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[mdshaffer]

Please delete this post

[lars999]

Welcome to board mdshaffer!!

I can only provide a bit of dated information re my use of Kaneka Ubiquinol (CoQ10 in chemically reduced form). I have decided to go back to taking it daily, starting soon, so, may have some additional information in a month or three.

In light of what I report below for myself, I would wonder if you are getting to age where you need to be getting regular aerobic exercise? If so, beware that all statins can and often do have a very negative influence on how much aerobic exercise can be done.

I have enjoyed low blood pressure nearly all my life -- with reading ranging from 95/65 to 115/75 at rest with heart rate in mid 60s. However, when Lipitor had greatly reduced me to an old wimp, my blood pressure readings were seldom below 120/80 and more often 130+/85, with resting heart rates of 80-90-100 bpm. Once I had quit Lipitor and was finally able to go back to regular exercise, especially aerobic activities, my resting blood pressure steadily decreased to more like previously. Now, 2,5 years after Lipitor, my BP readings are typically 110 to 118 over 60-65, with resting heart rates again in mid 60s. -- perhaps because I am again able to do both downhill and cross country skiing at altitudes of 9.000 to 12.000 feet for 2-3 hours 2-4 times weekly.

Because of this improvement in BP and heart rate, as well as a persistent decrease in aerobic capacity that cuts my aerobic capacity to half of what used to be normal, I will be returning to taking 100-200 mg Kaneka Ubiquinol.

Best wishes,
Lars

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[mdshaffer]

This site was allowed to be indexed by search engines such as google and my posts are now available to the entire Internet. Please delete all my posts

[lars999]

How long it takes for a statin drug to start ruining your life seems to be highly variable. For some individuals posting here it did not take long at all. For me, with hindsight, it took 3-4 years but soon after had reduced me to about 1/10 of my prestatin physical abilities -- I was truly a pathetic old wimp!! Longest time I know of is for a man that had been taking statin for decades, perhaps since they were marketed -- then, in his early 80s he began to severely loose leg strength, greatly reducing his quality of life. Once taken off Lipitor, he regained his lost leg strength in a few months.

I periodically stop taking long term prescription medications as an objective means of determining if I really need them any longer. I do same with supplements. When I first quit Lipitor, CoQ10 and actyl-L-carnitine clearly improved my physical performance for cross country skiing at 9.000-10.000 feet FOR FIRST SKI SEASON. Second ski season actyl-L-carnitine no longer was effective, apparently because I was far more healthy that during first season, only months after quiting Lipitor. This third ski season I have not used CoQ10 at all thus far. I was hoping to get a decent baseline and then start taking it again, but, alas, weather has not cooperated, so, I never get a decent baseline and then can directly compare performance. However, one thing has not improved each season much is my aerobic capacity, which causes me to have to stop and catch my breath far more often than in years past, pre-Lipitor (for a decade or more before Lipitor I was not able to get out skiing for many non-health reasons). Into my late 50s I had aerobic capacity of a 30 something, but no longer.

Bummer about injured foot from tennis. I was a very avid tennis player for 20+ years and then had to stop because I had so few chances to play that I was always injuring something when I could play. And then I developed a foot condition that put me on canes for years -- real bummer!! Only pair of footwear that I could still wear for a few years were my cross country ski boots, but, I lived where I could seldom ski. I was still able to use recumbant cycles to get sustained aerobic excercise -- I still use then when I cannot ski. For me, weight lifting, etc. never maintained my aerobic capacity at any "normal" level for me. I never regained any jogging ability after that foot condition.

Lars

[mdshaffer]

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[lars999]

Main advantage of recumbent cycle, or any cycle that one sits on for that matter, is that one can vary amount of pressure/force applied to either foot. Never is there need for damaged or injured foot to support entire body weight. Result is that one can do sustained aerobic exercise at a wide range of exertions. For me and many others, anything less than 30 minutes of sustained aerobic exercise, actually more like 60 minutes for me, is in adequate for reducing resting heart rates or increasing aerobic capacity.

Squats are real "NO, NOs" for me, thanks to "well worn" knees. My hat is off to anyone that can do very many!

Lars

[mdshaffer]

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[cjbrooksjc]

There are other supplements available to help manage your BP: Magnesium expands the vessels as does Ginko Biloba. Natto Kinase tends to thin the blood but should be used judiciously. Do a Google search on these ideas as well as vitamin D3, and keep your PCP, if you value his/her opinion, in the loop. That aside, aerobic activity is most beneficial.

Best,

Brooks