pm

I am very relieved you're off that drug. The risks, I firmly believe, increase with age and with the duration of time taking them. And the benefits do go down.

Are you also taking something in the Plavix family? I am not at war with those, just asking ;)

Post by **tex** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 5:09 pm

Sara,

I agree - statins may well be beneficial for middle-aged people who have high cholesterol, and who are unable to lower the level by dietary changes. For us "senior citizens", though, IMO, we need all the cholesterol we can get. Research shows that longevity is directly proportional to cholesterol level, after we pass the 6th or 7th decade. IOW, if we intend to live to a ripe old age, we need more cholesterol, not less, (because cholesterol is protective of infections and cancer). Frankly, I'm more concerned about my cholesterol being too low, rather than it being too high. Of course, there probably aren't more than 2 or 3 doctors in the world who would agree with me on that opinion.

The point is, our risks change as we age, especially regarding longevity. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to this - it's strictly age-related. Doctors have trouble comprehending treatment programs that do not apply equally to all age groups. They understand that our nutritional needs change as we age, and they understand that our health needs change, but they can't seem to understand why optimum cholesterol levels change as we age. Obviously, the drug company reps forgot to mention that to them.

Yes, after the first "TIA" ruling, (again, they couldn't establish a cause), I started taking a baby aspirin, and after the second "TIA", I was prescribed Plavix, instead, along with a couple of BP meds, (even though my BP was fine), and the statin, of course.

Tex

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:19 pm

I have been taking Crestor for years and years because my blood pressure was high. Actually the good stuff is high, the bad stuff is low.. who knows what is the best.. surely not moi:) The only thing I do know is that when my CC was active.. the Crestor didn't cause any problems.

Hubby was put on Niaspan because his bad cholesterol is high and the good stuff is low. He looked up the side effects and is not pleased about taking it. He decided to take one pill instead of two and will discuss it at next doctor visit.
grannyh

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 9:00 pm

another element of where listening to your body is very important....

great news tex, no doubt not having those issues has helped during your recent busy times workwise.

take care

dgshelton · Post by **dgshelton** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 10:29 pm

Good going, Tex! I wish more drs would realize that we know OUR bodies a little better than they do!

Hugs,

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:35 am

Tex,
Although I understad the reason you started the drug, I have to say that I'm glad you are off it now and that you are feeling better. I have decided that I'm not going to be bullied into doing it again (even every other day as I had done in the past). I was prescribed lipitor but I doubt there is much difference between them all.

Thank you for letting us know the result of your test.

Love, Shirley

ant · Post by **ant** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:56 am

Dear Tex,

Good to hear your progress.

I am preaching to the converted, but thought these links interesting.

http://www.drbriffa.com/2011/01/20/rese ... hy-people/

http://drhyman.com/do-statins-cause-dia ... +the+story

Best, ant

nancyl · Post by **nancyl** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 7:13 am

I am definitely not promoting statins, but they do deplete Co-enzyme Q10 in your body, which you need for muscles. So, therefore, the pain. If you do need to take a statin, and some do, it is important to also take the Co-enzyme. If you are familiar with Dr. Oz, he talks about it in his books and how important it is to take it. I have also heard that in some European countries it is automatically prescribed along with the statin. Not sure how true that is.

Nancy