A muscle ache is much more serious than a minor "side effect" and when you get off statin drugs it isn't "no harm done". You're heart is a muscle and it's affected and your brain suffers as well. Read the book 'Lipitor: Thief of Memory' written by Duane Graveline a former astronaut/flight surgeon who developed amnesia after taking a statin drug.
I was on several different statins and experienced a lot of mental confusion, depression, and some muscle pain. Basically, I can't take any of them due to decrease in quality of life.. even coworkers were commenting that I seemed confused all the time. It is slowly clearing up with time. Here's my question though: My cholesterol was down about 100 pts (270's to 170's) on just 2 mg Livalo daily. If my body reacts so "well" to such a small dose, could it be that I am also especially susceptible to side effects? Has there ever been a study that has sought to find a correlation between the effective dose vs. intensity of side effects? (BTW, I also experienced on at least 5 occasions, intensified depression while withdrawing, though that eventually went away.) I have been careful to not fall victim to confirmation bias - in fact I noted the symptoms before I even knew such side effects existed; I think the incidence of mental side effects is much higher than reported.. one of my doctors didn't believe me for example, because "that is not a known side effect." Doesn't that attitude prevent side effects from getting reported, thus putting us in a vicious circle without requiring a conspiracy, just a broken reporting system?
Hello ReverendRusty. I will try to answer your questions in order. 1) If my body reacts so "well" to such a small dose, could it be that I am also especially susceptible to side effects? --> Livalo dosing ranges from 1 mg to 4 mg per day. So 2 mg per day is actual half the max dose, and would be equivalent to 40 mg of atorvastatin (Lipitor). In other words, you were not on a low dose of the medication. 2) Has there ever been a study that has sought to find a correlation between the effective dose vs. intensity of side effects? --> I don't know of any study comparing the effect of the medication on the cholesterol with the bad effects that can occur, as a function of dose. I can tell you in my experience there is no correlation between the two. 3) Doesn't the general negative, unbelieving attitude of physicians regarding patient side effects prevent them from getting reported, thus putting us in a vicious circle without requiring a conspiracy, just a broken reporting system? --> Yes, doctors are taught that statin side effects are limited and mild, and a recent study "proves" that statin side effects are somaticized by the patient. See item #3 of the article on this well regarded website if you would like to puke: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/876404#vp_2 You and I both have experienced side effects of the medication. No amount of lecturing from establishment websites or doctors will convince us that we are hallucinating these effects. --> I don't think there is a conspiracy either. Doctors and drug companies aren't trying to suppress reporting of statin side effects for monetary gain. The "money" is gone from statins for the drug companies. They are commodity-priced. --> common side effects are probably best studied in randomized trials, rather than by reporting of patients. You are right though about reporting of rare side effects, because that can only be discovered by patient reporting (and physician believing). Your side effect of confusion has certainly been reported and studied. You are by no means alone with that symptom. I have had a couple patients with acute confusion. If a side effect is infrequent, it may not show up as being statistically apparent in the scientific trials. The broken part of the system is the fact that many doctors assume the reported effects are pretend, when in fact (I think) they are very often real. Thanks for your comment!
@@mannyradzky493 Thanks, doing that now. Lost 30 pounds since that post was written, HDL is higher than it has ever been (including when I was on statins), triglycerides are down, and insulin resistance is well under control. I'm 62 now and didn't think I could make such a big lifestyle change, but have found it to be relatively easy to maintain.
My cardiologist wants me to reduce mine from 96 to below 70. Her reasoning is I have had a stroke during a aortic repair. They had to practically stop the flow of blood so they can repair the aorta without me bleeding to death. And they said it would cause strokes. Now because I had a stroke she wants me on statins. I just watched a video by Dr.Ali who showed real studies that showed very list reduction in deaths even if it lowered the cholesterol. I don't think I'm going to take them.
Klee N yep did the same to me , i was confused why i was feeling so old at 46 , added 2 and 2 , threw them in the bin , 3 months later and feeling good again !
Very informative video Doc! I suffered an MI 5yrs ago (age 68) & had 2 stents implanted. Started on 80mg of Atorvastatin initially & have been on 40mg daily for the past few years. Fortunately, I have had no side effects to date. I have read that, although statins may prevent a recurrance of stroke or another heart attack, they do not extend ones life. Also that Cholesterol is not the culprit in causing a heart attack but rather "inflammation" secondary to our Western diet (especially the amount of sugar consumed) which leads to plaque formation. Would appreciate your thoughts on that. Finally, If you have any links to studies showing the overall benefits of taking Statins, that would be much appreciated. Thanks & be well......
This U.K. Doctor said statins work because they lower inflammation. And I believe it. Do whatever you have too to reduce inflammation of you body. ua-cam.com/video/jcnx4ScHk_k/v-deo.html
Rosuvastatin is a better statin and you should ask for that one instead. It is a bit more expensive, but worth it. You should also take CO-Q10 to help reduce inflammation.
“Vegan diet”??? No wonder you’re having issues. Your diet Rx is deficient without supplements, full of lectins, oxalates, and high carb. For your own sake and that of your patients, please take a serious look at keto, even carnivore. On another video, you refer to a Calcium Score as a “risk marker”, similar to LDL counts & distributions. It’s not a “marker,” it’s a direct look at arterial plaques in the relevant arteries. It’s not a proxy, it’s the closest thing we have to viewing the thing itself, the actual state of your arteries. So, given your vegan dietary model, which would guarantee a lower dietary cholesterol intake, with a carb-dominant adaptation, I would expect failure to adhere and fall-off, inevitably, as hunger, deficiencies, and insulin resistance spiked. High LDL only an issue in the presence of high circulating blood glucose, with attendant glycation and oxidation, leading to damaged LDL. It’s not just particle size, or “total cholesterol”, it’s damaged LDL that will stick in the arterial walls. The healthy stuff doesn’t do that. But, of course, in the context of a high basal level of inflammation and attendant glycation &oxidation, the cholesterol lowering effect of statins would tend to reduce damage to arteries. It’s not solving the problem, it’s papering it over. Try another paradigm. There’s plenty of information out there, if you’re willing to re-examine mental models which are not working for you. ua-cam.com/video/TRB0jOfymLk/v-deo.html, for reference. Dr Paul Mason. Zoe Harcombe is also good on the subject.
I also can't tolerate statins - it took me years to understand that statins were causing depression, sleep problems, earaches (probably secondary from poor sleep and grinding of teeth) and several other problems. I actually experienced very little muscle pain except when I was put on Livalo. I didn't see how cholesterol lowering meds could cause the problems I was having so it took me that long to realize it. It never occurred to me to look on-line for stories of statin problems so I had no preconceptions of these side effects - so no "Nocebo" effect, at least for me. Once I did start to suspect the statins, I actively fought in my mind against it because I kept on being reassured by my doctor that "statins don't cause that", and again, I didn't know how much our brains use cholesterol. Therefore, she wasn't reporting the symptoms to whoever collects such data (if any organization or agency does that). I wonder how often "nobody is reporting that" is part of a self-fulfilling lack-of-feedback loop. I remain a skeptic - I think adverse effects are way under-reported and under-recognized. Still, I never tell anyone to stop taking a statin (I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, though I do stay occasionally at Holiday Inn Express) but I do give encouragement and feedback to people who tell me they had problems with it.
Thanks for this post. I developed upper extremity muscle pain and weakness within 5 days of being on a statin , 20mg. It was cratering my exersize routine and got me off my bicycle and quickly. Tried very low dose of a weaker statin and one pill gave me the initial muscle spasm I was experiencing the first time around. I have ridden the bike for years, have good cardio and also a clean diet. I am going to go with exercise and activity for now. Cant be taking a drug that messes me up to try and improve a number to make my doctor happy
@@LK-bz9sk I have started my own channel called "My Statin Free Life" to give a layman's opinion about statins where I try to give people a sense that these things aren't always the best for us.
I have not found one properly conducted clinical trial that shows a 1 in 5 benefit to taking statins. What trial results are you referring to with those kinds of numbers. The best I have seen in terms of mortality reduction is between 1 and 4 %. The drug companies often conflate those numbers by using relative numbers and not absolute numbers. For example, Lipitor did a study called the ASCOT Trial, and claimed a relative risk reduction of your chance of having a heart attack was a 36% reduction. What their trial actually showed was that 1.9% of people on Lipitor in the trial had a heart attack. 3% of all people on the placebo had a heart attack. The difference between the 2 is a relative 36% reduction in risk, but the real absolute risk reduction is only 1.1%. Read the actual studies and trials people. The real risk reduction of taking statins is not worth taking them. Look for the Number Needed to Treat. In this study, 91 people need to be treated with Lipitor in order for 1 person to benefit. It is also important to note that the risks of taking these drugs are seriously under-reported and are often overlooked.
I was put on atorvastatin. I took myself off because I started to become very weak. I keep telling my doctor that it just hurts so much to do simple things (like walking) when I used to run.
Dr., thank you for your comments and your honesty. Life is full of options and it’s good that you have taken the time to help us realize them as far as use of statins.
Thank you, Doctor. I'm a little confused. I actually thought that it was common knowledge that high cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart attacks and furthermore that most heart attack victims actually have low to normal cholesterol. Have I been receiving misinformation? I also recently heard of type 2 diabetes being a side effect of stations. True?
Doc l enjoyed your videos and will follow your channel with interest. I was on Crestor for 5-10 years then about 18 montha ago l had a black-out, this repeated itself on a number of ccaisions so l stop taking them, so far so good, no repeat incidents.
Statins are helpful if you have had a cardiovascular event.....if you have not had a cardiovascular event, taking statins will reduce your chance of a cardiovascular event by about 1 or 2% tops. So I guess you have to decide if it is worth putting up with the side effects in exchange for a very small increase in your chance of a cardiovascular event. Also in my experience side effects from most medications are way way under reported. When taking a new medication, it is generally not a matter of IF you will get side effects, but rather what side effects you will get, and how severe they will be.
Thanks for your comment petercallinicos. While this video is indeed old, it is still applicable. High cholesterol numbers do matter. They don't matter as much as medical doctors portray (which I believe is your point), however, they still matter a lot. For example a person who has a high LDL in the range of 190 has a 50% lifetime risk of having stroke / heart attack / stent, whereas someone with an LDL of 100 or less would have a lifetime risk less than half that. Ignoring very high LDL is, in general, not a good idea... and au contraire, I am not behind on my reading at all! I am constantly reading about these topics. Check out the EVAPORATE study from last month in the European Heart Journal, it supports the use of EPA Fish Oil for decreasing blockage. Best wishes!
@@CardioGauge The VLDL and triglycerides seems to be the important numbers. I hope your not still under the impression that saturated fat in your diat is a bad thing. The JACC just published a "State-of-the-Art Review" dispelling that myth. Vol. 76, Issue 7, 18 August 2020 pgs. 844-857. Thanks for responding PS I'm not a doctor. Just a 72 year old guy trying to stay healthy.
Speaking of skepticism, I am skeptical of any advice that includes diets that favor consumption of carbohydrates (sugar) and elimination of animal fats. Though anecdotal my experience of a low carb/high fat diet has resulted in substantial weight loss, improved metabolic panel scores and generally just feeling better. Not opposed to vegan diets, just there is a very effective alternative in a Keto diet that allows for a broad range of foods. Thus for me a daily regimen of consuming red meats and salad (other low carb vegs) slashes hunger, weight and joint inflammation, while making fasting easy. As opposed to the old adage “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” I would suggest “a steak a day will keep the cardiologist away.” Great video in any event.
Thanks for watching and for your comment Richard! Your point is well taken, different dietary approaches work better for different people. There is no one size fits all diet. Best wishes!
What are your thoughts on statins preventing heart attack or stroke in healthy 60 yr old woman with no prior heart episodes. Risk factors are super low (low BP, high HDL, low triglycerides, healthy weight, good diet, very active, non smoker). Only risk factor is high ldl.
I got muscle weakness and spasm within 5 days of taking statin. Tried again on a very low dose of a weaker statin. One pill. Black to muscle spasms. Done with the statin rodeo. Thanks for the video Doc.
Thank you Doctor for this info. I experienced muscle aches and confusion and memory loss. I stopped taking statin a few days ago and I’m all ready feeling much better. I read that the brain has 25% of your bodies cholesterol and that the liver makes cholesterol. There must be a good reason our bodies make cholesterol to begin with and our brains need cholesterol to function, then reducing cholesterol doesn’t make sense.
It is my understanding - I am not an MD nor do I play one on TV - every cell of the human body, in order to function properly, requires cholesterol. The question is how much is too much ? But is this not true of everything ? Do we not have the saying that too much of a even a good thing is too much ?
Hi doctor I’ve 6 stents and my doctor cardiologist and prescribe Astor a statin 80 nga having crumbs on my legs I told him to cut down to 20 mgs still have side effect is there any alternative medication doctor like supplement ?
Why should we want to reduce our cholresterol. Most cardio deaths occur with people who have low cholesterol? Would it not be more important to reduce insulin? Many docs. Many different opinions. Very confusing if we need not be concerned about high cholesterol.
we all talk about how bad high cholesterol can affect our body but nobody so far talk about the effect of too low cholesterol can affect our body? what will happen if cholesterol is too low.....maybe the side effect of statin is caused by lack of cholesterol needed by our bodies? just a guess
So my mom is 70+ and has been on atorvastatin for some time. She used to get muscle aches and pains a lot but her doc suggested CoQ-10 . She started taking it and also, she started taking her atorvastatin at night, even though they recommend in the morning. These two things seemed to help and her cholesterol is better than witout. She has had a stroke in the past so I suppose it is recommended. (She's also on blood thinners, ect.)
I took statins for 6 years, my resting heart beat was always between 80bpm and 90bpm , stopped the statin for a few weeks and my resting heart rate dropped to 74 bpm, isnt a rapid heart rate a risk?
I’m torn over this issue. I took atorvastatin for several years during which time I was more and more racked by muscle pain. I wasn’t aware of this side effect, but when I knew of it, I stopped the drug to see if the pain followed. It did - I felt better than I had for years. I told my dr., but he was eager that I try a different statin and he prescribed rosuvastatin at the minimum dosage. I’ve been on that now for a few months and I’m not sure if the pains I still have are attributable to the drug. So, I’m stopping this statin for awhile to see if there’s any change. It’s early in my experiment so I don’t know anything yet. But if it appears the rosuvastatin is to blame, should I really be throwing my cholesterol issue under the bus to save on the body pains? I don’t know.
Doc, great job. I love your calm demeanor. ~85% of cholesterol (LDL) is produced by the body (liver). Taking a statin treats a symptom, not a root cause. For those with high cholesterol, why is the body overproducing cholesterol? Thanks. Keep up the good work.
stress isn't good for the heart , so iam stressed about the lipitor iam taking and the side effects, if one gets muscle aches hmm isn't the heart a muscle too?
My muscles started aching after my doctor put me on statins. If the Statin is affecting my muscles, they must be affecting the heart muscles too. Not good. A cardiologist in the UK said statins work not by lowering cholesterol, but by lowering inflammation. Now that I can believe.
I tried 4 different statins and I experienced headaches in the back of my head / neck region and brain fog. My brain felt lethargic, so I now try to watch my diet, exercise, and take K2, vital red berry drinks, garlic, Omega 3 oil.
Hi Robert, thanks for your comment. Statins are inferior to eating a healthy diet and exercising routinely. It's usually much more important to do that stuff than take a statin!
Thanks for sharing your - and your father's - large experience with statins. It's clear you're honest, and see real upside. I'll be using this to help make my own decision on whether to add statins to my strict diet (Esselstyn) approach. (It hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped for me.) I hope you continue sharing your insights here.
My dad has an LDL of 60 mg/dl HDL is 40 mg/dl VLDL is 13 mg/dl he's 72 , his family has a history of strokes (he had none) since they're diabetic , but his physician put him on Crestor , isn't that weird ? He should rather be on anti-platelets instead ? What would you suggest ?
a second opinion from another doctor (in person if possible). It never hurts to consider another doctor, especially if you get the "is that weird?" vibe.
@@shawnmulberry774 He thanks for responding. It was two years back. My Dad had a heart attack on August 15th last year. The statins are just useless at suchh high dosages. Found out he has calcified plaque. We'll get him a bypass sooner.
Thank you so much for this information. I was taking a low dose of Crestor every other day for about 5 months until I had to stop due to the discomfort in my muscles and back. Can you speak to the pleiotropic component of these drugs? My doc advises me to stay on a statin for the anti inflammatory protection it provides.Cholesterol is not an issue in my case. Is there another way to promote arterial anti inflammation? I do take a baby aspirin daily. I enjoy your videos.
I'm a type 1 diabetic 35 years and was put on Atorvastatin 80 mg after a 75 percent blockage my HDL's cholesterol levels are normal range. Do I need to be on this medication when my cholesterol is great?
Sorry for the delay in reply. The answer is yes. It is straight out of the textbook and it makes a lot of sense. I have many patients with normal cholesterol numbers, who have developed coronary artery blockage. A person's cholesterol numbers are not the only thing that cause blockage to develop. Some people have cholesterol that is "sticky" and more likely to cause blockage, even though the total amount of cholesterol is not high. Atorvastatin can be helpful to those people. I attempt to give all my patients who have coronary blockage atorvastatin 40 mg or 80 mg. Because you are young, you warrant the higher dose. Taking the atorvastatin 80 mg per day for the next 10 years cuts your chance of stroke or heart attack in half. In addition to the atorvastatin, other things can be important, like eating a healthy diet (Mediterranean Diet is a typical recommendation), managing your sugar (usually shooting for Hemoglobin a1c of 7 or so), and exercising routinely if your doc says it is ok, 30-45 minutes per day, 5 days a week or more, where you get somewhat sweaty and out of breath throughout the activity. Also, usually I give my patients in your situation aspirin 81 mg per day. Best wishes.
For me it is partly that I don't believe that firetrucks cause structure fires. Recent behavior in the medical pharmaceuticals industry doesn't really strengthen my trust factor either. The drugs that I am already taking are making it far more difficult to get my insulin related disorders, which are likely underlying the majority of my heart issues as well, under control. The treatments are actually hindering the cure making it that much harder. But alas I can't let my heart race while I get the cause under control. However, I don't need to add another probable handicap. Trading off dying of one disease for dying of another is not really my goal. It is kind of like decreasing gun violence just to increase bomb violence.
In veterans aged ≥75 years without prior history of ASCVD, the initiation of a statin was associated with significantly lower overall and cardiovascular mortality. Association of Statin Use With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in US Veterans 75 Years and Older. Orkaby AR, Driver JA, et al: JAMA; 2020;324 (July 7): 68-78.
I am taking Rosuvastatin 40 mgs. daily. The medication has lowered my lipids to what I used to think was unattainable. I do not seem to have side-effects, although I am concerned about the potential for developing diabetes, type 2.
My brother had by pass surgery 8 years back, I heard vein graft get clogs up 50 to 60 percent after 10 years. so should he take aspirin and atorvastatin . Right now he take blood pressure medicine only and healthy. He took aspirin, plavix and atovastatin combo for 7 years. Not any more , there was no side effect but question is should he start aspirin and atorvastatin combo to save vein graft.
I have never had any joint pain in my life and I am 65. The dr. gave me Lipitor 10 mg for my high cholesterol. I took it for 8 days. Then my right leg started aching and my thigh felt like a bee was stinging me. I went off of the drug. Never again. I never told the dr. I stopped taking it and I will see her on Tuesday. I would rather have high cholesterol then muscle damage. I feel really good now.
After five years of daily pain. I had to figure it out for myself. I am a long standing vigorous person. Statins would not let my body heal from jumping, pulling, swinging, pushing, bending any strenuous activity.
Thanks for this video. It reaffirms my observation that the positive reports on statins tend to come from people with medical degrees, while the gloom and doom reports come from folks with little or no medical or pharmaceutical education. I was prescribed Atorvastatin two months ago, and have since experienced two irritating, but inconsequential muscle pains while walking. As my wife says, it’s better cut a walk short than to cut a life short.
My doctor told me that there's a 15% reduction in my chance of heart attack or stroke.. but my chance of heart attack or stroke is only 15% per year.. so it's reducing my chance of a heart attack about 2 or 3% a year
Thanks for your comment Michael. I don't know of any conclusive scientific proof that CoQ10 prevents statin side effects, however, statins definitely deplete CoQ10, so I won't argue with your statement!
hello. i had a stent put in 5 yrs ago. male 50. im on lipator and asprin each day. 1. do u think this is a lot to take. 2. after my surgery my heart seems to be beating harder. i did test and they said im ok. is there any way to slow down my heart so it doesnt beat so hard. thank u.
I give aspirin and Lipitor to basically all of my patients who end up with stents. The Lipitor prevents further cholesterol buildup, and can decrease your chance of heart attack, stroke, and new blockage by 50%. Aspirin prevents blood clots and decreases the chance of heart attack by 30%. It is totally standard that your doctor put you on these medications. I have people in my family that have required stents and they take Lipitor and aspirin. As always, medications are not the entire answer. Eating a healthy diet, and getting proper exercise are important parts of preventing the need for further stent procedures, heart attacks, or strokes. Regarding feeling like your heart is beating hard, metoprolol, or any beta blocker type medication can decrease the sensation. This is also a common medication to use after stenting. If you were to tell your doctor about your symptoms, they would probably give you the medication. This is health education, not medical advice. Sorry for the disclaimer.
Hi John, Statins increase blood sugar some. If someone is a borderline diabetic and they start a statin it can tip them from being prediabetic to actually having a diagnosis of diabetes. A high dose of statin will raise the fasting sugar 7 mg/dL. So for someone who has a fasting (morning before eating anything) sugar of 119, they would go to 126, which now qualifies them as having diabetes instead of prediabetes. If a person has a fasting blood sugar of 99, then goes on a Staten, and now it is 106, now that person goes from normal to having pre-diabetes. So indeed, statins increase blood sugar. Definitely there are people out there who have more increase in their blood sugar than the next person. The average is about seven points. While it would be better if the blood sugar didn’t go up, the small increase in sugar is not associated with a lot of risk. The decrease in risk of heart attack and stroke outweighs the risks associated with the increase in blood sugar. Statins are not for Everyone, for sure. However, for people who are at high risk for stroke and heart attack, I recommend their use.For people at low risk for stroke and heart attack, I don’t find them useful, and for people in the middle, sometimes I recommend, sometimes I don’t. Thanks for your question.
Haggis Eater I got paid nothing. I have tried all the statins myself and they all cause me to hurt. I state that in the video. I support statin use for people who have had heart attacks and strokes, and for people with a strong family history of blocked blood vessels. Giving statins to people who are well is not something I often do. The drug companies don’t care about statins any more because they are cheap, and generic. Thanks for your comments.
Although I exercise everyday, eat well, sleep well and manage my stress i still het high cholesterol from my blood tests. Why? Any option other than Statins? Please share
Cholesterol is vital for our brains, and for good health. There are many studies of people with low cholesterol who have heart attacks, and many people with high cholesterol don't have heart disease or heart attacks. The science & studies are there, though they have been set aside or misinterpreted. Remove sugar & processed foods from your diet (eating preferably organic / non-gmo), greatly reduce (or eliminate) grains, sleep well, drink lots of spring (or well filtered) water, do physical activity, get sun on your skin (no toxic sunscreens) & fresh air. And be grateful you have high cholesterol. :)
hi docter, i am a young male (19 years old) with extrasystole's. My cardiologist told me that they are normal. He recomanded me to use bisoprolol but i would get fatigue so i stopped. I have tried atenolol, nebivolol but they dindt help me with my palpitations at all. But propranolol really helps me, but when i do uses it for a couple of days i start to get dyspnea problems. Could that be because i have a low bpm naturally (50-58)?
Yes propranolol can cause dyspnea by lowering the heart rate. I cannot tell you what to do, because this is a health education website, not medical advice. However, if I had a patient with this question, I would tell him or her to see what their heart rate was with exercise with and without propranolol. If the difference in heart rate or substantial, doing the same activity, for example a treadmill at a certain rate and incline, and symptoms develop sooner while taking propranolol, this would imply the medication is causing the Dyspnea. When I have a patient who has a medication that helps them with palpitations, but also has side effects, I often tell him or her to use the medication as needed, when symptoms are at their worst.
Thank you Doctor, my brother was a doctor and was a consultant for statin drugs. I took Zocor and had severe side effects. Switched to Crestor and was fine. Cholesterol runs in the family so I will stay on the statins.
Hello Doctor. I have a question: what if a person has all sorts of muscle aches and pains already that comes with age. Will statin intensify those pains or add more? How do you distinguish between the muscle pain from a statin or maybe just regular muscle ache? Now, let me tell you a story: my friend has been on statins for the last 20 years after a quadruple bypass. Since then he's had 2 mild heart attacks when they had to insert some stents. Just recently they had to clean out his carotid arteries. Beside statins he is on blood thinner, BP meds and he has bad muscle aches to the point that he gets injections. His doctor wants him to keep his cholesterol very low, which he does (due to statins), because his diet isn't good at all. So, in summary my friend has been on statins for over 20 years yet it did not prevent him from building up the plaque in his artery walls despite keeping his cholesterol very low.
Hi Kriss, you have three important questions in your post. 1) how can you tell if aches and pains are from standard arthritis and age as opposed to coming from the statin? It is hard to know. Statin aches are usual symmetric, meaning they affect both sides of the body, so for example both shoulders or both thighs. So if one knee hurts, it probably isn’t the statin. Statins much more often affect muscles rather than joints. The bottom line however is that it is hard to tell if aching is statin or age. Basically if my patient has new aches and pains after starting the med I stop it and see what happens. If a patient has been on statin for years and mentions aches and pains, I will consider a temporary stoppage to see what happens. I have numerous patients over the years who have had aches and pains that they thought were age related, but they turned out to be due to statin. 2) why didn’t the statin prevent your friend from having further blood vessel trouble, after it was started when he had bypass? Statins at best prevent 50% of heart events in people who have had arterial blockage. A person who has had bypass has approximately 50% chance of having a heart attack or stent over the 10 years after bypass, without the statin. With Atorvastatin 80 mg per day, this chance would be about half of that, so around 25%. So many people on statins continue to have heart attacks and stents and the like. This is why eating well and exercising are so important. 3) the doc kept him on statin even though he may have been having pains, why? Many docs basically insist that their patients continue with statins, if they are tolerable, because of the significant decrease in heart attack and stroke. When my patients are having a lot of trouble statins, I try to get them to do a whole food plant based diet, and decrease the statin dose to a tolerable level. Some people do terrible with 80 mg of atorvastatin but are fine with 20 mg per day. I hope that answers your questions!
I have had a heart attack at age 50.I had a stent installed at that time.5 years later I had a quintuple coronary artery graft procedure done.I take meteprolol,amlodipine,lisinopril,aspirin,niacin and atorvastatin.I really feel great and can say that I don't have any side effects from any of those that I can tell.I'm not sure what they are doing to my body inside,but like I said,I feel great.I'm 62 now and am height/weight proportionate.I don't eat the best but am working on that and do get excersise.I know I don't want another heart attack,as one was enough,so for now I will continue to take my meds but would like to get off of some of them.I see a lot of videos on why people should not take a lot of the meds I take,so I am always concerned that some Dr.'s are trying to control the population with meds,but I also know that on YT there is a lot of info,some good and some bad,so I do listen to my family doc and to my cariologist and not the videos.Thanks for this info,it was great!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the video helpful. Disclaimer (sorry): none of what follows is medical advice. It is intended as health education. Only your doctor can tell you what to do with your medications. Of your medicines, the Niacin is the most optional. According to study (AIM HIGH trial), it does not reduce chance of stroke/heart attack. Next most optional is amlodipine. It treats blood pressure, which is important, but if you were to get your pressure to be normal without it (Daily exercise, eat a lot of fruits and veggies at basically every meal, minimize salt), you wouldn’t need that one. Metoprolol is not mandatory for people with normal heart pumping function, that is measured by echocardiogram usually, and is reported as “EF.” Normal EF is from 50 to 65%. The idea that metoprolol is NOT mandatory is a little controversial, some cardiologists might jump and scream at the idea, but o do consider it optional based on recent research. Lisinopril is important if the EF is low, or if blood pressure is high, or if you have diabetes, or if you have kidney failure. Otherwise it’s optional. Your two most important meds are aspirin and atorvastatin which both decrease your chance for stroke or heart attack, basically regardless if you do well with diet and exercise. Aspirin decreases stroke/heart by about 2 percent. Atorvastatin decreases stroke or heart attack by 10-20%. Those are both absolute, not relative percentages. Best wishes!
Trying to avoid lipitor/statins...for my 86 year old mother. She is a diabetic, never had a stroke or heart attack. was wondering what your thoughts are regarding her blood tests. Cholesterol, Total: 217 Triglycerides 180 HDL Cholesterol 38 VLDL Cholesterol Cal 36 LDL Cholesterol Calc 143
Hi, sorry for delay in reply, somehow I missed the comment initially. I generally do not start statins for people over 75 who have never had a stroke or heart attack. Sometimes I will get a patient who is older than 75 who has never had a stroke / heart attack but is already taking a statin. If that person seems to be doing fine without side effects, I won't stop the statin. Your Mom's Cholesterol Profile is in an average range for an American. So it is not terrible, and not great. The numbers as they are do not require treatment. The way I work is that if a person makes it to 86 without a stroke or heart attack, without having had to take a cholesterol pill, why would I start one now. This is supported by our guidelines (the documents put out by the Medical-Powers-That-Be that tell docs what to do), which state that treating people with statin who have not had stroke or heart attack and are over age 75 is optional, and not well proven. I wouldn't start a statin on my mom at age 86, with those numbers. When someone is 86, in my opinion the most important things are to stay physically active, do routine walking or exercise of some sort, and to stay socially active. Whatever she has been eating has gotten her to age 86, so usually I don't recommend drastic changes. Her blood sugars probably arent too bad, because her triglycerides were ok at 180. Hope this helps. Disclaimer: This is health education, not medical advice. Only your doctor can tell you what to do with your medications.
Thank You, CardioGauge. I will pass this on to my mother. She was on Crestor several years ago...she had some memory issues, don't know whether it was due to Crestor or not but the doctor took her off it for about a year, he now recommends Lipitor. From what I have learned it has many side effects & I wasn't comfortable with her taking any statin's so I have been advising her to not take it at this time. Although maybe because of my concerns he recommend only one pill twice a week. She is diabetic by the way. My dad's 96 and had a stroke 5 years ago. He was taking Lipitor at the time so it didn't help him. He doesn't take it now due to poor kidneys. Anyway, thanks again for your reply.
You're welcome! When I said her sugars are probably pretty good, I just meant I could tell she has decent diabetic control because of her triglycerides. If sugars are very high, the triglycerides will be quite high. Sorry that was confusing, I did understand she has diabetes...
Question, i stopped taking the lipitor pills because it positively raised my blood sugar to the point i'm on metformin, i'm kinda afraid to tell my cardiologist this because he is in denial that the lipitor was causing it, so now i'm going as close to mediterranean as i can go and almost zero carbs. any advice
Have you had coronary blockage, heart attack or stenting? Why did they have you on atorvastatin? I ask because it can affect the importance of being on it.
Nathan Ritter yes i had what they call a major heart attack, 3 stints one straight and 2 combined to open a y in the artery, but i still feel 25 and dont stop for anything at 50
Since you had blockage in your arteries, atorvastatin or similar med is important for you. Being on atorvastatin decreases chance of having another heart attack. Without atorvastatin, risk of another heart attack, or a stroke, or needing another stent is somewhere aronud 40-50% over the next 10 yesrs. High dose atorvastatin, 40 or 80 mg per day, would decrease the risk by about half, to about 20 to 25%. A lower dosage would decrease the risk quite a bit, but not as much as the higher dosage. Atorvastatin can definitely raise the blood sugar as you mentioned. If I had a patient in your situation, I would probably try A lower dosage of atorvastatin to see what happened with the blood sugar, or, try rosuvastatin instead. It's great that you are working on eating right, and very active. Doing these things helps a lot. However, I think there is still a role for medication for patients in your shoes. Best wishes!!
CardioGauge . raised blood sugar means raised blood pressure and more damage more dr visits more tests more damage requiring more damage making more damage...no clear and strengthen arteries only prevention from worsening...no gain in cures.!
I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm going to start taking the statins my doctor told me to take - almost 2 years ago! This has everything to do with your well reasoned pros and cons combined with your (and your father's) personal experiencel working with patients. Thank you.
@@CardioGauge Red mear , white meat , eggs , green veggies ..and dairy occasionally but optional .. hunter gatherer diet ..should do fine on this food What do you think doc ?
Every drug will end up with horrible side effect if you use it long enough. Remember, there will always be a trade off. Your body doesnt make Cholesterol for no reason and the consequense of supressing it for too long will surely come, sooner or later. Have you heard about PPI and its so called "side effects"? Its the same here.
HI - too bad that we patients NEED to be skeptical of why some of our doctors not only prescribe stuff for us BUT possibly are PAID by Big Pharma to promote drugs.
I am 74 years old Asian woman, who has high cholesterol since I was in my 30 s, and I never can tolerate statin, I am on Crestor, Lipitor and other cholesterol med, on and off because my Cholesterol always too high with out med, but so many time I fall, and not be able to walk because my legs is hurt so badly, and hospitalized because I check in to ER in Asia get arthritis med from the doctor there, and got stomack bleeding, hospitalized 10 days almost die that time, so it was not only muscle pain but severe side effect, so for years I dont take med, and my cholesterol going up to more than 300, my primary doctor told me That I am killing my self, but I am stabborn and dont want to take statin, so I still can walk and swim with out muscle pain.so far every year doctor check my heart EKG, and not saying that I have heart problem so far, but I realized sooner or later maybe I get heart problem, but I am survive till old, I just try exersize walking, biking, swiming view time a week, and I am semi vegetarian, not eat dairy product, I cook my food always, and just a little bit of meat and eggs, what my concern is why my husband dont have cholesterol, or diabetic, he is 79 and he eat the same kind of food that I cook for 56 years, but I have very high cholesterol, a little high sugar in my blood, A1C 7,and he is not ? his is always normal.
Is it possible to do bloodwork to detect the dangerous muscle damage and liver, kidney damage? After avoiding statins for 30 years I finally started Atorvastatin. I was prescribed 20 mg but only taking 10mg for now. I am 57, in good health and my only problem is 178 LDL.
I always had muscle aches all my life I’ve eaten pavement many times, Excellent muscle tone excellent bone density.... Cholesterol is great now but still on Staten heart attack in 2019, 70% blockage RCA, stent, walking around with a heart attack for four years yay, Torn rotator cuff stop work out for5 years before heart attack could not work out how to take care of your mother overly stressed not eating right and heart attack stent. Eating better cut up red meat, eating mor vegetables, more fruit Smoothies not a big fan of fruits only and smoothies... 58 March 2021 - Excellent memory - I’m Canadian so we buy our medication in bulk and it goes from there and I’m 100% covered for my medication or more hospital stuff etc. etc. etc. of course I pay taxes. And I trust my family Doctor that I’ve been saying for over 35 years and cardiologist 100%
Hi Victor, low dose like that would decrease risk of stroke / heart attack by somewhere around a relative risk of 10%. So for example if your risk was 20% over 10 years, with rosuva 5 mg every other day, your risk would go down to 18%. So it might help a little. There are calculators on the web you can use to estimate your risk. I personally was unable to tolerate rosuva 2.5 mg per day, even with coq10. Everybody’s going to have a different tolerance level. For people who have known coronary artery disease, I try to get them up to at least 10 mg rosuva per day if possible. But if person is having trouble I will use low dose like you mention for yourself. Best wishes!
Doctor I like your video on statins Year ago I had a small heart attack and artery that was blocked and my cardiologist placed two stents in my artery I never been a smoker in my whole life try to eat healthy I'm always very active Surfer it's surfing on my life never take drugs and I have worked out with P90X and you don't drink any alcohol at all I have a lot of stress in my life working on hours my own business hey Matt blood pressure has been high before the stents. Before my heart attack I got into Road cycling to help lose some weight to the Head game and got back down to my way to work I should be at my height. After the stents I've continued cycling I do 45 miles every other day before work and then I ride 60 to 80 miles on the my day off I also have been to Grand fondos a hundred miles with a 9000 foot elevation climb and I'm going to be doing my first double century 200 miles at sea level in California. I am on Lisinopril clopidocfel amlodipion 5mg atorvastatin calcium 80mg My question is about cycling .long miles . Is this bad for my heart. ? I keep an eye on my heart rate. Resting heat rate is around 55 to 64. My max heart rate when cycling 145 to 150. My blood pressure before I ride is around 135 over 80 something 140 over 80 After I ride it is 117 over 65 to 127 over 65 . Heart rate 90 and moving down slowly. I feel great after a ride and takes me day to recover. I eat no salt salads with olive oil sushi once in awhile no fast food except for Subway would you get a spinach wrap with all vegetables and grilled chicken oatmeal in the morning with blueberries now that it's cold out a small cup of coffee with no cream no sugar innocent summer lots of water my age I just turned 60 and look like I'm 45. So my main question is am I hurting my hurting my heart while cycling?
A muscle ache is much more serious than a minor "side effect" and when you get off statin drugs it isn't "no harm done". You're heart is a muscle and it's affected and your brain suffers as well.
Read the book 'Lipitor: Thief of Memory' written by Duane Graveline a former astronaut/flight surgeon who developed amnesia after taking a statin drug.
I was on several different statins and experienced a lot of mental confusion, depression, and some muscle pain. Basically, I can't take any of them due to decrease in quality of life.. even coworkers were commenting that I seemed confused all the time. It is slowly clearing up with time. Here's my question though: My cholesterol was down about 100 pts (270's to 170's) on just 2 mg Livalo daily. If my body reacts so "well" to such a small dose, could it be that I am also especially susceptible to side effects? Has there ever been a study that has sought to find a correlation between the effective dose vs. intensity of side effects? (BTW, I also experienced on at least 5 occasions, intensified depression while withdrawing, though that eventually went away.) I have been careful to not fall victim to confirmation bias - in fact I noted the symptoms before I even knew such side effects existed; I think the incidence of mental side effects is much higher than reported.. one of my doctors didn't believe me for example, because "that is not a known side effect." Doesn't that attitude prevent side effects from getting reported, thus putting us in a vicious circle without requiring a conspiracy, just a broken reporting system?
Hello ReverendRusty. I will try to answer your questions in order.
1) If my body reacts so "well" to such a small dose, could it be that I am also especially susceptible to side effects?
--> Livalo dosing ranges from 1 mg to 4 mg per day. So 2 mg per day is actual half the max dose, and would be equivalent to 40 mg of atorvastatin (Lipitor). In other words, you were not on a low dose of the medication.
2) Has there ever been a study that has sought to find a correlation between the effective dose vs. intensity of side effects?
--> I don't know of any study comparing the effect of the medication on the cholesterol with the bad effects that can occur, as a function of dose. I can tell you in my experience there is no correlation between the two.
3) Doesn't the general negative, unbelieving attitude of physicians regarding patient side effects prevent them from getting reported, thus putting us in a vicious circle without requiring a conspiracy, just a broken reporting system?
--> Yes, doctors are taught that statin side effects are limited and mild, and a recent study "proves" that statin side effects are somaticized by the patient. See item #3 of the article on this well regarded website if you would like to puke: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/876404#vp_2
You and I both have experienced side effects of the medication. No amount of lecturing from establishment websites or doctors will convince us that we are hallucinating these effects.
--> I don't think there is a conspiracy either. Doctors and drug companies aren't trying to suppress reporting of statin side effects for monetary gain. The "money" is gone from statins for the drug companies. They are commodity-priced.
--> common side effects are probably best studied in randomized trials, rather than by reporting of patients. You are right though about reporting of rare side effects, because that can only be discovered by patient reporting (and physician believing). Your side effect of confusion has certainly been reported and studied. You are by no means alone with that symptom. I have had a couple patients with acute confusion. If a side effect is infrequent, it may not show up as being statistically apparent in the scientific trials.
The broken part of the system is the fact that many doctors assume the reported effects are pretend, when in fact (I think) they are very often real.
Thanks for your comment!
Thank you Dr. for your quick answer.
ReverendRusty GL KETO!!!! It’s the best option.
@@mannyradzky493 Thanks, doing that now. Lost 30 pounds since that post was written, HDL is higher than it has ever been (including when I was on statins), triglycerides are down, and insulin resistance is well under control. I'm 62 now and didn't think I could make such a big lifestyle change, but have found it to be relatively easy to maintain.
My cardiologist wants me to reduce mine from 96 to below 70. Her reasoning is I have had a stroke during a aortic repair. They had to practically stop the flow of blood so they can repair the aorta without me bleeding to death. And they said it would cause strokes. Now because I had a stroke she wants me on statins. I just watched a video by Dr.Ali who showed real studies that showed very list reduction in deaths even if it lowered the cholesterol. I don't think I'm going to take them.
made me feel like i was 90. no thanks
Klee N
yep did the same to me , i was confused why i was feeling so old at 46 , added 2 and 2 , threw them in the bin , 3 months later and feeling good again !
@@calltherussian you obviously know nothing about the causes of heart disease !cholesterol does NOT cause heart disesae !
up yours shut up dummy; high cholesterol is bad for ur heart, you idiot
Very informative video Doc! I suffered an MI 5yrs ago (age 68) & had 2 stents implanted. Started on 80mg of Atorvastatin initially & have been on 40mg daily for the past few years. Fortunately, I have had no side effects to date. I have read that, although statins may prevent a recurrance of stroke or another heart attack, they do not extend ones life. Also that Cholesterol is not the culprit in causing a heart attack but rather "inflammation" secondary to our Western diet (especially the amount of sugar consumed) which leads to plaque formation. Would appreciate your thoughts on that. Finally, If you have any links to studies showing the overall benefits of taking Statins, that would be much appreciated. Thanks & be well......
This U.K. Doctor said statins work because they lower inflammation. And I believe it.
Do whatever you have too to reduce inflammation of you body.
ua-cam.com/video/jcnx4ScHk_k/v-deo.html
Rosuvastatin is a better statin and you should ask for that one instead. It is a bit more expensive, but worth it. You should also take CO-Q10 to help reduce inflammation.
“Vegan diet”??? No wonder you’re having issues. Your diet Rx is deficient without supplements, full of lectins, oxalates, and high carb.
For your own sake and that of your patients, please take a serious look at keto, even carnivore.
On another video, you refer to a Calcium Score as a “risk marker”, similar to LDL counts & distributions. It’s not a “marker,” it’s a direct look at arterial plaques in the relevant arteries. It’s not a proxy, it’s the closest thing we have to viewing the thing itself, the actual state of your arteries.
So, given your vegan dietary model, which would guarantee a lower dietary cholesterol intake, with a carb-dominant adaptation, I would
expect failure to adhere and fall-off, inevitably, as hunger, deficiencies, and insulin resistance spiked. High LDL only an issue in the presence of high circulating blood glucose, with attendant glycation and oxidation, leading to damaged LDL. It’s not just particle size, or “total cholesterol”, it’s damaged LDL that will stick in the arterial walls. The healthy stuff doesn’t do that. But, of course, in the context of a high basal level of inflammation and attendant glycation &oxidation, the cholesterol lowering effect of statins would tend to reduce damage to arteries. It’s not solving the problem, it’s papering it over.
Try another paradigm. There’s plenty of information out there, if you’re willing to re-examine mental models which are not working for you.
ua-cam.com/video/TRB0jOfymLk/v-deo.html, for reference. Dr Paul Mason. Zoe Harcombe is also good on the subject.
Statins cause problems, sorry I can't remember what they are, have to stop writing as my arms ache. Seriously the drug companies are having a laugh.
I also can't tolerate statins - it took me years to understand that statins were causing depression, sleep problems, earaches (probably secondary from poor sleep and grinding of teeth) and several other problems. I actually experienced very little muscle pain except when I was put on Livalo. I didn't see how cholesterol lowering meds could cause the problems I was having so it took me that long to realize it. It never occurred to me to look on-line for stories of statin problems so I had no preconceptions of these side effects - so no "Nocebo" effect, at least for me. Once I did start to suspect the statins, I actively fought in my mind against it because I kept on being reassured by my doctor that "statins don't cause that", and again, I didn't know how much our brains use cholesterol. Therefore, she wasn't reporting the symptoms to whoever collects such data (if any organization or agency does that). I wonder how often "nobody is reporting that" is part of a self-fulfilling lack-of-feedback loop. I remain a skeptic - I think adverse effects are way under-reported and under-recognized. Still, I never tell anyone to stop taking a statin (I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, though I do stay occasionally at Holiday Inn Express) but I do give encouragement and feedback to people who tell me they had problems with it.
Thanks for this post. I developed upper extremity muscle pain and weakness within 5 days of being on a statin , 20mg. It was cratering my exersize routine and got me off my bicycle and quickly. Tried very low dose of a weaker statin and one pill gave me the initial muscle spasm I was experiencing the first time around. I have ridden the bike for years, have good cardio and also a clean diet. I am going to go with exercise and activity for now. Cant be taking a drug that messes me up to try and improve a number to make my doctor happy
@@LK-bz9sk I have started my own channel called "My Statin Free Life" to give a layman's opinion about statins where I try to give people a sense that these things aren't always the best for us.
I have not found one properly conducted clinical trial that shows a 1 in 5 benefit to taking statins. What trial results are you referring to with those kinds of numbers. The best I have seen in terms of mortality reduction is between 1 and 4 %. The drug companies often conflate those numbers by using relative numbers and not absolute numbers. For example, Lipitor did a study called the ASCOT Trial, and claimed a relative risk reduction of your chance of having a heart attack was a 36% reduction. What their trial actually showed was that 1.9% of people on Lipitor in the trial had a heart attack. 3% of all people on the placebo had a heart attack. The difference between the 2 is a relative 36% reduction in risk, but the real absolute risk reduction is only 1.1%. Read the actual studies and trials people. The real risk reduction of taking statins is not worth taking them. Look for the Number Needed to Treat. In this study, 91 people need to be treated with Lipitor in order for 1 person to benefit.
It is also important to note that the risks of taking these drugs are seriously under-reported and are often overlooked.
everything that you said is spot on Darryl...so sad that people do not do any research themselves
I took statin for 2 months low dose and i got muscle pain and cramps. i quit statin for good.
I was put on atorvastatin. I took myself off because I started to become very weak. I keep telling my doctor that it just hurts so much to do simple things (like walking) when I used to run.
Lost me at vegan diet.
What diet would be good? I really want to do what is best. Looking for all information..thanks!
Dr., thank you for your comments and your honesty. Life is full of options and it’s good that you have taken the time to help us realize them as far as use of statins.
Thank you Linda!!!
Thank you, Doctor. I'm a little confused. I actually thought that it was common knowledge that high cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart attacks and furthermore that most heart attack victims actually have low to normal cholesterol. Have I been receiving misinformation? I also recently heard of type 2 diabetes being a side effect of stations. True?
Yes, you're right
one last thing on statins people are not told about the side effects if they were told no one would take them I am in so much pain I wish I was dead
Gerard White That was exactly my story
@@joyceelmer2178 I have been left with the side effects ever since destroyed my life
Doc l enjoyed your videos and will follow your channel with interest. I was on Crestor for 5-10 years then about 18 montha ago l had a black-out, this repeated itself on a number of ccaisions so l stop taking them, so far so good, no repeat incidents.
What are your thoughts about the effect on blood sugar and insulin resistance?
Statins are helpful if you have had a cardiovascular event.....if you have not had a cardiovascular event, taking statins will reduce your chance of a cardiovascular event by about 1 or 2% tops. So I guess you have to decide if it is worth putting up with the side effects in exchange for a very small increase in your chance of a cardiovascular event.
Also in my experience side effects from most medications are way way under reported.
When taking a new medication, it is generally not a matter of IF you will get side effects, but rather what side effects you will get, and how severe they will be.
Fortunately high total cholesterol numbers are a non issue. This video is old. He is still behind on his reading.
Thanks for your comment petercallinicos. While this video is indeed old, it is still applicable. High cholesterol numbers do matter. They don't matter as much as medical doctors portray (which I believe is your point), however, they still matter a lot. For example a person who has a high LDL in the range of 190 has a 50% lifetime risk of having stroke / heart attack / stent, whereas someone with an LDL of 100 or less would have a lifetime risk less than half that. Ignoring very high LDL is, in general, not a good idea... and au contraire, I am not behind on my reading at all! I am constantly reading about these topics. Check out the EVAPORATE study from last month in the European Heart Journal, it supports the use of EPA Fish Oil for decreasing blockage. Best wishes!
@@CardioGauge The VLDL and triglycerides seems to be the important numbers. I hope your not still under the impression that saturated fat in your diat is a bad thing. The JACC just published a "State-of-the-Art Review" dispelling that myth.
Vol. 76, Issue 7, 18 August 2020 pgs. 844-857.
Thanks for responding
PS I'm not a doctor. Just a 72 year old guy trying to stay healthy.
Speaking of skepticism, I am skeptical of any advice that includes diets that favor consumption of carbohydrates (sugar) and elimination of animal fats. Though anecdotal my experience of a low carb/high fat diet has resulted in substantial weight loss, improved metabolic panel scores and generally just feeling better. Not opposed to vegan diets, just there is a very effective alternative in a Keto diet that allows for a broad range of foods. Thus for me a daily regimen of consuming red meats and salad (other low carb vegs) slashes hunger, weight and joint inflammation, while making fasting easy. As opposed to the old adage “an apple a day will keep the doctor away” I would suggest “a steak a day will keep the cardiologist away.” Great video in any event.
Thanks for watching and for your comment Richard! Your point is well taken, different dietary approaches work better for different people. There is no one size fits all diet. Best wishes!
I'd rather die of a heart attack than take a pill that makes me wish I was dead.
you wont know unless you try it, and there are many options.
What are your thoughts on statins preventing heart attack or stroke in healthy 60 yr old woman with no prior heart episodes. Risk factors are super low (low BP, high HDL, low triglycerides, healthy weight, good diet, very active, non smoker). Only risk factor is high ldl.
make sure you explain to your patience the side affects!
Good advice for all docs! Thanks for your comments.
I got muscle weakness and spasm within 5 days of taking statin. Tried again on a very low dose of a weaker statin. One pill. Black to muscle spasms. Done with the statin rodeo. Thanks for the video Doc.
Thank you Doctor for this info. I experienced muscle aches and confusion and memory loss. I stopped taking statin a few days ago and I’m all ready feeling much better. I read that the brain has 25% of your bodies cholesterol and that the liver makes cholesterol. There must be a good reason our bodies make cholesterol to begin with and our brains need cholesterol to function, then reducing cholesterol doesn’t make sense.
Hi Jay thanks for posting your experience with the medication!
It is my understanding - I am not an MD nor do I play one on TV - every cell of the human body, in order to function properly, requires cholesterol. The question is how much is too much ? But is this not true of everything ? Do we not have the saying that too much of a even a good thing is too much ?
Hi doctor I’ve 6 stents and my doctor cardiologist and prescribe Astor a statin 80 nga having crumbs on my legs I told him to cut down to 20 mgs still have side effect is there any alternative medication doctor like supplement ?
Why should we want to reduce our cholresterol. Most cardio deaths occur with people who have low cholesterol? Would it not be more important to reduce insulin? Many docs. Many different opinions. Very confusing if we need not be concerned about high cholesterol.
we all talk about how bad high cholesterol can affect our body but nobody so far talk about the effect of too low cholesterol can affect our body? what will happen if cholesterol is too low.....maybe the side effect of statin is caused by lack of cholesterol needed by our bodies? just a guess
So my mom is 70+ and has been on atorvastatin for some time. She used to get muscle aches and pains a lot but her doc suggested CoQ-10 . She started taking it and also, she started taking her atorvastatin at night, even though they recommend in the morning. These two things seemed to help and her cholesterol is better than witout. She has had a stroke in the past so I suppose it is recommended. (She's also on blood thinners, ect.)
Thank you for your honesty!
I took statins for 6 years, my resting heart beat was always between 80bpm and 90bpm , stopped the statin for a few weeks and my resting heart rate dropped to 74 bpm, isnt a rapid heart rate a risk?
T.
What is your age ...
How to stop statin...
ofcourse
I’m torn over this issue. I took atorvastatin for several years during which time I was more and more racked by muscle pain. I wasn’t aware of this side effect, but when I knew of it, I stopped the drug to see if the pain followed. It did - I felt better than I had for years. I told my dr., but he was eager that I try a different statin and he prescribed rosuvastatin at the minimum dosage. I’ve been on that now for a few months and I’m not sure if the pains I still have are attributable to the drug. So, I’m stopping this statin for awhile to see if there’s any change. It’s early in my experiment so I don’t know anything yet. But if it appears the rosuvastatin is to blame, should I really be throwing my cholesterol issue under the bus to save on the body pains? I don’t know.
Did you believe in God? Do you believe that pray can be help to cure heart diseases?
TC doesn’t matter, the quality of LDL matters, ie glycated, oxidised sdLDL is atherogenic. Get a lipid sub-fraction test before you worry about LDL.
Doc, great job. I love your calm demeanor. ~85% of cholesterol (LDL) is produced by the body (liver). Taking a statin treats a symptom, not a root cause. For those with high cholesterol, why is the body overproducing cholesterol? Thanks. Keep up the good work.
You lost me with vegan diet. It’s carbs.
Thank you for helpful information that is important.
stress isn't good for the heart , so iam stressed about the lipitor iam taking and the side effects, if one gets muscle aches hmm isn't the heart a muscle too?
statins causing problems , stop , no problems , well dont start then no problems !
You're an idiot up yours
@@bartrobinson2103 and you are a wanker !
My muscles started aching after my doctor put me on statins. If the Statin is affecting my muscles, they must be affecting the heart muscles too. Not good.
A cardiologist in the UK said statins work not by lowering cholesterol, but by lowering inflammation. Now that I can believe.
Here’s the U.K. cardiologist video on statin and inflammation. 13:00 mark
ua-cam.com/video/jcnx4ScHk_k/v-deo.html
Of course this is my grandson.
I tried 4 different statins and I experienced headaches in the back of my head / neck region and brain fog. My brain felt lethargic, so I now try to watch my diet, exercise, and take K2, vital red berry drinks, garlic, Omega 3 oil.
Hi Robert, thanks for your comment. Statins are inferior to eating a healthy diet and exercising routinely. It's usually much more important to do that stuff than take a statin!
He plays with words!
Thanks for sharing your - and your father's - large experience with statins. It's clear you're honest, and see real upside. I'll be using this to help make my own decision on whether to add statins to my strict diet (Esselstyn) approach. (It hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped for me.) I hope you continue sharing your insights here.
Thanks for watching Daragh, and best wishes for your health!
My dad has an
LDL of 60 mg/dl
HDL is 40 mg/dl
VLDL is 13 mg/dl
he's 72 , his family has a history of strokes (he had none) since they're diabetic , but his physician put him on Crestor , isn't that weird ? He should rather be on anti-platelets instead ? What would you suggest ?
a second opinion from another doctor (in person if possible). It never hurts to consider another doctor, especially if you get the "is that weird?" vibe.
@@shawnmulberry774 He thanks for responding. It was two years back. My Dad had a heart attack on August 15th last year. The statins are just useless at suchh high dosages.
Found out he has calcified plaque. We'll get him a bypass sooner.
@@abc_cba best of luck
I appreciate your well balanced view!
Thank you
Thank you so much for this information. I was taking a low dose of Crestor every other day for about 5 months until I had to stop due to the discomfort in my muscles and back. Can you speak to the pleiotropic component of these drugs? My doc advises me to stay on a statin for the anti inflammatory protection it provides.Cholesterol is not an issue in my case. Is there another way to promote arterial anti inflammation? I do take a baby aspirin daily. I enjoy your videos.
bcl name...
U stop taking statin...
How to stop statin Quick & Reducing dose please help me....
@@rj5004 I don't understand this reply to bcl???
@@bclname9800 i take statin for 10 years .... how to stop take statin...
I'm a type 1 diabetic 35 years and was put on Atorvastatin 80 mg after a 75 percent blockage my HDL's cholesterol levels are normal range. Do I need to be on this medication when my cholesterol is great?
Sorry for the delay in reply. The answer is yes. It is straight out of the textbook and it makes a lot of sense. I have many patients with normal cholesterol numbers, who have developed coronary artery blockage. A person's cholesterol numbers are not the only thing that cause blockage to develop. Some people have cholesterol that is "sticky" and more likely to cause blockage, even though the total amount of cholesterol is not high. Atorvastatin can be helpful to those people. I attempt to give all my patients who have coronary blockage atorvastatin 40 mg or 80 mg. Because you are young, you warrant the higher dose.
Taking the atorvastatin 80 mg per day for the next 10 years cuts your chance of stroke or heart attack in half.
In addition to the atorvastatin, other things can be important, like eating a healthy diet (Mediterranean Diet is a typical recommendation), managing your sugar (usually shooting for Hemoglobin a1c of 7 or so), and exercising routinely if your doc says it is ok, 30-45 minutes per day, 5 days a week or more, where you get somewhat sweaty and out of breath throughout the activity. Also, usually I give my patients in your situation aspirin 81 mg per day. Best wishes.
@@CardioGauge it seems the jury is out on taking aspirin as a blood thinner or as a prophylactic to prevent blood clots.
Statin is extremely dangerous. This doctor should religiously take it himself =)
- He tried but too many side-effects. I think they are scary. Diet can do much to improve our health 👌
Thank you. This video is very informative concerning this medication, and it has helped me with my decision to continue taking it
Thank you for your comment! I am glad the video was helpful
Stations increase blood sugar. Both post dinner and fasting by about 10-15%. Tested three times.
as soon as this guy mentioned vegan, I took the rest of the video with a grain of salt
For me it is partly that I don't believe that firetrucks cause structure fires. Recent behavior in the medical pharmaceuticals industry doesn't really strengthen my trust factor either.
The drugs that I am already taking are making it far more difficult to get my insulin related disorders, which are likely underlying the majority of my heart issues as well, under control. The treatments are actually hindering the cure making it that much harder. But alas I can't let my heart race while I get the cause under control. However, I don't need to add another probable handicap.
Trading off dying of one disease for dying of another is not really my goal. It is kind of like decreasing gun violence just to increase bomb violence.
In veterans aged ≥75 years without prior history of ASCVD, the initiation of a statin was associated with significantly lower overall and cardiovascular mortality.
Association of Statin Use With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in US Veterans 75 Years and Older. Orkaby AR, Driver JA, et al: JAMA; 2020;324 (July 7): 68-78.
I take 80mg astorventin +10 mg estibel (spelling) and when I try to use my top muscles in my arm it tightens like a knot,I have massage It all.
Wondering how long someone would live not taking statins as opposed to taking them. Curious about the absolute data as opposed to the relative data.
I am taking Rosuvastatin 40 mgs. daily. The medication has lowered my lipids to what I used to think was unattainable. I do not seem to have side-effects, although I am concerned about the potential for developing diabetes, type 2.
My brother had by pass surgery 8 years back, I heard vein graft get clogs up 50 to 60 percent after 10 years. so should he take aspirin and atorvastatin . Right now he take blood pressure medicine only and healthy. He took aspirin, plavix and atovastatin combo for 7 years. Not any more , there was no side effect but question is should he start aspirin and atorvastatin combo to save vein graft.
I have never had any joint pain in my life and I am 65. The dr. gave me Lipitor 10 mg for my high cholesterol. I took it for 8 days. Then my right leg started aching and my thigh felt like a bee was stinging me. I went off of the drug. Never again. I never told the dr. I stopped taking it and I will see her on Tuesday. I would rather have high cholesterol then muscle damage. I feel really good now.
After five years of daily pain. I had to figure it out for myself. I am a long standing vigorous person. Statins would not let my body heal from jumping, pulling, swinging, pushing, bending any strenuous activity.
Thanks Dr Cardiologist for your videos and help for helpless patients. I have a history of 3 MIs with stent. Very appreciated your advices
I have got stents and I take Bisoprolol fumerate in the morning and canderstan and rosuvastatin in the evening. Am I safe
Thanks for this video. It reaffirms my observation that the positive reports on statins tend to come from people with medical degrees, while the gloom and doom reports come from folks with little or no medical or pharmaceutical education. I was prescribed Atorvastatin two months ago, and have since experienced two irritating, but inconsequential muscle pains while walking. As my wife says, it’s better cut a walk short than to cut a life short.
wow, people paid to sell you these pills are raving about them, while people that actually pay to take them report problems? How can that be?
I replaced. that statin crap with high dose, pure refrigerated fish oil & red yeast rice.
- Excellent information. Good explanation of statin drug therapy use/benefits vs risk. 👌
Is high insulin levels and high cholesterol correlated?
Is this for real or some Tim and Eric skit?
My doctor told me that there's a 15% reduction in my chance of heart attack or stroke.. but my chance of heart attack or stroke is only 15% per year.. so it's reducing my chance of a heart attack about 2 or 3% a year
What about over 20 years?
Professional 👍👍
My doctor, just prescribed Lipitor, for me. He told me nothing about the side effects. Many thanks for your time and effort in doing your videos.
Thanks for the feedback!!
Very well said doctor thank you!
If you take statins, you need to take CoQ10.
Thanks for your comment Michael. I don't know of any conclusive scientific proof that CoQ10 prevents statin side effects, however, statins definitely deplete CoQ10, so I won't argue with your statement!
@@CardioGauge If statins deplete CoQ10 levels then isn't it prudent to replace what is lost?
hello. i had a stent put in 5 yrs ago. male 50. im on lipator and asprin each day. 1. do u think this is a lot to take. 2. after my surgery my heart seems to be beating harder. i did test and they said im ok. is there any way to slow down my heart so it doesnt beat so hard. thank u.
I give aspirin and Lipitor to basically all of my patients who end up with stents. The Lipitor prevents further cholesterol buildup, and can decrease your chance of heart attack, stroke, and new blockage by 50%. Aspirin prevents blood clots and decreases the chance of heart attack by 30%. It is totally standard that your doctor put you on these medications. I have people in my family that have required stents and they take Lipitor and aspirin.
As always, medications are not the entire answer. Eating a healthy diet, and getting proper exercise are important parts of preventing the need for further stent procedures, heart attacks, or strokes.
Regarding feeling like your heart is beating hard, metoprolol, or any beta blocker type medication can decrease the sensation. This is also a common medication to use after stenting. If you were to tell your doctor about your symptoms, they would probably give you the medication.
This is health education, not medical advice. Sorry for the disclaimer.
What about statins causing insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes?
Hi John, Statins increase blood sugar some. If someone is a borderline diabetic and they start a statin it can tip them from being prediabetic to actually having a diagnosis of diabetes.
A high dose of statin will raise the fasting sugar 7 mg/dL. So for someone who has a fasting (morning before eating anything) sugar of 119, they would go to 126, which now qualifies them as having diabetes instead of prediabetes. If a person has a fasting blood sugar of 99, then goes on a Staten, and now it is 106, now that person goes from normal to having pre-diabetes.
So indeed, statins increase blood sugar. Definitely there are people out there who have more increase in their blood sugar than the next person. The average is about seven points.
While it would be better if the blood sugar didn’t go up, the small increase in sugar is not associated with a lot of risk. The decrease in risk of heart attack and stroke outweighs the risks associated with the increase in blood sugar.
Statins are not for Everyone, for sure. However, for people who are at high risk for stroke and heart attack, I recommend their use.For people at low risk for stroke and heart attack, I don’t find them useful, and for people in the middle, sometimes I recommend, sometimes I don’t.
Thanks for your question.
Vegan !! 😆
How much did they pay you to make this shit?
Haggis Eater I got paid nothing. I have tried all the statins myself and they all cause me to hurt. I state that in the video. I support statin use for people who have had heart attacks and strokes, and for people with a strong family history of blocked blood vessels.
Giving statins to people who are well is not something I often do.
The drug companies don’t care about statins any more because they are cheap, and generic.
Thanks for your comments.
Although I exercise everyday, eat well, sleep well and manage my stress i still het high cholesterol from my blood tests. Why? Any option other than Statins? Please share
Cholesterol is vital for our brains, and for good health. There are many studies of people with low cholesterol who have heart attacks, and many people with high cholesterol don't have heart disease or heart attacks. The science & studies are there, though they have been set aside or misinterpreted. Remove sugar & processed foods from your diet (eating preferably organic / non-gmo), greatly reduce (or eliminate) grains, sleep well, drink lots of spring (or well filtered) water, do physical activity, get sun on your skin (no toxic sunscreens) & fresh air. And be grateful you have high cholesterol. :)
Truth Stands Clear grateful for high cholesterol?! Wow! Does cholesterol repair cells? Does complex carbs in moderation help? Thanx so much.
hi docter,
i am a young male (19 years old) with extrasystole's. My cardiologist told me that they are normal. He recomanded me to use bisoprolol but i would get fatigue so i stopped. I have tried atenolol, nebivolol but they dindt help me with my palpitations at all. But propranolol really helps me, but when i do uses it for a couple of days i start to get dyspnea problems. Could that be because i have a low bpm naturally (50-58)?
Yes propranolol can cause dyspnea by lowering the heart rate. I cannot tell you what to do, because this is a health education website, not medical advice. However, if I had a patient with this question, I would tell him or her to see what their heart rate was with exercise with and without propranolol. If the difference in heart rate or substantial, doing the same activity, for example a treadmill at a certain rate and incline, and symptoms develop sooner while taking propranolol, this would imply the medication is causing the Dyspnea.
When I have a patient who has a medication that helps them with palpitations, but also has side effects, I often tell him or her to use the medication as needed, when symptoms are at their worst.
Kazim Bozca i
Thank you Doctor, my brother was a doctor and was a consultant for statin drugs. I took Zocor and had severe side effects. Switched to Crestor and was fine. Cholesterol runs in the family so I will stay on the statins.
Your welcome Paco, and thanks for your comment!
Hello Doctor. I have a question: what if a person has all sorts of muscle aches and pains already that comes with age. Will statin intensify those pains or add more? How do you distinguish between the muscle pain from a statin or maybe just regular muscle ache? Now, let me tell you a story: my friend has been on statins for the last 20 years after a quadruple bypass. Since then he's had 2 mild heart attacks when they had to insert some stents. Just recently they had to clean out his carotid arteries. Beside statins he is on blood thinner, BP meds and he has bad muscle aches to the point that he gets injections. His doctor wants him to keep his cholesterol very low, which he does (due to statins), because his diet isn't good at all. So, in summary my friend has been on statins for over 20 years yet it did not prevent him from building up the plaque in his artery walls despite keeping his cholesterol very low.
Hi Kriss, you have three important questions in your post. 1) how can you tell if aches and pains are from standard arthritis and age as opposed to coming from the statin? It is hard to know. Statin aches are usual symmetric, meaning they affect both sides of the body, so for example both shoulders or both thighs. So if one knee hurts, it probably isn’t the statin. Statins much more often affect muscles rather than joints. The bottom line however is that it is hard to tell if aching is statin or age. Basically if my patient has new aches and pains after starting the med I stop it and see what happens. If a patient has been on statin for years and mentions aches and pains, I will consider a temporary stoppage to see what happens. I have numerous patients over the years who have had aches and pains that they thought were age related, but they turned out to be due to statin.
2) why didn’t the statin prevent your friend from having further blood vessel trouble, after it was started when he had bypass? Statins at best prevent 50% of heart events in people who have had arterial blockage. A person who has had bypass has approximately 50% chance of having a heart attack or stent over the 10 years after bypass, without the statin. With Atorvastatin 80 mg per day, this chance would be about half of that, so around 25%. So many people on statins continue to have heart attacks and stents and the like. This is why eating well and exercising are so important.
3) the doc kept him on statin even though he may have been having pains, why? Many docs basically insist that their patients continue with statins, if they are tolerable, because of the significant decrease in heart attack and stroke. When my patients are having a lot of trouble statins, I try to get them to do a whole food plant based diet, and decrease the statin dose to a tolerable level. Some people do terrible with 80 mg of atorvastatin but are fine with 20 mg per day.
I hope that answers your questions!
CardioGauge Thanks Doc. Appreciate your answers. I guess there aren't very many doctors like you that care about patient's diet. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! Docs don’t spend much time talking about diet, it’s pathetic
I have had a heart attack at age 50.I had a stent installed at that time.5 years later I had a quintuple coronary artery graft procedure done.I take meteprolol,amlodipine,lisinopril,aspirin,niacin and atorvastatin.I really feel great and can say that I don't have any side effects from any of those that I can tell.I'm not sure what they are doing to my body inside,but like I said,I feel great.I'm 62 now and am height/weight proportionate.I don't eat the best but am working on that and do get excersise.I know I don't want another heart attack,as one was enough,so for now I will continue to take my meds but would like to get off of some of them.I see a lot of videos on why people should not take a lot of the meds I take,so I am always concerned that some Dr.'s are trying to control the population with meds,but I also know that on YT there is a lot of info,some good and some bad,so I do listen to my family doc and to my cariologist and not the videos.Thanks for this info,it was great!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found the video helpful.
Disclaimer (sorry): none of what follows is medical advice. It is intended as health education. Only your doctor can tell you what to do with your medications.
Of your medicines, the Niacin is the most optional. According to study (AIM HIGH trial), it does not reduce chance of stroke/heart attack. Next most optional is amlodipine. It treats blood pressure, which is important, but if you were to get your pressure to be normal without it (Daily exercise, eat a lot of fruits and veggies at basically every meal, minimize salt), you wouldn’t need that one.
Metoprolol is not mandatory for people with normal heart pumping function, that is measured by echocardiogram usually, and is reported as “EF.” Normal EF is from 50 to 65%. The idea that metoprolol is NOT mandatory is a little controversial, some cardiologists might jump and scream at the idea, but o do consider it optional based on recent research.
Lisinopril is important if the EF is low, or if blood pressure is high, or if you have diabetes, or if you have kidney failure. Otherwise it’s optional.
Your two most important meds are aspirin and atorvastatin which both decrease your chance for stroke or heart attack, basically regardless if you do well with diet and exercise.
Aspirin decreases stroke/heart by about 2 percent. Atorvastatin decreases stroke or heart attack by 10-20%. Those are both absolute, not relative percentages.
Best wishes!
CardioGauge ..each seem to cause symptoms or pain that the others were intendefmd to maintain or require.
Trying to avoid lipitor/statins...for my 86 year old mother. She is a diabetic, never had a stroke or heart attack. was wondering what your thoughts are regarding her blood tests.
Cholesterol, Total: 217
Triglycerides 180
HDL Cholesterol 38
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 36
LDL Cholesterol Calc 143
Hi, sorry for delay in reply, somehow I missed the comment initially. I generally do not start statins for people over 75 who have never had a stroke or heart attack. Sometimes I will get a patient who is older than 75 who has never had a stroke / heart attack but is already taking a statin. If that person seems to be doing fine without side effects, I won't stop the statin.
Your Mom's Cholesterol Profile is in an average range for an American. So it is not terrible, and not great. The numbers as they are do not require treatment. The way I work is that if a person makes it to 86 without a stroke or heart attack, without having had to take a cholesterol pill, why would I start one now. This is supported by our guidelines (the documents put out by the Medical-Powers-That-Be that tell docs what to do), which state that treating people with statin who have not had stroke or heart attack and are over age 75 is optional, and not well proven.
I wouldn't start a statin on my mom at age 86, with those numbers. When someone is 86, in my opinion the most important things are to stay physically active, do routine walking or exercise of some sort, and to stay socially active. Whatever she has been eating has gotten her to age 86, so usually I don't recommend drastic changes. Her blood sugars probably arent too bad, because her triglycerides were ok at 180. Hope this helps.
Disclaimer: This is health education, not medical advice. Only your doctor can tell you what to do with your medications.
Thank You, CardioGauge. I will pass this on to my mother.
She was on Crestor several years ago...she had some memory issues, don't know whether it was due to Crestor or not but the doctor took her off it for about a year, he now recommends Lipitor.
From what I have learned it has many side effects & I wasn't comfortable with her taking any statin's so I have been advising her to not take it at this time. Although maybe because of my concerns he recommend only one pill twice a week. She is diabetic by the way.
My dad's 96 and had a stroke 5 years ago. He was taking Lipitor at the time so it didn't help him. He doesn't take it now due to poor kidneys.
Anyway, thanks again for your reply.
You're welcome! When I said her sugars are probably pretty good, I just meant I could tell she has decent diabetic control because of her triglycerides. If sugars are very high, the triglycerides will be quite high. Sorry that was confusing, I did understand she has diabetes...
Thank you for the information. I appreciate the time you took to make this video.
Youre Welcome!
Great video/content/info
Very informative
Thank you for sharing your insight sir
Youre welcome!
Go vegan, Doc. It's not that hard.
I tried and lost too much weight, and didn't feel right.
You probably didn't eat enough calorie dense foods--starches, beans, nuts & seeds.
Question, i stopped taking the lipitor pills because it positively raised my blood sugar to the point i'm on metformin, i'm kinda afraid to tell my cardiologist this because he is in denial that the lipitor was causing it, so now i'm going as close to mediterranean as i can go and almost zero carbs. any advice
Have you had coronary blockage, heart attack or stenting? Why did they have you on atorvastatin? I ask because it can affect the importance of being on it.
Nathan Ritter yes i had what they call a major heart attack, 3 stints one straight and 2 combined to open a y in the artery, but i still feel 25 and dont stop for anything at 50
and yes high cholesterol
Since you had blockage in your arteries, atorvastatin or similar med is important for you. Being on atorvastatin decreases chance of having another heart attack.
Without atorvastatin, risk of another heart attack, or a stroke, or needing another stent is somewhere aronud 40-50% over the next 10 yesrs. High dose atorvastatin, 40 or 80 mg per day, would decrease the risk by about half, to about 20 to 25%. A lower dosage would decrease the risk quite a bit, but not as much as the higher dosage.
Atorvastatin can definitely raise the blood sugar as you mentioned. If I had a patient in your situation, I would probably try A lower dosage of atorvastatin to see what happened with the blood sugar, or, try rosuvastatin instead.
It's great that you are working on eating right, and very active. Doing these things helps a lot. However, I think there is still a role for medication for patients in your shoes.
Best wishes!!
CardioGauge . raised blood sugar means raised blood pressure and more damage more dr visits more tests more damage requiring more damage making more damage...no clear and strengthen arteries only prevention from worsening...no gain in cures.!
I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm going to start taking the statins my doctor told me to take - almost 2 years ago! This has everything to do with your well reasoned pros and cons combined with your (and your father's) personal experiencel working with patients. Thank you.
Philip Evans you’re welcome!
@@CardioGauge You're the man!
I stopped watching when you said vegan diet.. NO WAY!
Mediterranean Diet is a good choice too and I should have mentioned that it in the video!
I will agree with that.
@@CardioGauge Red mear , white meat , eggs , green veggies ..and dairy occasionally but optional .. hunter gatherer diet ..should do fine on this food What do you think doc ?
I’ve been taking statins for 12 months since a heart attack. No side effects.
My legs are shot. Muscles ache. I’m 54. Going to stop.
Every drug will end up with horrible side effect if you use it long enough. Remember, there will always be a trade off. Your body doesnt make Cholesterol for no reason and the consequense of supressing it for too long will surely come, sooner or later. Have you heard about PPI and its so called "side effects"? Its the same here.
wow , how much were you paid to do this vid ?
I wasn't paid for doing the video. Thanks for your question.
HI - too bad that we patients NEED to be skeptical of why some of our doctors not only prescribe stuff for us BUT possibly are PAID by Big Pharma to promote drugs.
On another video a cardiologist said only 50 % of people in five years on statins their cholesterol numbers didn't change
I am 74 years old Asian woman, who has high cholesterol since I was in my 30 s, and I never can tolerate statin, I am on Crestor, Lipitor and other cholesterol med, on and off because my Cholesterol always too high with out med, but so many time I fall, and not be able to walk because my legs is hurt so badly, and hospitalized because I check in to ER in Asia get arthritis med from the doctor there, and got stomack bleeding, hospitalized 10 days almost die that time, so it was not only muscle pain but severe side effect, so for years I dont take med, and my cholesterol going up to more than 300, my primary doctor told me That I am killing my self, but I am stabborn and dont want to take statin, so I still can walk and swim with out muscle pain.so far every year doctor check my heart EKG, and not saying that I have heart problem so far, but I realized sooner or later maybe I get heart problem, but I am survive till old, I just try exersize walking, biking, swiming view time a week, and I am semi vegetarian, not eat dairy product, I cook my food always, and just a little bit of meat and eggs, what my concern is why my husband dont have cholesterol, or diabetic, he is 79 and he eat the same kind of food that I cook for 56 years, but I have very high cholesterol, a little high sugar in my blood, A1C 7,and he is not ? his is always normal.
Is it possible to do bloodwork to detect the dangerous muscle damage and liver, kidney damage? After avoiding statins for 30 years I finally started Atorvastatin. I was prescribed 20 mg but only taking 10mg for now. I am 57, in good health and my only problem is 178 LDL.
I always had muscle aches all my life I’ve eaten pavement many times, Excellent muscle tone excellent bone density.... Cholesterol is great now but still on Staten heart attack in 2019, 70% blockage RCA, stent, walking around with a heart attack for four years yay, Torn rotator cuff stop work out for5 years before heart attack could not work out how to take care of your mother overly stressed not eating right and heart attack stent. Eating better cut up red meat, eating mor vegetables, more fruit Smoothies not a big fan of fruits only and smoothies... 58 March 2021 - Excellent memory - I’m Canadian so we buy our medication in bulk and it goes from there and I’m 100% covered for my medication or more hospital stuff etc. etc. etc. of course I pay taxes. And I trust my family Doctor that I’ve been saying for over 35 years and cardiologist 100%
How about low dose. I’m contemplating 5 mg every other day rousovastatin
Hi Victor, low dose like that would decrease risk of stroke / heart attack by somewhere around a relative risk of 10%. So for example if your risk was 20% over 10 years, with rosuva 5 mg every other day, your risk would go down to 18%. So it might help a little. There are calculators on the web you can use to estimate your risk. I personally was unable to tolerate rosuva 2.5 mg per day, even with coq10. Everybody’s going to have a different tolerance level. For people who have known coronary artery disease, I try to get them up to at least 10 mg rosuva per day if possible. But if person is having trouble I will use low dose like you mention for yourself. Best wishes!
Are these negative comments real? I'm very happy with Atorvastatin.
Doctor I like your video on statins
Year ago I had a small heart attack and artery that was blocked and my cardiologist placed two stents in my artery
I never been a smoker in my whole life try to eat healthy I'm always very active Surfer it's surfing on my life never take drugs and I have worked out with P90X and you don't drink any alcohol at all I have a lot of stress in my life working on hours my own business hey Matt blood pressure has been high before the stents.
Before my heart attack I got into Road cycling to help lose some weight to the Head game and got back down to my way to work I should be at my height.
After the stents I've continued cycling I do 45 miles every other day before work and then I ride 60 to 80 miles on the my day off I also have been to Grand fondos a hundred miles with a 9000 foot elevation climb and I'm going to be doing my first double century 200 miles at sea level in California.
I am on Lisinopril clopidocfel amlodipion 5mg atorvastatin calcium 80mg
My question is about cycling .long miles . Is this bad for my heart. ?
I keep an eye on my heart rate. Resting heat rate is around 55 to 64. My max heart rate when cycling 145 to 150. My blood pressure before I ride is around 135 over 80 something 140 over 80
After I ride it is 117 over 65 to 127 over 65 . Heart rate 90 and moving down slowly.
I feel great after a ride and takes me day to recover.
I eat no salt salads with olive oil sushi once in awhile no fast food except for Subway would you get a spinach wrap with all vegetables and grilled chicken oatmeal in the morning with blueberries now that it's cold out a small cup of coffee with no cream no sugar innocent summer lots of water my age I just turned 60 and look like I'm 45.
So my main question is am I hurting my hurting my heart while cycling?