i'm 56, have had 2 heart attacks, and have been on a cocktail of crestor and zetia for 2 years. i started having serious stomach pain/bloating for the last 6 months. the doc said it was probably zetia which works in the stomach blocking the cholesterol associated with the food i'm eating.

so i stopped the zetia only to still have the same issues. i then dropped the use of crestor. several days after stopping the use of both statins the pain started to subside. however, my cholesterol is back up to 280. my diet is fairly good, i'm quite active, and have a positive outlook on life. in fear, i started back on the crestor.... the pain is back!! it seems that the pain is caused by trapped gas. my doc tells me it has nothing to do with crestor. he says the side effects associated with the drug is more muscle/liver related.

now what???

joe

I had the same problem with zocor....severe abdominal pain...so bad that I would feel faint...your dr may be right about its a muscle issue...what is making it a muscle issue..??? the statins of course....I haven't had pain like that in 5 years...thats how long I have been off statins.... I refused to live my life like that.....I will die with a higher than "normal" cholesteral first.......

Hi Joe,

Try Dr Graveline's "Statin Alternatives" instead.
These items reduce and prevent inflammation and have the same
anti-inflammatory affect as 20 mg's of Lipitor (atorvastatin), without side effects.
(i.e. anti-oxidant, reduce platelet stickiness, controls homocysteine)
* buffered aspirin - 81 mg (contains beneficial magnesium)
* CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) - 100 to 150 mg (gelcaps - NOT powdered) with some Vitamin E
** Folic Acid - 400 to 800 mcg
** B6 - 80 to 100 mg
** B12 - 200 to 250 mcg
** (all 3 of these B Vitamins control Homocysteine)
* Omega 3 (fish oil, cod liver oil or krill oil) [ There is no upper limit]

Please read the article at this link by Dr Duane Graveline:
Statins Alternatives
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

Fran

I was on Lipitor but I think they all react the same. I had bloating and gas and the doctors answer was to take it at bedtime claiming that is when it worked the best anyway.. so I did that and ended up with acid reflux and horrid indigestion. The acid woke me up every hour with a mouth full of acid/vomit. I had all sorts of gastric problems cause by the statin and since I have been off of the statins, I have thrown all other medicines away.... and I had a bag full I took daily to offset all those myterious ailments.

Sounds like your doctor needs some educating!

thanks all!! it's good not to feel alone. i'm going to try dr graveline's alternatives.

i've been using coq10 and colestin (for a month now). so far the results show my overall cholesterol at 289.

my eating habits have always been fairly good. i'm 5'10'' @ 175 lbs (i could probably lose 5 - 10 lbs). i'm told that my nemisis is genetics.

thanks for the input!!

joe

If you are feeling better, that is what counts. Like my friend keeps telling his doctor "Why should I take a pill that makes me sick so I can get better when I didn't feel bad to start with?". They just don't get it! They tell him "BUT YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT!!!!!" He says "WHY? I wasn't sick until I took your medicine?"

They put him on blood pressure medicine because it was a little out of the LOW range and into the low edge of the medium (normal) range... they called that "to high" and gave him meds to bring it DOWN!!

It is all about the $$$$$$$.....

God less you all. Short story - diagnosed at the age of 27 with high cholestoral (285) 5'1" 98 lbs., doctor put me on low fat, low cholestorol diet because i was very athletic (softball league, bowling league, aerobics, volleyball team). Three years later, got married moved to new city (less active) new doctor (cholestorl 294) prescribed lipitor. after about 6 months, muscle and joint pain. doc prescribed vioxx thinking sports injury. a year later, had episode at work (thought was heart attack by emt) taken to hospital. After 8 hours, diagnosed as "unspecified cardiac event". few months later, vioxx recalled then lawsuit. stopped taking everything. started feeling good again. Two years later, moved to new city, new doctor, cholestorol 298. prescribed crestor (2005) cholesterol now 220. now dealing with muscle and joint pain and severe abdominal pain. doctor says gallbladder, sent for ultrasound, doc sent me to surgeon for consultation today. surgeon says not gallbladder and scheduled me for more test next week. out of frustration, started researching statins. all statins have side effects of MUSCLE JOINT PAIN AND ABDOMINAL PAIN. Where do i go from here? is this a money market for statins? what is a non-drug, healthy way of lowering cholesterol without drugs? thank you!

Hello 'mrcoggins' & Welcome to the Forum,

Cholesterol is NOT the problem. It's 'inflammation' inside the blood
vessels.

Below is Dr Graveline's list for "Statin Alternatives".

These items reduce and prevent inflammation and have the same
anti-inflammatory affect as 20 mg's of Lipitor (atorvastatin), without
side effects. (i.e. anti-oxidant, reduce platelet stickiness, controls
homocysteine)

* buffered aspirin - 81 mg (contains beneficial magnesium)
* CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) - 100 to 150 mg (Gelcaps - NOT powdered) with small amount of Vitamin E)
** Folic Acid - 400 to 800 mcg
** B6 - 80 to 100 mg
** B12 - 200 to 250 mcg
** All 3 of the B Vitamins above control Homocysteine
~ OR ~
Take a B Complex or multi-vitamin that contains these B Vitamin amounts
* Omega 3 (fish oil, cod liver oil or krill oil) [ There is no upper limit]

Source: http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

Vitamin C is also a good addition.
If you're aspirin sensitive, grape seed extract also reduces platelet
stickiness.

The problem is not even elevated LDL cholesterol, it's when LDL
becomes "oxidized". Basically, our body's reaction to inflammation.

Excerpt from an article by Dr Malcolm Kendrick: LDL (Oxidized LDL):

" This is a complex pathway. When platelets start to stick together,
they release free radicals. "Free radicals" oxidize LDL. Oxidized LDL
is a powerful blood clotting factor. LDL is also incorporated into the
blood clot as it forms, and provides a `lipid' surface (along with
VLDL) for the construction of fibrin. Fibrin is the hugely strong
protein strand that binds a clot together and makes it `tough.' "

When you get a chance, read the complete article titled,
"Is Heart Disease All Due to Blood Clots?"
*http://www.thincs.org/Malcolm.htm#clots

Things that create "free radicals" and oxidized LDL...
* Smoking
* high blood sugar levels (diabetes)
* stress
Risk factors that damage the "endothelium" include elevated levels
of :
* homocysteine
* blood sugar
* insulin (insulin resistance)
* cortisol (stress hormones caused by insulin resistance)
* triglycerides
* smoking
* deficiency in some vitamins, such as C and the B's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have high triglycerides, cut way back on carbs, especially the
white foods: sugar (biggest offender), flour, bread, rice, potato.
Replace with whole grains: buckwheat, spelt, oat & coconut flours;
sprouted grain breads, wild and brown rice, whole grain pastas;
stevia (sweetener).

Fran