Way OT : Lipitor, Atorvastatins Opinions?

[Jim Williams]

Have a friend whose physician strongly recommended statins for him. He refused to take them because of the published side effects. About a year later he suffered a heart attack. The heart damage was fortunately not too bad because of quick response. I do not know if he started statins afterwards.

 

[garyhlucas]

A bit of a funny story. My doctors nurse called me and said my cholesterol was up and he wanted to put me on a statin. I told her she had really bad timing. In my left hand was my cell phone and in my right was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting! She said “Put down the cupcake and step away from the table!”

I got the medicine the next morning but didn’t take it, and went on a diet at the same time. I walked in to the doctors office five weeks later and 11 lbs lighter. I told him I had a problem taking a drug for problem that might be caused by my terrible diet over the past couple years. He agreed with my plan and I got a return appointment for 8 weeks. Six weeks to go I am down 17lbs. My goal is to lose about 28 lbs.

Simple diet, better foods and a LOT less. From a previous weight loss I know I need to get below 1200 calories a day. This is really tough. Not because I am hungry as I am over that. The tough is my wife being angry because she says she can’t lose weight. Then she sits at the dinner table and puts away way too many calories, while complaining that I am not eating enough of what she cooked!

 

[daryl bane]

I find that I can eat a small healthy breakfast and a regular lunch, like a bowl of Ramen (real, not the package stuff) , and a fruit and maybe a glass of wine for dinner. And I still maintain the same weight. Crazy. Only when I run a few miles daily( I hate it) with this diet do I lose weight( fat) Sigh... bummer!. I'm 61.

 

[garyhlucas]

My doctor recommended that I take one Atorvastatin every day. He said it would add ten years to my lifespan. I asked him if I could take two but I got the thumbs down.

Which ten do you get? If it is the last ten I’ll pass.

 

[sealark37]

A small percentage of people who take statins present an allergic reaction that includes large muscle cramps that are incapacitating. Some doctors ignore this. If you start having muscle cramps after seemingly mild exertion, report it right away. Regards, Clark

 

[thermite]

This group seems to be a wellspring of knowledge of this sort, hence me asking for opinions. My Dr. has prescribed this and I don't seem to have any side effects, but just wondering what other experiences have been and thoughts. Thanks.

The Doctor who - many years ago - prescribed statins for a family member was five full years out of date on two things they should have known.

That it had been confirmed that a lower dosage was required for Asians. And again for females. The "by the (wrong) book" dosage prescribed had adjusted for NEITHER, and was just short of four times too high.

I threw a flag. The doctor insisted he was correct. The same hospital's NUTRITIONIST was up-to-date, pointed the MD to the publications - and to his error.

Emily went with the nutritionist and added a red bran rice to her diet. No other statins. Her problem was soon gone. And she didn't even need the rice bran any longer.

"As far as I know." you are not Asian, not female, but... I am of the opinion that too high a dosage might still "happen" and that to low a dose is safer in any case. Because it isn't all that easy to get OFF statins, and it is nicer if you can do.

Do your own due diligence. Statins happen to have a great deal of coverage on the net.

 

[crazygoat]

I am in that small % that can not take statins. My doctor put on them for cholesterol lowering. For 3 years I had devastating leg cramps and overall aches and pains. I never put 2 and 2 together, Like some others I thought getting old really sucks. (I am 67) I ran out pills on a Thursday but had a doctors appointment on Monday. I figured going without over the weekend wouldn't hurt me. Well, by Monday I was pain free and overall feeling a lot better.

So I told my doctor I wasn't going to take them anymore and to my surprise she was o.k. with that. Fast forward a year or so and I was diagnosed with cancer. After an extreme regime of radiation and chemo I lost 100 lbs.and the chemo has left me so weak I have problems carrying 20 lbs. around. That was 3 years ago. So I don't know how time I have left (hope its a long time), but at least I going get there pain and leg cramps free!

I suppose the whole moral is, don't be a dumbass like me, but pay attention to what your body is telling you.

 

[thermite]

If the doctor is monitoring your liver functions closely that is good if not that is bad


If you want to be sick, see a doctor

If you want to die, go to a hospital

You are what you eat

And what "Headquarters" tells its staff to DO with what you eat, every bit as much.

My wife was extremely frustrated that she was following a diet so well and STILL had high cholesterol. I told to tell her body to just stop MAKING so much of it and the problem would go away. People seem to think it comes only from their food? Yah, sure. It is there.

But basically we MAKE the damned stuff!

Years onward, she's in better shape, asks so why is it I test off the bottom of the scale despite real Irish butter, Jersey Cow chocolate milk, eggs, egg nog, and still able to lose weight (50 lbs in 3 years)?

Now I am frustrated.

So I pinch up a cheek, and show her the oils and say "because MY body is putting the damned stuff where it is SUPPOSED to be.

On the outside.

Protecting the skin.

Not PARKING it on the inside to build-up in my arteries!

HOW do the commands of the mind reach the places they have to be implemented?

I haven't the least klew. I don't have to know. That's all handled by staff.

Why would I want to interfere to "micromanage" and get them all confused and maybe go out on strike?



More contrarian-but-it-works? Butter. GOOD butter. Lots of it, too. Never margarine. Jersey Cow full fat milk. With chocolate. Never 2%, 1%, "low fat". Ever. Cheeses. magical ones. A lovely Stilton tonight. Full fat. surely, double-cream, even triple. Lovely. "MORE", please!'

Why?

We are MAMMALS, dammit. For millions of years on the long climb to "human".

These are natural for us. Our body knows EXACTLY how to manage them. Canola oil? Not so much.

If we are SHORTED our proper fats and oils and cheeses?

Out body thinks we are in dire straits. And starts hoarding fat and MAKING more of it! Instead of metabolizing it or letting it go. I say again, we start MAKING fat and cholesterol.

Big serving of Eggnog or Jersey chocolate milk?

COMFORT!! By God, we have our essential fats! No NEED to make any more.

And we can use-up some of what was stored, too.

Mind what is NOT in the diet?

Salt. At all. 60 TIMES what we need in the American diet? Best I can do is probably only five times too much. It is already in far too much of our foods, y'see.

Sugar? Two pounds of sugar in the raw lasts two years. We date the box.

High fuck-toes corn syrup? Zero if I could do.

What other sweeteners? Some Wild honey now and then. A few old style marmalade or jelly swipes on whole grain toast. A small ration of good maple syrup last six months.

ELSE not. No need of artificial sweeteners. Those are death!

They don't hurt us directly. Test have proved it. OTHER tests have proved they turn our GUT BACTERIA into carcinogen and toxin FACTORIES. And "bigtime"!

That diet soft drink? That "sweet and lo" in the coffee?

Suicide is painless? I'll just watch from over here, thanks.

So how DO you sweeten a drink? Ummh well. would you believe... not at all?

Why would I?

Do I look like a candy-ass?

uh...

Don't answer that!