1st Lipid Results since stopping Zocor Zetia May 11th

[garlicprincess]

Ok - off the statins since May 11th, here are the numbers. I've spent the last couple of months going to so many doctors and having so many tests and haven't been here to post a thing.

5/11/06 labs 9/01/06 labs

Tri’s 117--- 104
Cholesterol 159--- 308
HDL 44--- 52
VLDL 23--- 21
LDL 92--- 235
TC HDL 3.5--- 5.9

My numbers scare me, but I need to educate myself again on how much better it is without statins, and physically it is!

My muscle pain is gone, my strength is back, I weigh 35 pounds less than I did in January, my weight is still dropping, I am eating Low GI and walking everyday for an hour+. I eat eggs, butter and other fats that I didn't allow myself to eat before I found this great site. I don't eat any of the white foods (white bread, rice, white potatos)

I am on the Fish Oil 3400 mg, CoQ10-100 mg, Baby Aspirin, Vit C and B Vitamins as recommended by the spacedoc.

Have been to neurologists, had biopsies, colonoscopies and many "sinister" diseases have been ruled out.

The debilitating dizzy spells that I was having were diagnosed as a migraine variant, common in pre-menopausal women. Neurologists ruled out ALS and a plethra of other diseases.

Physically I am in much, much better shape than I was when I found this board in mid-May and feel better now that I have the last 10 years on statins and Zetia. I must admit, I lost the entire month of May and June to dizziness and extreme weakness and fatigue.

Also interesting: the little bumps on my arms and back that I have been plagued with for 10 years and was seeing a dermatologist for are GONE! The cyst on my right thumb joint has diminshed considerably and for the first time in 1-1/2 years I can bend my right thumb fully (was supposed to have surgery on the thumb 6-5-06 but cancelled due to feeling so bad and everything going on at one time with my health.

So..........is anyone else seeing high numbers but starting to feel better?

Best to all,
Sarah

[CatMom]

Hi MIss Garlic! (I love your name), I came along after you did and I haven't been tested since off the drugs about 7 -8 weeks now but I already feel like a NEW person. I didn't realize how much of my life the stuff had stolen and how much of my energy it had sucked out of me until I was off of it. Six years of aches and pain are GONE and the meds for them are thrown away!

I am glad your quitting has helped you as much as my quitting has helped me!

[garlicprincess]

Hi CatMom,

Ahhhh, we used to have a garlic farm, still do, but some type of underground critter (nematode) invaded our soil and ate the garlic from the root up long story short, we lost all of our stock, including seed stock and need to start over again from scratch.

So glad to read that you are feeling better, will have to go and see what statins you were on. Amazing how badly one can feel and not totally realize how bad it is because the symptoms just "creep up" and physicians tell you either it's "old age", "m word", arthritis, fibro or something else - didn't they hear me cry and complain for 10 years about joint & muscle pain and all the other subtle things that we appearing and going wrong? It's as though your body blows apart from the inside.

My high numbers from my labs today do scare me, so I need to read and read again, try tweaking some supplements, up my CoQ10 and probably increase my fish oil too. However, I know something is working on the inflammation because of how well my thumb is doing. Will see if "they" recommend statins again and on that note, I will no longer be a compliant patient.

Thanks for your post and I will look forward to reading about more of your victories!



Cheers!
Sarah

[CatMom]

I was on the Lipitor. Started out on 10 mg, then upped to 20, then 40. I started having side effects right away but 6 years ago, joint pain was NOT listed on the side effects. It was only when I had memory/confusion problems did I start getting scared, that started in Nov. 2005 and lasted unti I got off the stuff in July 2006. I was clueless until I saw a ad on TV from a lawyer doing a class action law suit and the memory thing was listed as one of the side effects.. THEN and only then did I make the connection. I got on the internet and started researching it and the more I read, the madder I got. I had MORE than the memory thing side effect and just sluffed it off to getting old but couldn't understand why I was getting in worse shape than my Mom was in her 80's! (when she died). I got my high cholesterol from her but heart peoblems are not in our family history so we are lucky in that.

I will just take my chances with the high cholesterol since I see no use in having low numbers if your quality of life is gone.

[garlicprincess]

Ditto on taking chances versus having "low numbers" and feeling like you are so old and miserable that you don't function properly at all.

It's so sad when one is put on cholesterol lowering meds, sometimes more than one, the symptoms creep up sometimes so insiduously and are blown off to be fibro, meno, aging, arthritis, etc.

I am working to read more about cholesterol and trying not to worry about my high numbers. Read a Blaylock report today from August 2004 indicaing that all "statin drugs have been associated with causing or promoting cancer in experimental animals".

Have to go to physician tomorrow and he will probably start writing scripts for different statins once he looks at my latest lipid profile and at that point I will be deemed "non-compliant patient" because I just cannot take them again after the 10 years of h*ll with the Zocor and Zetia.

Thinking about adding policoscanol, will do some more searching and reading.

We do have a history of heart/stroke/diabetes in our family and I am wondering if my high numbers are genetic and will they be influenced by supplements? If nothing else, I feel better and that is worth so much more!

Here is to feeling well and being healthy~

[tex62]

Has anyone had an experience in which their LDL went UP while taking statins? My husband has been off statins for almost a year. It took about 9 months, but he recovered from the many side effects of the drug, and feels great once again. However, his LDL went up after he started Zocor 20 mg. It went from around 85 pre-Zocor to around 100-120 during Zocor, and now that he is off the drug, his LDL is around 170. He didn’t have elevated LDL before taking Zocor. He’s not overweight, never smoked, and he exercises. What could cause the high LDL when it was never high before he took Zocor? For most people LDL goes down, not up while taking statins. He saw our doctor last week. She was supportive about never taking statins again and didn’t seem too alarmed about his “numbers” – a switch from two years ago. I wondered if anyone else had this type of result and if anyone has suggestions about what to do to reduce LDL.

[shawk]

Tex62

[quote]However, his LDL went up after he started Zocor 20 mg. It went from around 85 pre-Zocor to around 100-120 during Zocor, and now that he is off the drug, his LDL is around 170.[/quote]

First I have a question, with LDL at 85 why on earth did his Dr. even put him on a statin? Did he have high triglycerides or other factors?

What was his total Cholestrol? Unless there was something we do not know I am stunned the DOC would have put him on statins...

I do know the pharamacons claim LDL can go up if you take yourself off the statins....I do not know why....

I do know now that cholestrol is very genetic and the medical community is only taking the pharamacon word for things...statins are the largest cash cow for ALL pharmacons....the more I study and research the more I am convinced nobody in the medical really understands or wants to understand what cholestrol numbers are about...For the record the Cholestrol numbers are not generated by the medical community, they are generated by the unethical pharmacon makers....statins make them BILLIONS of $$$$$

I would start with his family history, if you are worried about possible stroke or heart attack consider the following:

1) Have him take a stress test with a cardiologist...the dual isotope test is preferred

2) They have a new test out where they use ultra sound technology to measure the thickness of the cartiod arteries and other arteries

3) there are other more intrusive tests to determine if the high cholestrol is actually a real issue...

Your DOC is probably less concerned because she has escaped a statin bullet by your husband taking himself off the statins...

Many DOCs are starting to wise up because the government and many other sources, including spacedoc are finally being listened to.

She is probably less concerned because it might be, based on his original LDL of 85 and if there was not another reason, she should have never, ever put him on statins to begin....

an LDL level 85 is considered by clincal and healthy standards as optimal...

I would have him keep exercising , eating right and if he is that worried get the referrals to get the tests I mentioned above....if those come back alright and there is no dangers...tell your DOC and do not be worried...

My mother in law and wife have LDL cholestrol of close to 400, but does not have any clogged arteries or heart disease concerns...these ladies eat well, exercise and take the supplements they need....they both only rink occassionaly and do not smoke...

They have optimal tri levels and HDL is around 65 for both of them....

There family history has no history of artery issues or heart problems, the family has always had high LDL cholestrol....but not one person on their family ever died of stroke or heart attack...

this is why I state the medical community simply cannot state a number is BAD or GOOD...


Good Luck

[tex62]

Shawk,

Throughout my husbands adult life his triglycerides have been high. In 2004, his triglycerides were around 385 and his HDL was 37 - 40. His total cholesterol was never high, always around 200. The wave of thought in 2004 was to measure coronary risk as the ratio of TC to HDL which put him in the high risk category, thus the reason for statins. It seems today that doctors focus more on LDL than TC/HDL ratio – still guessing at a cause for coronary problems.

My husband has had a stress test and carotid ultrasound. Results of both were very good. He hasn’t had the segregated lipid panel which would determine if the LDL is of the dangerous type (dense particles). Through diet and cinnamon supplements, his triglycerides are now less than 100, something the statins never achieved.

We submitted pages of paperwork to the UCSD statin study. We wanted to document all the problems my husband had. Hopefully, once enough information is collected from a source independent of the pharmaceuticals, these drugs won’t be pushed as they have in the past.