Advicor side effects

[spacedoc]

I am a 36 year old male. Just recently my PCP has prescribed me to take Advicor 500/22, because my LDL is 272 and HDL is 36 also high triglyceride. Just before I went for my physical I was eating badly for at least 3/4 months ( I also was exercising regularly...false sense of security). Anyhow, I started to take Advicor 3 days ago and going through extreme fatigue right after lunch, even though I take the pill before I go to bed. Do you think that PCPs over prescribe these cholesterol lowering drugs. I believe that I can bring down my numbers if I follow strict diet ( I'm not overweight) along with my daily exercise ( which I have been doing it for a while), without using any medications.
I'm not sure whether to continue using Advicor or not. I just wanted share my story after reading your article on Advicor:

[Nader]

Just wnated to give you an update....I stopped taking advicor only after taking it for 4 days and went on fatty fish/ veg diet along with 30 min of exercise for 5 days a week and my number dropped from 272 to 171.

[SCAPP5@AOL.COM]

I have been on Advicor for about 2 months. I feel that my vision has recently changed. My right eye has blurry vision. I don't know if it is a rsult of Advicor. Seeing my eye dr. this Fri, but I doubt if he would blame medication. I know that it is one of the side effects. Any one else have this happen.

[sos_group_owner]

Hi SCAPP5,

My husband had visual distortion in one eye. He described it as a cloud
moving across his eye. The opthamologist called it "Amaurosis Fugax".
He experienced AF for about 6 months after stopping statins, but none
in the past year.

Carotid ultrasound is one of the tests to evaluate any blockage in the
carotid artery that can cause AF. My husband's was normal.

More info from NIH:
ww.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000784.htm

Fran

[djo]

I am a 49 year old female, I was prescribed advicor in August of 2005. I have small dense LDL which means the bad cholesterol is very small and wedges it's way into the arteries. It does not show on a normal test as it is too small. This is an inherited disease, one I received from my Father I am sure as he had a lot of heart problems. After less than one week of the medication I started having side effects, the first noticed was complete lack of sex drive, it was gone. The next was fatigue, as most of you describe it was almost debilitating, I was in the routine of walking daily on my treadmill and going to Curves 3-4 times a week. I could do neither, I looked awful, when I don't feel well I have very dark circles under my eyes and they were black. Problems increased as the weeks went on with the fatigue getting worse, now it was joined by heart palpitations, extremely high pulse rate, hardly able to work as I just wanted to sleep. After 4 months on the medication I truly thought I was going to die from a heart attack as the episodes were getting so bad. I said enough, and stopped taking it. Within a week I was back on my treadmill and at Curves. I still have some issues with palpitations. The doctor isn't quite sure what to do with me as this does not go away with diet and exercise. I am following the B-6, B-12, Folic acid, Omega 3 and Co Q 10 regimen so I do hope it helps. I will be having a follow up ultrasound on my carotid arteries soon to see what has changed since August. It is a scary thing to be put on a medication that you feel you need but know the damage it does to your body. I was amazed at how fast it all turned around again once I stopped taking the Advicor. I have not been on medications before, choosing instead a more holistic approach with my body but this just seemed to dangerous to mess with. The one good thing I did find was that I had been taking Black Cohosh to help with female hot flashes and from that I did not get the "flushing" that most people suffer with. I did experience it one time when I forgot my black cohosh, it was not flushing to me, it felt like I had been doused with kerosene and set on fire, I don't see how people can put up with that nightly, that was incredible. You can bet I did not forget twice. As I said the doctor is not quite sure how to proceed but I can assure you I will never take a statin again.

[sos_group_owner]

Hi "djo",

Ask your doctor to check your homocysteine, CRP and Lp(a).
These risk factors indicate "inflammation".

Please read this article by Dr Graveline...
"Statin Alternatives":
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

Fran

[kgeit]

My cardiologist switched me from Zocor to Advicor about two years post op triple bypass. I am early 60's, male, and work a high stress engineering job for a major defense contractor. Objective of the switch was to increase my HDL level and achieve a better LDL/HDL ratio. Full doseage was two 750/20 caplets per day, at bedtime preceeded about 30 minutes with one 325 mg aspirin tablet. I was to gardually increase to the full dose starting with 1/2 of one caplet for two weeks followed by one whole capblet for two weeks etc. etc. until the full dose. I experienced hot flashes from the niacin similar to what my wife described she went through with menopause. After about three months of being on Advicor, I began to break out with the worst case of a contact dermtitis I have ever experienced. It was as if I had fallen into a bed of poison ivey. The rash was itchy like you wouldn't believe and was all over my arms and abdomen. I stopped taking the Advicor after consulting with my cardiologist's nurse and was put on corticosteriods for two weeks. the rash gradually diminished and I was switched to Lipitor. I want to get off the statins altogether. I think all of them are poison.