One month and my life got turned upside-down

[piercesdesigns]

Hi! I am a 41 yr old female. I recently was diagnosed (3/9/09) with low-iron which caused me to be tired and feel weak. At the same time they did my cholesterol and it was TC:290 LDL:231 HDL:53. I am 5'6" and weigh 122 and used to work out 30-50min 5 days a week, work as a database analyst for a Fortune 500 and make glass sculptures using fire and molten glass.

Without doing any kidney/liver baseline I was put on 10mg Crestor on 3/9. I took it diligently each night.

By the end of the first week I went back in to the doctor because I had developed extreme shortness of breath and my arms felt like they were burning. I was exhausted and having brain fog. The doc prescribed an antidpressant. (Which I declined)

By the third week I was having muffled hearing, dizzyness, amnesia, extreme mental confusion and loss of cognizant ability. I felt I was living in a swimming pool of jello, just trudging from one task to the other. I ached all over. My lips and face swelled every night which I attributed to a mold allergy. I could not really do my job and could definitely not play with fire.

On 4/4 things had deteriorated to the point where I asked to be taken to the ER.

Everything was "normal" though I have no idea what tests they ran as they would not tell me. I was discharged with "Fatigue-Unknown Cause".

I fell asleep and forgot to take my Crestor. THANK GOD!

I woke up Sunday morning with no puffy face and realized I didn't hurt. After a bit I was thinking (amazing, I could think again!) and realized I forgot to take my Crestor. I began to wonder if any of my symptoms could be from it and found this website.

I will never ever take another statin. I have hypersensitivity to mold from living with Black Mold. Statins are derived from mold. My body was attacking this foreign invader daily at the expense of my health.

And no doctors believe me. Big surprise.

[David Staup]

Wow that is an incredable story... if all your symptoms dissapear you will have been saved by your sensitivity!

[piercesdesigns]

I am angry though that doctors dismiss brain function and memory as issues with Crestor or statins. I am also angry that my doctor never even mentioned that the burning skin issue I was feeling is also a rare side-effect.

I am a person who suffers from extreme chemical sensitivity. I think that made me react much quicker to statin's poison than the average person. I hope nothing is permanent.

I miss my glass making!!

[David Staup]

Dear we all miss the way we were... I have found that the anger and frustration made things harder to deal with and try to channel that towards helping others avoid what we're going through. I have found that making sure my electrolyte levels are good by drinking mostly gatoraid and eating several bananas each day minumizes the cognitive and emotional effects... if you are thristy all the time or get thick phlem at the back of your throat try it ..google hypophosphatemia...

Hugs
David

[schatzi]

piercesdesign,

Tell me more about the mold connection if you can. I have a mold allergy for many years and have been taking statins.

Thanks.

[cjbrooksjc]

piercedesign: The mold adjunct is interesting. I also have chemical sensitivities and am allergic to mold, but I had not made that connection; ALTHOUGH, the one thing that would always make a difference (though not completely moderate my symptoms) was allergy medicine: Drixoral, Zycam, Benedryl, etc. These experiences should feed any decision matrix Dr's use to prepare questions to ask patients prior to prescribing statins.

You'll probably be fine since you did not take the meds that long, but be tuned in to any changes in your body's normal behavior. Statins wash out of the body but can act as a trigger for other, latent predispositions; the symptoms of which may arise after you quit the statin regimen.

Welcome,

Brooks

[Brian C.]

"Statins wash out of the body"

Ain't necessarily so. Drug molecules lodge in the tissue and bones, persisting indefinitely unless driven to the skin surface in sweat, where they can then be washed away.


Brian.

[piercesdesigns]

[quote="schatzi"]piercesdesign,

Tell me more about the mold connection if you can. I have a mold allergy for many years and have been taking statins.

Thanks.[/quote]

In 8/2007 I moved into a house that unbeknown to me was infested with mold in the walls between the office and the kitchen. Within two weeks of moving in I began experiencing angioedema. At the same time I became almost anaphylactic allergic to nuts, cheese, mushrooms, vinegar. (see the connection? moldy or fermented foods) I had to carry an epi-pen with me always. We did not know there was mold.

I was sent to several allergists. My tests came back with me being 3+-4++ allergic to every kind of mold and most trees and most foods.

In 3/08 we finally found the mold, gutted our house to the cement floors and outside studs. I have slowly stopped reacting to most foods, but if I walk into a room with mold my respiratory system goes nuts and my eyes and lips and tongue starts to swell.

So, I now live with a hypersensitivity to mold. I never put two and two together when I started taking the Crestor, but the fact that I couldn't breathe and my lips and eyes kept swelling should have made me think. Instead I bought a new dehumidifier and walked around my house feeling floors and walls looking for moisture.

I kept telling the doc, I can't breathe, I can't breathe. My voice got hoarse (probably from the swelling in my throat).

The only reason I know about the mold connection now if because I was reading a paper on the history of how statins were discovered. From a mold! I almost fell out of my chair. I had already stopped taking them (This past Sunday).

Within one day I went from not being able to walk across my bedroom without wheezing to being able to trot down 6 flights of stairs at work on Monday. (I haven't tried up yet, going to give myself time to recover).

Unbelievable.

[schatzi]

piercesdesigns;

Thank you for responding. A lot of my reactions to Statins make more sense now. I have experienced the allergy symptoms, swelling, breathing problems etc. As you can tell by my previous post's I have taken various Statins for many years. There was a period of 2 years were I refused to take almost any meds and then took Crestor for about two years, stopped in Nov 2008, and then took Crestor again for 4 weeks in Feb. This last time the symptoms became very severe and I decided that was enough. Since then my breathing has improved, the swellings have pretty much subsided, the muscle pain is slowly getting better, I can walk up and down stairs again. I still have issues, sure hope they will go away as well. It is a disgrace the way patients are treated like one size fits all without regard to individual needs of the patient. And mostly without ever wanting to try alternative methods.

I recently read two articles that Crestor is now touted to be the miracle drug for blood clots and asthma. I could not help my self and commented in the same paper that people better inform themselves and then make an informed decision and posted the links to this website. I hope some one will take the time to check it out.

Thanks.

[cjbrooksjc]

Brian: I would agree with you if the exposure time line were extended. In this case, I don't feel there will be much residual danger after a few weeks off the drug. But I do I think, even with such short exposure, there is a danger of the 'trigger' effect of statins.

Brooks

[schatzi]

Just googled "statins and mold" came across some very interesting information. Also googled Aspergillus terreus and Penecillium critricum (Sp) only to find out that Linsinopril, a popular blood pressure medication is also derived from that. No wonder I coughed myself nearly to death.

It just amazes me that Dr.s do not ask about these things before prescribing. I am sure there are quite a few people allergic to mold and fungus, I wonder how many are affected because of statins.

[piercesdesigns]

[quote="schatzi"]Just googled "statins and mold" came across some very interesting information. Also googled Aspergillus terreus and Penecillium critricum (Sp) only to find out that Linsinopril, a popular blood pressure medication is also derived from that. No wonder I coughed myself nearly to death.

It just amazes me that Dr.s do not ask about these things before prescribing. I am sure there are quite a few people allergic to mold and fungus, I wonder how many are affected because of statins.[/quote]

I believe at least one of the statins is also derived from Aspergillus. That particular mold is one of my worst offenders.

I do believe that the season we are in right now in my area (NC, it's rainy, warm and things are just starting to bud) exacerbated my issue. At certain times of the year I can't eat certain foods because they cross-react.

For example I am severely allergic to birch, so while birch is pollinating I have trouble eating:
* hazelnut, walnut, almond and other nuts

* apple, pear, cherry, plum and kiwi

* potato peel, tomato and carrot.

BTW, I saw my prescribing doctor today and she did not know statins are derived from mold. Even if they are synthetic, they have the same molecular structure and your body will recognize them as the offender.

[schatzi]

Piercesdesigns;

Crestor is derived from Aspergillus, as well as Lipitor, Mevacor, Zocor etc.

Here are some links you may want to look at:

*http://www.statinanswers.com/index.htm

*http://www.fungi4schools.org/Reprints/Mycologist_articles/Post-16/Medical/V11pp165-167finding_new_medicines.pdf

BTW, I used to live in NC and am allergic to pine among many other things, had a tough time while there. Both my son's graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, Med and Law. Beautiful State.

[schatzi]

Aspergillosis: These symptoms sound familiar


Check out this link

*http://assets.aarp.org/external_sites/adam/html/1/001326.html?CMP=KNC-360i-GOOGLE-HEA&HBX_OU=50&HBX_PK=aspergillosis

[piercesdesigns]

Yep, lots of the symptoms are there.

And this:
Outlook (Prognosis)

People with allergic aspergillosis usually get better gradually, with treatment.

If invasive aspergillosis does not get better with drug treatment, it eventually leads to death. What happens to a person with invasive aspergillosis also depends on the underlying disease and immune system function.

-------------------------------

So, why would a standard question before prescribing a drug derived from Aspergillus not be "Are you allergic to Asperilligus"?

It is a serious, life threatening allergy.

[catspjs]

Interesting post:...I was put on lisinopril about 4-5 months ago...had routine bl work done...my kidneys were being damaged by "something"...Doctor right away took me off the lisinopril and within 2 weeks kidney tests went back to normal...Back 9 years ago when I was on zocor my bl tests had done the same thing ..only not as bad...I would never of thought that lisinopril would act the same as zocor in my body..Would the "mold" thing be the common denominator in all statin drugs?{ If you can't take one, you can't take any} I guess from now on I will have to ask the pharmacist for a list of ingredients in any med I take..I am finding more and more of my friends and family that can't take statins..My bro in law was having leg pains..he had been on lipitor for 2-3 years..He goes to the same dr that I had went to...right away, because of my experience with side effects, the dr took him off lipitor and the leg pain went away...Least dr's are learning, hun?

[schatzi]

The below link has much valuable information on Statins and side effects.

*http://medicationsense.com/

[schatzi]

If you google:

the-diabetc-case-of-mr

you will receive the link listed below and the article in PDF form. The title may initially be confusing, however it is very informative concerning mold allergies and statin use. It's a lengthy article, well worth reading though.

[DOC]
The Diabetic Case of Mr
File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML
The Diabetic Case of Mr. F. Mendez. This chap came to see me from Venezuela. He was overweight, high cholesterol (280 mg/dl) and type Diabetes 2. ...
*www.themaasclinic.com/downloads/The_Diabetic_Case_of_Mr_Mendez.doc - Similar pages