I have recovered!

[Janice]

After one year of thigh pain after taking Crestor for 4 months, I now rarely have any pain or stiffness. I have taken (and am still taking) Omega 3, tumeric, COQ10, for several months and added lechicin and magnesium the last three months. The pain stopped after adding the last two, but I don't know if they were the reason or if the first three supplements finally did their job. I also have been doing stretching exercises religiously (as much as I could tolerate) since the pain began a year ago. Also, the magnesium has totally stopped the PVC's (irregular heart beats) that I had been having for several months. I had been to the cardiologist 3 times, but he never suggested magnesium, just said they were beneign and that I would have to live with them. I learned about the magnesium through a heart forum on the internet. I have carefully researched the safety and what dosages are safe for the above supplements and would strongly caution anyone interested in taking them to do the same. I really believe I would still be in pain everyday if I had not researched and taken my health into my own hands. No doctor could prescribe anything for my Crestor-caused pain or the PVCs because they didn't know what to prescribe. Sometimes you just have to carefully research and try trial and error treatments on yourself! Best of luck to everyone in your own search for a cure for your statin damage and God bless.

[SusieO]

Janice that is great news!

I feel like I have almost fully recovered after suffering for three years. I really agree with you that each of us have to do research and find out what works for our body because it really seems like what may work for me may or may not work for the next statin sufferer. Plus, any small adjustment in my supplements can throw my body back in to a weakness so even though I am much better than I was a year ago I have to constantly monitor what I take and what I eat so I can learn how to avoid setbacks in the future.

[cjbrooksjc]

SusieO: I can't be sure what lechicin is. Is that the right spelling?

Brooks

[Brian C.]

Lecithin? Fat emulsifier.

Brian.

[SusieO]

Yes, I think she meant lecithin.

[Janice]

Sorry. It is spelled lecithin. I take 1200 mg per day of it and 125 mg magnesium. It is wonderful to feel normal again! My heart doctor is now asking me questions about supplements!

Janice

[Janice]

Also lecithin contains choline, which is a pathway for acetylcholine, which is involved in our muscle control and memory.

Janice

[gotts1936]

Janice, the subject of this post is. " I have recovered ". I may be wrong, but it appears you have not recovered and are only getting relief from the supplements you are taking which mask the statin drug damage. But, I am happy to hear you are pain free and will look into the supplements you are taking that I am not. Namely, tumeric and Lecithin.

[Janice]

Gotts,

You may be correct. I may have to continue taking the supplements for a lifetime like just like many people who have to take lifelong medications. Since all the supplements appear to be very safe at the correct doses I probably won't try discontinuing any of them to see what happens. I have slowly started hiking and weight lifting again and am amazed there is no pain now. My husband and I are going hiking in Maine in a few weeks. Last summer I could barely get out of the car on vacation. I just turned 50, last summer felt 70 and now feel 40! Good luck with the tumeric and lecithin.

Janice

[cjbrooksjc]

YES!... another victory snatched from the jaws of defeat!! Trite; I know, but it's always good to hear about total recovery. Sorry I didn't congratulate you eallier, Janice, but it's your fault - I was eagerly searching for the 'lechicin' panacea... I thought you'd found the 'magic bullet'.

Best,

Brooks

[crafty]

After many years of myopathy, etc. but force myself to stay active, I have found that NADH is very helpful to my energy levels.

[telxpert]

When I see your post I almost jump to buy this supplement, now I will find out if am allergy and I hope that am not. Will find out and wish me luck. Before taking them as food supplements, it is very important to be well-informed about possible lecithin side effects. Please read what I find out and please am not trying to be negative just careful.

The Possible Side Effects of Lecithin Supplements @#@%$*#@


Many people take lecithin supplements due to the popularity of the benefits they provide, without regard and knowledge of possible lecithin side effects. Lecithin is a lipid material composed of both choline and inositol which is actually present in our cells as a major component that facilitates the flow of nutrients going in and out of the cell. Many lecithin supplements have been produced commercially from Soya and will thus be referred hereon as soy lecithin or Soya lecithin.

Natural sources of lecithin include foods such as soybean, egg yolk, wheat germ, legumes, yeast, peanuts and wheat germ, among others. Lecithin supplements in the form of soy lecithin are sold in the market today in powder, capsule and granular forms.



The Many Benefits of Lecithin
Soya lecithin has been found to be effective in various food and industrial applications due to its emulsifying properties. Its application includes promoting solidity in margarine, giving consistent texture to creams and dressings, coatings for chocolates, cosmetic uses in shampoos, and several industrial uses such as in the production of paints, waxes and textiles.

Recently, Soya lecithin has also been seen to have a multitude of health benefits. This comes from the fact that lecithin can prevent the build-up of fats in the body so that they can be broken down easily and used as a source of energy.

Lecithin has been popularly promoted for lowering cholesterol, for improving brain function and memory, keeping the liver healthy and promoting weight loss. There have also been claims that lecithin supplements can promote relief of arthritis, healthy skin and hair, treatment for gallstones, reproductive health and development, as well as improved physical performance and muscle endurance. The latter benefit claims have yet been scientifically proven, however.

Lecithin Side Effects
Though no visible side effects can be felt when taking dosages below 10 to 30 grams of soy lecithin, higher doses have been seen to cause various problems and side effects which include gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, either weight gain or loss of appetite, rashes, headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and unpleasant body odor and bad breath. On the other hand, regular chronic doses of choline over 3.5 grams daily have been seen to cause the occurrence of low blood pressures in a few people. Low blood pressure signs usually include dizziness, confusion, blurred vision and even fainting.

The Problem with Soy Lecithin
More and more people have been using soy supplement as part of their daily food supplement. But along with this popularity comes the number of soy lecithin allergy cases reported. These allergies are caused by an oversensitive immune system such that exposure to certain allergens such as the ones found in soy lecithin, lead to a reaction that involves the release of huge amounts of antibodies. These allergic reactions include sneezing, coughing, runny nose, facial swelling, swollen tough, difficulty in swallowing, shortness of breath, excessive perspiration, low blood pressure, anaphylactic shock, fainting or even death. So, before consuming soy lecithin supplements of any form, make sure that you check to see if you are allergic to them in the first place or not.

[Biologist]

Janice mentions magnesium in this thread. Studies indicate taking magnesium CITRATE is much more effective than magnesium OXIDE.

(I have been taking OXIDE !!) Be sure to take it with food for better absorption.

_____

Am J Cardiol. 2003 Mar 1;91(5):517-21.

Effects of oral magnesium therapy on exercise tolerance, exercise-induced chest
pain, and quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease.

Shechter M, Bairey Merz CN, Stuehlinger HG, Slany J, Pachinger O, Rabinowitz B.
The Heart Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.

Previous studies have demonstrated that magnesium supplementation improves
endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However,
the impact on clinical outcomes, such as exercise-induced chest pain, exercise
tolerance, and quality of life, has not been established. In a multicenter,
multinational, prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled
trial, 187 patients with CAD (151 men, 36 women; mean +/- SD age 63 +/- 10
years, range 42 to 83) were randomized to receive either oral magnesium 15 mmol
twice daily (Magnosolv-Granulat, total magnesium 365 mg provided as magnesium
citrate) (n = 94) or placebo (n = 93) for 6 months. Symptom-limited exercise
testing (Bruce protocol) and responses given on quality-of-life questionnaires
were the outcomes measured. Magnesium therapy significantly increased
intracellular magnesium levels ([Mg]i) in a substudy of 106 patients at 6 months
compared with placebo (35.5 +/- 3.7 vs 32.6 +/- 2.9 mEq/L, p = 0.0151).
Magnesium treatment significantly increased exercise duration time compared with
placebo (8.7 +/- 2.1 vs 7.8 +/- 2.9 minutes, p = 0.0075), and lessened
exercise-induced chest pain (8% vs 21%, p = 0.0237). Quality-of-life parameters
significantly improved in the magnesium group.

These findings suggest that oral magnesium supplementation in patients with CAD
for 6 months results in a significant improvement in exercise tolerance, exercise-
induced chest pain, and quality of life, suggesting a potential mechanism whereby
magnesium could beneficially alter outcomes in patients with CAD.
PMID: 12615252

_____

Magnes Res. 2003 Sep;16(3):183-91.

Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations in a randomised,
double-blind study.

Walker AF, Marakis G, Christie S, Byng M. Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition,
School of Food Biosciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading,
UK.

Published data on the bioavailability of various Mg preparations is too
fragmented and scanty to inform proper choice of Mg preparation for clinical
studies. In this study, the relative bioavailability of three preparations of Mg
(amino-acid chelate, citrate and oxide) were compared at a daily dose of 300 mg
of elemental Mg in 46 healthy individuals. The study was a randomised,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel intervention, of 60 days duration.
Urine, blood and saliva samples were taken at baseline, 24 h after the first Mg
supplement was taken ('acute' supplementation) and after 60 days of daily Mg
consumption ('chronic' supplementation). Results showed that supplementation of
the organic forms of Mg (citrate and amino-acid chelate) showed greater
absorption (P = 0.033) at 60 days than MgO, as assessed by the 24-h urinary Mg
excretion. Mg citrate led to the greatest mean serum Mg concentration compared
with other treatments following both acute (P = 0.026) and chronic (P = 0.006)
supplementation. Furthermore, although mean erythrocyte Mg concentration showed
no differences among groups, chronic Mg citrate supplementation resulted in the
greatest (P = 0.027) mean salivary Mg concentration compared with all other
treatments. Mg oxide supplementation resulted in no differences compared to
placebo.

We conclude that a daily supplementation with Mg citrate shows superior
bioavailability after 60 days of treatment when compared with other treatments
studied.
PMID: 14596323

_____

Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2005 Dec;12(6):596-600.
Int Urol Nephrol. 2008;40(4):1075-82. Epub 2008 Jun 21.

Magnesium supplementation helps to improve carotid intima media thickness in
patients on hemodialysis.

Turgut F, Kanbay M, Metin MR, Uz E, Akcay A, Covic A. Department of Internal
Medicine, Section of Nephrology, Fatih University School of Medicine, Hosdere
cad no:145, Y. Ayranci, 06540, Ankara, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The atherosclerotic process progresses more dynamically in
hemodialysis (HD) patients than in the general population. In HD patients, lower
magnesium levels were reported to be associated with increased atherosclerosis
of the common carotid artery. We tested the hypotheses that magnesium
supplementation helps to improve carotid intima media thickness (IMT) in HD
patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 47 patients on HD were included in
the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: group A (Mg group),
in which patients were given magnesium citrate orally at a dosage of 610 mg
every other day for 2 months and group B (control group), in which patients
received only calcium acetate therapy as a phosphate binder. At baseline and 2
months later, all patients underwent a carotid artery ultrasound scan to measure
carotid IMT. RESULTS: At the end of 2 months, mean serum calcium, phosphorus,
and calcium x phosphorus product were not changed in both groups. As expected,
mean serum Mg level significantly increased in the Mg group at the end of 2
months. In addition, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) level significantly
decreased in the Mg group at the end of 2 months (P = 0.003). Baseline carotid
IMT was similar between the groups. Bilateral carotid IMT was significantly
improved in patients treated with magnesium citrate compared to initial values
(P = 0.001 for left, P = 0.002 for right).

CONCLUSION: Based on the present
data, magnesium may play an important protective role in the progression of
atherosclerosis in patients on dialysis. Further studies are needed to assess
more accurately the role of magnesium in atherosclerotic regression in dialysis
patients.
PMID: 18568412

_____

Bioloist

[Brian C.]

I take magnesium ascorbate for a double whammy but since there are no studies that I am aware of involving this particular compound I am in blind trust that it provides for my body's needs in a suitably efficient manner.

Brian.

[telxpert]

My question to everybody is what really works for each one. I need this help badly for mussel pain. Please be specific and simple, because I no longer have the energy level to read or comprehend complicated explanation. In addition, I have a heart attack two months ago (I think cause by VYTORIN) and will appreciate all input for pain. Oh yea what works for high blood pressure with heart problem. I trust this forum more than stupid doctors. (not all doctor) Thank you and God bless

telxpert

[harley2ride]

What has been working for me (after years of experimenting), is 50mg of Lyrica (3xdaily), 5mg NADH (2xdaily), 1000mg fish oil (2xdaily), 1000mg flax seed oil (1xdaily), 1 baby asprin, and a product from Vitacost called MITOCH Booster, which contains COQ10, L-Carnatine, and much more, and a daily vitamin.

If I back off the Lyrica, I suffer. If I back off the NADH, I suffer. I've been afraid to try stopping or starting anything else, as I am not all that bad on a daily basis, as long as I take things easy. If I push myself, I suffer for at least a week.

[telxpert]

Thank you for the info and we are like carbon copy on pain problems. Taking some that you mention and add does that I have not tried and I hope it helps. Thank you and God bless.


Respectfully yours
Telxpert

[harley2ride]

My Mda doc said that everybody needs different doses of things, and about the only thing you can do, is like I have done. It has taken me years to find the right doses of the right things, without taking more than I need, to achieve the comfort level I have today.

Just stopping one pill for 2 days, makes a big difference, and even a huge difference, depending upon which pill it is. For example, if I drop my Lyrica to 2, I get bad very quickly. If I try to take 4, I am a drooling blob, and I may as well be in a coma.. If I stop the NADH, I notice a big difference within 2 days. Getting back on them makes improvement within 2 days.

So don't be discouraged. Just keep trying slowly changing things, one at a time, and give it at least a week, before changing anything else.

[valgators]

Hi Harley,

If you would be so kind would you tell me what NADH does? I googled it and found some information but I would like to know what another statin-damaged friend has found it does for them (you). And if you don't mind, how much and how many do you take per day?

Thanks.
Valgators