Hello, I am new here (old everywhere else :) )

[Traveler]

I have been reading a great deal recently about the effects of Lipitor. I began researching this today, because since being prescribed 40 mg of Lipitor in September, I seem to have a 'brain fog' and a problem with walking straight, also great light sensitivity.
That's it in a nutshell. Today after reading a zillion words on this subject I decided to cut down my Lipitor from 40 mg to 10 mg and hope that helps. How I got UP to 40 mg is a mystery to me as I started at 10 mg (in mid 1990s) when my cholesterol (familial) was over 440. That doctor felt I did very well with 10 mg. However I changed health-care providers and each new Dr. raised the dosage without mentioning anything but possible liver damage which I am tested for. I read the side effects myself when I first began taking it and have not felt good about the amount of Lipitor being prescribed.
My tests in the past few years indicate I have brought my cholesterol down but my Dr. wants me to have a 'perfect score.'
As my name indicates. I am a traveler, I am not near my health-care provider right now and honestly don't trust her judgement right now anyway.

I just wanted to introduce myself and read more of the posts here.
I am hoping the 'brain fog' ends with my dropping to 10 mg...
BTW I am 70 yrs old and in good health except for the high cholesterol and diabetes 2 which I am diligent about controlling.

My question to the forum would be....what are your thoughts about my dropping from 40 mg to 10 mg on my own, and will my decision affect my diabetes adversely?

I am not a medical person so be kind and talk straight English to me

Thanks for reading
T

[ironic]

You say that your high cholesterol is familial. Your parents, grandparents and on would not have been on statins or any other "maintenance" drugs of this type. Do you know what the history of heart disease / stroke for the side of your famly with this inherited trait for high cholestrol is? Or simply, at what age did they die and was it heart related?

[Traveler]

That is a good question and I should have addressed it in my post.
I don't know of any blood relatives who died of heart attacks, in fact, none except for my Mother, even had heart attacks. My Mother had extremely high blood pressure and diabetes (not always well controlled) and other illnesses. In later years she had several silent heart attacks and 2 strokes which she recovered from. She did not die of a heart attack or stroke.
My blood relatives have had a life span of about 74 years and most died naturally.
My older sister is now 75, incidentally, with the same familial high cholesterol and diabetes 2.
My younger brother has had several bypass surgeries and of my 7 Sibs is the only one with a heart problem. He has high blood pressure as well as diabetes 2.

My high cholesterol is familial..not sure but I think all 7 Sibs have it. 5 of 7 of us have Diabetes 2, some of us more controlled than others. I am quite well controlled. I have normal blood pressure and very little stress.

I also follow the diet prescribed for high cholesterol 'sufferers' and it was easy to follow the diabetic diet when I was diagnosed with that.

I had an EEG within the past 2 years at my own insistence and everything was normal.

Last night after reading tons of research, I stopped taking Lipitor to see if the dizziness, disorientation, balance problem clear up.
I truly believe that 40 mg is too much.

Thanks for your response...I welcome any input at all in regard to my situation.

T

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Traveler,

You are correct. 40mg's of Lipitor is too much. Dr Graveline experienced TGA (transient global amnesia) from just 5mg's of Lipitor.

You didn't mention if you are female, but this info pertains to you anyhow because you are 70. Pfizer is being sued for Lipitor false claims.

Pfizer is being sued for marketing Lipitor as a drug that may prevent heart disease in women and seniors, when there is no evidence to back such a claim.

The suit used a recent study of 2,000 women as evidence. The study found that women who took Lipitor ran a 10 percent higher risk of heart attacks than those who took a placebo.

Cutting your Lipitor dose will not adversely affect your type II diabetes. Lipitor can actually cause blood sugar levels to rise, and can cause diabetic symptoms.

If you decide to stop taking Lipitor, taper off over 2 to 3 weeks. Cut the pills in 1/2, take one everyday for the 1st week, then one every other day for the second week, then every third day. This gives your body a chance to adjust. Statins are strong anti-inflammatory (the only good aspect of the drug) and stopping cold turkey can be tricky. Suspected muscle damage (such as Rhabdomyolysis) one would want to stop cold turkey.

Take CoQ10 to help with recovery. The only know side effect is that CoQ10 can lower blood pressure, so start with 100mg daily and increase as needed. The B vitamins are very important too, especially folic acid, B6 and B12. The B's lower homocysteine, a toxic amino acid that is a by-product of protein metabolism. Some need to also take TMG (Betaine) and zinc to work with the B's to lower hcy. Homocysteine causes inflammation and is the primary cause of heart disease.

In addition to homocysteine another risk factor that needs to be controlled: triglycerides. Since you control your diabetes through diet, I'm sure you are already familiar with avoiding the "white foods"; sugar (sugar really sends trig's soaring), flour, pasta, rice, potatoes. Replase these foods with complex carbs and whole grains.

As others have mentioned, omega 3 fish oil or cod liver oil are excellent for all aspects of cardio health. I prefer Carlson's cod liver oil with lemon zest - 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon daily.

Hope this info helps,
Fran

[ironic]

Traveler:

Same situation here. My cholesterol ( 50 y.o. male ) is 350. No heart or any other health problems. My mother ( 75 y.o ) has a cholesterol ( untreated ) of 502 with no heart or health problems. Makes you wonder about this whole obsession with cholesterol "numbers."

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Ironic,

1/2 the people that have heart attacks and stokes have normal or low
cholesterol. Dr Uffe Ravnskov (THINCS) has written several articles and
books; one article is titled., "The Benefits of High Cholesterol".

One benefit of high cholesterol is that it protects against infection (caused
by bacteria). Lengthy article but well worth the time invested to read.

Link:
westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/benefits_cholest.html

Fran

[Traveler]

Thank you Fran and Ironic:

By the way, I am a female and lest one think I am a frail 70 yr old I was a gold miner working in the mountains until age 60. Last summer I was so active I wore everyone out 'doing things.' My family is notoriously healthy despite the diabetes.

I guess that's why when I began running into walls and could not take a short walk without my husband holding my hand so I wouldn't drift off...and when I couldn't think straight enough to talk to people...I knew the problem was not ME..it was the recent raising of the Lipitor to 40 mg.

Yes, Fran, I do follow the 'no white stuff' diabetic and cholesterol diets and until this last week was walking at least a mile a day 7 days a week. My diet is very healthful.

I did quit cold turkey on Friday, but will take your advice. I will taper off in the next 3 weeks. Thank you so much for your thoughtful advice.

Ironic, your name is so apt ...it is SO ironic that my forebears ate eggs by the ton, cooked in bacon grease, ate meat at every meal...no one knew the WORD cholesterol..and of course never had a statin..in fact if my Grandparents took aspirin I would be surprised. We were always a 'natural remedy' family.
I was too in the gold mining days as we didn't have access to doctors.

I so appreciate you telling me about your count and your Mother's. You reinforce my belief the cholesterol 'problems' are invented to sell drugs.

More research yesterday taught me that cholesterol is vital for the synapses and neurons in our brains and that Lipitor cleans it out where it is needed. That might explain my 'brain fog'. I feel about 80% better now without Lipitor than I did a few days ago.

I am taking CoEnzyme 10 and Omega Fish Oil.

I talked to my 75 year old sister today and she said that 10 mg of Lipitor gave her terrible pains all over, so she cut back to 5 mg on her own. Her Dr will not be happy but my sister is tired of being in pain.

Thanks again for the support.

Traveler

[JIMNSC]

Looks like you got some good advice there, "T" and I was in the same boat you are in now. I tapered off like Fran suggested as I was on 40mg - had been on 80mg before that. I'm a 64 yo male and am now in the "wait and see" process.

As information, I had muscular and endurance problems and noticed little to no improvement the first two weeks but then I started to regain my endurance levels. I'm a walker and just knew ols age wasn't my problem because I never let up on my exercise.

I take COQ10, Folic Acic, B6, B12, niacin and policosanol as replacement therapy for the Lipitor. I also make sure I get two TBS of ground flax seed in my morning bowl of oatmeal (grind my own for freshness) and I take rice bran oil.

Of course I take other supplements for other things including a multi.

Question for you Fran if you're still about - Your thoughts on rice bran oil and coconut oil, please. If you don't reply I'll assume you didn't see this and will post it by itself later.

Thanks and good luck "T."

Jim

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Jim,

Re: CoQ10, Folic Acic, B6, B12
All excellent. Our mitochondria (every cell in our bodies) needs CoQ10 and statins deplete this essential enzyme.
From LEF:
"CoQ10 fuels cellular respiration in the “energy factoriesâ€

[JIMNSC]

Hi Fran - I never quite expect to get unusually thorough answers to questions I pose on a public forum like this; however, let me thank you very much for a most helpful, and enlightening, reply.

You now have me thinking twice about niacin and policosanol. I'm due for lipids testing in a month and I guess I wanted to have "within range" results. Reason being, I discontinued Lipitor and Zetia without my doctors' consenting due to problems they caused me. In fact, I didn't even ask - just weaned myself off over a period of a few weeks. After studying the subject I concluded that any "responsible" doctor should have made their patient aware of the depletion of COQ10 and also the dangers of high homocsteine levels which could be corrected by B6, B12 and folic acid.

I've read Dr. Graveline's book (among others on the subject) and have just finished a very short, compact one entitled "Stop Worrying About Cholesterol" by Richard C. Rapert, D.O. He brings together all the pertinent information and then reviews what you have read. It is easily understood and down on the layperson's level. If you haven't - do.

Thank you again for your help - Jim

P.S. Made perfect sense to me!

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Jim,

You are very welcome. I haven't read "Stop Worrying About Cholesterol" yet but will pick up a copy. Thank you for that info as I am always looking for more material to add to my research.

I've been researching statin damage for the past 16 months to help my husband. TGA is no picnic and recovery has been slow. Doctors (other than Dr Graveline) have offered little or no support. It's been a very "eye opening" experience for us.

We have fired 2 doctors (PCP and Neurologist) and found another PCP that understands nutrition and nutritional supplements. He did suggest niacin, but I said that was not an option either, due to the homocysteine issue. He appears to be receptive to a different way of thinking in terms of "lowering cholesterol". We'll see... blood tests next week and check-up in two weeks. Inflammatory factors are "our" main concern and hubby's have been in the excellent range. (homocysteine, CRP & Lp (a).

Fran

[software100]

Hi i am new here, and i get real mad when i read these post , my husband and i have been on lipitor for 3 years now , sorry he has been on Zocor,
We have been in terrible pain for quite awhile now. We are both 70 , we could no longer walk and my husband was suffering from all kinds of pain in his joints and my feet were killing me,then i started to look on the message boards and found out our problem was in the drugs, i took us off them RIGHT AWAY 4 months ago, now we are walking a mile a day and so much pain has left our bodies, my husband cant beleive the differance, I thank God for these message boards i feel they have saved our lives, The only thing i can tell you is get off these killers NOW. they have many inexpensive natural cures for this when i have a few extra minutes i will post them for you tonight ,God bless and take care, Norma

[software100]

Well i am back with the info i promised the name of the product is
PHYTOMEGA BY MELALUCA, IKNOW OF 3 PEOPLE ON THIS THEY ALL HAVE BROUGHT thier cholesterol down quite a bit one of them brought it down 42 points, i cant say for my self yet because i havent had a cholesterol check since i been on it. Good luck to every one and God bless. Norma

[Traveler]

I quit the 40 mg of Lipitor last Friday after my above-described symptoms .
On Saturday my husband and I went for a walk and he held my hand as I had been so 'out of balance' the week before. After half an hour I could walk alone and didn't walk into the nearby pond. I would have the week before. I actually talked in full, understandable sentences.

We live in a 34' RV and you haven't LIVED till you spend a week bouncing off the walls because you cannot walk straight or think or see properly. These symptoms came on me so abruptly I could narrow it down quickly to the Lipitor as I take only 2 other meds that I have taken for many more years with no ill effects.
I researched those as well and am satisfied it was the Lipitor.

I began taking the Fish Oil and CoQ 10 each day instead of the Lipitor.
On Sunday we went for a 1 mile walk and out for a buffet lunch where I could get my own food and not forget where our table was or bump into everything. Later, I could talk to neighbors without losing my train of thought once.
On Monday we went shopping and I could participate, after which we walked for about 2 miles.
Things just got better...I would say 'normal'.
Today, Thursday, we walked at least 2 miles, went out for lunch, played shuffleboard and had a great time.

I am going into boring detail to get to this point: I do NOT want that stuff in my body. It makes me ill thinking of what I went through for that week and now I know others are still suffering much more than I did. And maybe their suffering won't stop as quickly.

I am going to begin taking 20 mg of Lipitor tonight, and as SOS suggested, cut down gradually still taking the CoQ 10 and Fish Oil.

I am being very careful to stay on my Diabetic and Cholesterol-lowering diet.
I wish I didn't have to taper off but I see the wisdom of doing so.
Maybe some Doctors think we Elders have no quality of life to lose, but they are so wrong.

Software your story made me feel so good..that you took steps to get YOUR quality of life back too.
SOS. I wish your husband good health and soon.

I will be back after getting off Lipitor totally.

To all of your good health!

Traveler

[Betty]

Over 4 years off and I'm still paying for four years of taking Lipitor. Making progress but still don't have everything in order.....lots of muscle problems still even tho I use a trainer and takes supplements and eat right. Like to hear from some of the old TOC board if possible. Betty

[Traveler]

My subject line says it all.
I spent one week totally off Lipitor after the bad side effects I described in my first post. Then I took 20 mg for a week, 10 mg for another week, then stopped taking any.

The symptoms; disorientation. not being able to walk or talk right, the dizziness, losing words...losing SENTENCES...are all gone. I can go through a store dodging 'power shoppers' with no problem..and during Xmas season that is a necessity. Gosh I feel good now.

I am now a normal 70 year old woman. An unexpected GOOD side effect of quitting Lipitor: I have Type 2 Diabetes and for about 3 years, have felt a numbness in the bottom of my feet...which I ascribed to Diabetes. After getting off Lipitor, the numbness began to go away. I say began, because I could feel it receding from my feet toward my toes..slowly..but now it is just at the ends of my toes. It was NOT diabetes..I had a filament test of my feet and passed, while still on Lipitor. The Dr said the numbness was 'odd' as Diabetes wasn't causing it.
It is pretty much gone now.

I am taking Co Q 10 and Omega 3 Fish Oil caps every day now..they are cheapest at Costco and Sam's Club by the way.

I said I would come back and post when I was off Lipitor..so this is that post. Thanks all for advice and caring. I wish good health to each of you and your loved ones.

GET OFF LIPITOR.
Today I am sending copies of the things I have learned to relatives and friends who asked for this information.
Seems it is the drug EVERYONE is prescribed and so many are hurting.

Traveler

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Traveler,

So glad you are feeling better and back to normal.
The more we tell our friends and family of our experiences,
people can make " informed decisions".

Knowledge is Power...

Fran