Statins

[Parky]

After being told I had to take statins for high cholesterol tried them for 2 weeks and my times for the 2K dropped by over a minute. My limbs were aching, joints creasing me and I developed a dry cough.

I stopped taking them, and almost immediately times were back on my old target time. I'm no athlete, but as I didn't want to become a geriatric, stopping them seems to be the best course of action.

I had tried the statins previously ( a different brand), and they had had the same effect on me. The doc has me down as statin intolerant on my records, and I have notified this new doc I have stopped.

This is NOT a cry for help, but I am curious as to whether any other geriatrics are in the same boat as me.

[Cyclingman1]

It is a known side effect of statins for some people. I experienced it, although took me longer to figure it out. And I did it twice - stupid me.

[Eric308]

Another 73 year old here...have been on a minimal dosage for years with no side effects at all. Doc told me the benefit is greater than the risk of side effects. My LDL was 144 twelve years ago and was 86 at my VA physical last month.

[Carl Watts]

My cholesterol is apparently high and my doctor wanted to prescribe them but I did my research first and I said NO THANKS !!!

I do wonder about the test and I wish I had taken a baseline back in my 20's for comparison. As far as I can remember its been the same so I figured its normal for me so I'm not going to worry about it.

Mine is like 7.8mmol/litre so you would have to work it out because as usual the USA numbers are different.

[Ombrax]

Mine is like 7.8mmol/litre so you would have to work it out because as usual the USA numbers are different.

https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/cholesterol-units

7.8 mmol/L = 301.6 mg/dL = High

"Total cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are considered desirable for adults. A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is considered high."

[Eric308]

Mine is like 7.8mmol/litre so you would have to work it out because as usual the USA numbers are different.

https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/cholesterol-units

7.8 mmol/L = 301.6 mg/dL = High

"Total cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are considered desirable for adults. A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is considered high."

300 total cholesterol is extremely high. A more definitive test would be to do a ratio...i.e. divide your LDL by HDL (the two combined are the total)...to be safe you should be 5 or under. My HDL is 45, LDL is 86, total 131, hence just under 2 for the ratio.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclop ... _hdl_ratio
https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/cholesterol-units

[sekitori]

Total cholesterol does not just consist of HDL and LDL levels. It also includes 1/5 of your triglyceride levels as well. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is a good indicator of cardiac health. The higher the ratio, the higher the risk. A healthy ratio would be 3.5:1. That indicates half the average risk of future cardiac problems.

The incidence of muscle pain with use of statins is small, but it could be a problem. The worst of these is rhabdomyolysis, which is destruction of skeletal muscle tissue and is extremely rare. If someone is taking statins and encounters muscle pain, he or she should immediately consult with a physician. Tests are available that can determine if there is a problem and if there is, to what degree it's present. Statins are extremely effective in lowereing cholesterol and instead of dropping their use altogether, the physician may suggest either decreasing the dosage of your present one or using another statin instead. Only if neither of these are effective should use of statins be stopped.

To confuse things even more, when they know that a medicine has a side effect such as muscle soreness, some people have little expectation that it will work and can experience the same side effect even though there is no clinical evidence of it occurring. In other words, muscle pain when taking a statin may have no basis in fact whatsoever. This negative thinking is known as the "nocebo" effect.

That's why, instead of dropping the use of a statin when first noticing muscle pain, a consultation with your physician should be done immediately to determine the degree of this side effect--or whether it's even present at all. Statins are too effective to be stopped just because someone thinks they could be harmful. Get proof of that fact and then decide with your physician what to do about it.

[Cyclingman1]

the problem with statins is not with muscle pain, per se. It is the impact that statins have on mitochondria, the oxidation machines of the body. That is the reason that performance can go down a good bit. Your body cannot process oxygen as well as before. As said, that is a side effect for only a fairly small percentage of people. Of course, most people on statins are not athletes, so perhaps the side effects are wider than thought. I doubt is anyone is trying to scare others into not taking statins. My doctors had not a clue about any of this. After about three months I discovered this link. Tried another product - same result. Open-mindedness is what I'm seeing here, not negative thinking.

[Eric308]

the problem with statins is not with muscle pain, per se. It is the impact that statins have on mitochondria, the oxidation machines of the body. That is the reason that performance can go down a good bit. Your body cannot process oxygen as well as before. As said, that is a side effect for only a fairly small percentage of people. Of course, most people on statins are not athletes, so perhaps the side effects are wider than thought. I doubt is anyone is trying to scare others into not taking statins. My doctors had not a clue about any of this. After about three months I discovered this link. Tried another product - same result. Open-mindedness is what I'm seeing here, not negative thinking.

Everybody has different reactions to statins. For me my VO2 max went from 25 to 36 in the 12 years I've been on them. The folks at DexaFit said that is excellent for a 73 year old...techs said it compares to a very fit 50 year old. Let your physician decide...get a second opinion if you have to.

[gregsmith01748]

Totally agree with Eric's post.

There are large scale, long term trials that have shown that statins save lives for people that have high levels of LDLs.

I've been on them for years and noticed no negative affect on performance when I did. But even if I got worse, I wasn't going to stop. I watched my Mom die from a stroke. Her blood vessels were irreversibly damaged before statins came into common use.

If you don't trust your doctor's recommendation, get a new doctor. Don't just decide to ignore his or her advice.

[Parky]

I received a call from the surgery last night and the doc has asked if I would try another statin. I said there was no problem with that, but I have started with the Actimel in the meantime. O just hope they're not going to be a placebo to see what reaction I have.

A steady session in the gym today and my 2K time was back under 8.45, so I'm getting there - even if it is slowly.

A lad in his mid 20's was on the machine next to me and really rocking it out at a 4.25 for 500 metres pace. His sister had been on my machine prior to me and was giving more effort than that.

[Eric308]

I received a call from the surgery last night and the doc has asked if I would try another statin. I said there was no problem with that, but I have started with the Actimel in the meantime. O just hope they're not going to be a placebo to see what reaction I have.

A steady session in the gym today and my 2K time was back under 8.45, so I'm getting there - even if it is slowly.

A lad in his mid 20's was on the machine next to me and really rocking it out at a 4.25 for 500 metres pace. His sister had been on my machine prior to me and was giving more effort than that.

Actimel? Doesn't that have the same bacterium strain found in human feces? Maybe I'm thinking of something else...we don't have it here. Is is a probiotic yogurt drink? Hey, if the placebo works, that's great. I was a guinea pig for a Veterans hospital study with glucosomine and chondrotin. 10 guys....5 placebos, 5 real stuff for six months. I've got two knee replacements, bad shoulder/hand arthritis, foot atrophy, among other things. I was on the real stuff with ZERO improvement. Two of the placebo guys noticed GREAT results. Two other real stuff guys noticed some improvement. I don't use the stuff and I can get it for free. So many supplement companies out there these days that just are in it for the big bucks. Don't get me going on CBD...that was a total failure as well. Best with your health!

[Parky]

Eric 308

Don't get me going on CBD...that was a total failure as well. Best with your health!

Heyyy!!!! Who cares?

I'll see how it goes. Actimel contains 2 or 3 pro-biotics, one of them having been invented by Actimel.

I'm not a yoghurt lover, but it's only a mouthful.

[ampire]

I read last week on a news article on the BBC site that statins can affect mood, so I guess keep an eye out for any strange side effects.

[sekitori]

I read last week on a news article on the BBC site that statins can affect mood, so I guess keep an eye out for any strange side effects.

I will never believe the conclusions of a single news article or scientifific study. They may be ineresting but without further corroboration, they are meaningless. If those conclusions are reiterated in several more studies or ariticles, they may have some value. But they should only be believed when many other sources are in full agreement.

Can statins affect mood? Show me more reliable scientific sources that say so and then depending on the quality of the studies, I'll begin to believe it--maybe.