My Patients & Statins; Side Effects From Other Drugs

[saved from statins]

I am an RN and work in a hospital. Most of my patients, especially the elderly, and many of my colleages take statins. I always ask if they take C0-Q10. The answer is usually "What?" In the past year I have only found 2 whose doctors recommended C0Q10. I found a few others take it because they heard it's a good thing to take as you age. None of them has a clue about the relationship between C0-Q10 and statins. By the way, one patient was offended and reported me (she had a very fearful personality with multiple phobias, and I realize now I should not have even asked her) because my question alarmed her. My question stirred her out of her comfort zone of control which included the fact that her sister is a pharmacist. I suggested she ask her sister about it and she went ballistic. I have since modified my questions to a more benign, vague approach. I want to help, but the hospital setting is not the place.
By the way, I have experienced unbelievable pain, weakness, frequent episodes of pharyngitis and sinus infections after taking plogitazone (a diabetic medication) for 5 months. It was very helpful in controlling my blood sugars, but I almost became incapacitated and nonfunctional. Within a few days after stopping this dreadful medication, I feel like a new person. I went to a website, askapatient.com and found many others who had experienced similar symptoms. I will see my doctor next week and I know he will be upset that I discontinued this drug from hell, and I expect that he will not believe it caused my symptoms. However, I know better. Incidentally, I have a family member who has a ruptured tendon from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. I no longer trust physicians to do the right thing and inform/monitor patients regarding harmful side effects--they have betrayed the first tenet of medicine, "Do No Harm." Further, they are guilty of malpractice and negligence in many cases. I am sick of seeing so much suffering and I wonder, "Could it be a side effect?" It especially tears my heart out to see so many seniors who are cognitively dysfunctional (most of who are on statins)--I keep thinking, "Maybe it's not Alzheimers or Dementia; maybe it's statins."

[David Staup]

Dear Saved,

I know how you feel. the fact that you attempt to warn others from a most difficult situation tells me you are an honorable, caring person, and just want to do the right thing.

keep trying because it IS the right thing to do.

David

[Cat Mom2]

At least you are in the medical community and admitting this is happening. MANY will not! Then they attack us for saying anything by saying it is our duty to look up the side effects because we can't expect them to know what the side effects are on every drug.. Can't they see that a patient with no problem other than what they consider high cholesterol suddenly have all sorts of problems and now neeed all kinds of other medicines and connect the dots on those patients with what is happening to the others and the one common thing is the statin drug?

You don't know how many times I get that rolled eye look when they ask, "how did you hurt that?" and I respond "I took a statin drug". None will even admit to the possiability of what damage this drug is doing, much less know how to treat it.

Have you reconized the "statin shuffel" in your patients? I see it all the time and everyone I ask that I see walking with that shuffel and ask if they are on a statin, 100% ARE! I am not a medical person, I just know how I walked/shuffeled when I was on it and reconize it.

I do think that more and more eyes are being opened and the general population is wising up because of sights like this and are going for changing lifestyle habits. Attitudes are changing and your being here is proof of that. You just do what you can to help stop this madness with the ones that will listen and speak out amoung your friends and people you meet like the rest of us do. Find my post about my trip to Atlanta, Ga. last year to talk to a man who had suffered a TGA episode on statin drugs. That man had many light bulb moments when I told him MY story. That is all we can do is talk and tell others our own stories.

When I was growing up and a young adult, you could trust doctors and what they told you plus take the medicines they gave you without fear. Sad to say, that is no longer true anymore.

[gotts1936]

Dear Saved and Cat Mom2, until we can educate the general public that all Medication is toxic to some individuals, nothing will change. The human body is a beautiful piece of medical equipment. It does not need any help. What we forget is that attempting to help this beautiful piece of equipment general damages the equipment.

I am 72 years old and have kept copies of my blood work ,etc., for over 16 years. My blood pressure during that time has averaged 150/90. My total cholesterol has averaged 260 and my blood sugar has averaged 126. Based on those averages I should be dead and if I had not let my new GP, three years ago, talk me into taking Lovastatin my legs muscle would never have been damaged.

Maybe, it is better to died from natural causes than take so-called preventive medication and die from something a doctor prescribed or some surgery done to you.

gotts