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Healthy replacement for Statin drug?


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I have been taking a medium dose of Simvastatin (40 mg. daily) for many years for high cholesterol. I have been reading lately that this maybe not the "miracle" drug it was touted to be and has many side effects. I have a bad case of Senile Purpura (nasty name) sometimes called liver spots that cause easy bruising of my arms and hands and easy bleeding. I have heard that Statins may contribute to this. Some of the replacements I have heard are Vitimin D (high dose) and CoQ10 (in tablet form and also as a cream). Also i saw on a post here someone mentioned Nopales. I see this at Walmart in pill form at a low cost. I want to go off the Statins to see if it helps my skin problems. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

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If you take simvastatin, you need to take a 100mg of CoQ10 at the same time (bedtime). The statins deplete the CoQ10. I took 40 mg for a long time, then dropped to 20 mg, M-W-F and my numbers are Very good. I don't think anything will help the numbers except diet and exercise. I would suggest you try the lower dose with the CoQ10. Try for 6 weeks and check your numbers. If you do, please let me know how it works for you.

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CoQ10 gave me headaches.

The nopal tablets are another method of taking fiber. Increasing fiber significantly in the diet 'supposedly' helps the cholesterol levels and more importantly it makes for a healthy colon.

Gringohombre.....by any chance do you take aspirin for heart benefit? If so I would suspect this for the easy bruising/bleeding rather than a statin.

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Been using niacin for years now in the form of Niaspan, unfortunately not available here. I say unfortunately because it is probably the most effective time release niacin around. Never had niacin flush. However, you need to understand that niacin has little of any impact on LDL, so called bad cholesterol. It's primary purpose is to raise HDL (good cholesterol), in my case from a very low 35 to very high 70. The other thing that niacin can do is change the type of cholesterol molecule you produce from very dense particles to "fluffy" particles which do a better job.

I have also taken Lipitor and now atorvastatin for more than 20 years with no side effects whatsoever. As a consequence of using these two medications, my LDL is now below 100 and my HDL at 70. Total cholesterol is really not a very meaningful number. You need to look at LDL and HDL separately.

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Beware, it was explained to me that it is not lowering of the cholesterol that helps reduce future heart events but the taking of statins. A lowering of the cholesterol by other methods does not provide the results that statin therapy does.

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CoQ10 gave me headaches.

The nopal tablets are another method of taking fiber. Increasing fiber significantly in the diet 'supposedly' helps the cholesterol levels and more importantly it makes for a healthy colon.

Gringohombre.....by any chance do you take aspirin for heart benefit? If so I would suspect this for the easy bruising/bleeding rather than a statin.

No I stopped aspirin a long time ago because of the double wammy with the Statin. Had bad sun exposure in my youth growing up in Bermuda and now paying the price with all the top layers of skin gone and with 2 frisky dogs and packing boxes for my small business am always having large dark brusies and some bleeding. Ain't growing old a bi*ch.

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From what I have been reading, they are starting to realize that Statin drugs have been over prescribed and can have dangerous side affects. I think it makes good sense to look at alternatives.

Always with the advice of a doctor that you trust.

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Gringohombre - my husband had been taking statins for decades and also became concerned about potential side effects. In June of 2012 he weaned himsellf off the statins - not an abrupt stop but halving and then quartering the dosage. At the same time we added a glass of water with psyllium, and a sprinkle of ground flaxseed, to our already healthy breakfasts of whole grain cereal, walnuts and berries (high nutritional point of our day, it's all downhill from there and bottoms out at happy hour :rolleyes: ).

By the fall his cholesterol had dropped 100 points. And remains lower to this day.

Orange-flavored Psyllium can be purchased in local pharmacies or plain at the little shops that carry teas, brown rice, etc. It's pronounced pretty much the same in English and Spanish; flax seed is "linaza" and you need to get it ground because otherwise it just goes right through you. We've had no side effect from either of them. The flax is mainly for the omegas, but since we started it at the same time as the psyllium I can't "un-bundle" the effects of one from the other.

Here's what the FDA says about it:

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a health claim for foods and dietary supplements that recognizes that diets containing soluble fiber from psyllium husk, as in Metamucil, may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels"

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Just a general opinion about the prescribed drugs out there:

I've noticed that some heavily touted by the pharmaceutical industry and by extension, peoples' family doctors or specialists.........are found to be flawed, dangerous or even counter-productive some years later. Some docs are so convincing about those drugs' value that the patient is too intimidated to refuse them: Recent examples; Celebrex, Fosamax, Tamoxifen and soon ????

The one thing all those drugs have in common is: They are very expensive. Some are budget breakers for pensioners.

Well meaning doctors and their faithful patients have contributed to bulging coffers in drug companies.

I recommend being pro-active in your own health care. Do some research; get some second and maybe third and more opinions before swallowing drugs that may save your life..........or cause you irreparable damage.

Also: one size does not fit all bodies. A mild remedy for one person may have a totally different (and possibly negative) effect on another.

Question: Do you know anyone around here over 50 who is NOT taking any prescription drugs on a daily, long term basis? (Booze or green tea doesn't count). Let's go the whole mile now: How about relatives who lived into their mid eighties or longer, sans regular drug doses?

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Question: Do you know anyone around here over 50 who is NOT taking any prescription drugs on a daily, long term basis? (Booze or green tea doesn't count). Let's go the whole mile now: How about relatives who lived into their mid eighties or longer, sans regular drug doses?

Me!

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I have been on statins for 10 years.

My grand-mother lived 100 years and took all kinds of drugs all of her life as she was always thought she was dying.

My mother is 93 and took statin for 30 or years now she decided she did not want to bother and her cholesterol is 350, lower than it used to be

My 3 other grand parents did not take drugs and all died in thei 80´s of cancer .

In my case I cannot draw any conclusion one way or another it all depends on your system and what type of ailment you suffer from.

They all were way more active than I am.My mother played in an orchestra way into her 80´s and went to the supermarket on her bicycle, now she drive to the supermarket..the bicycle was scary enough!

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Question: Do you know anyone around here over 50 who is NOT taking any prescription drugs on a daily, long term basis? (Booze or green tea doesn't count). Let's go the whole mile now: How about relatives who lived into their mid eighties or longer, sans regular drug doses?

Me!

Me!

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I use OTC pain meds because I need a 4 level lumbar fusion. I am very active and the pain can be almost unbearable sometimes.

The OTC pain relievers are all I take other than an occasional vitamin. The last time I had my cholesterol checked the good cholesterol was over 90 but that was decades ago so I need to check it again someday.

My great-grandfather lived to be 101. Most the people on that side lived past 90. My mother was a month short of 91 when she died but she had become lazy the last 2 decades and used an electric wheelchair instead of walking, otherwise I think she had another 6 years in her.

Genetics play a huge role in longevity but if we do not move around enough everything goes out faster. I quit smoking almost 2 years ago and other than save money I don't think it made me feel any better but not smoking gives me less grief and it is cosmetically and socially better.

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My husband quit smoking 45 years ago and on his lasestt x-ray the doctor told hiim he should quit smoking

so obviously the benefits are not always immediate..all we can figure out is that is secretay was a heavy smoker and many people smoked in the offices till the 90´s so the smoker´slung must be coming from second hand smoke.

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I'm glad I quit although I still think about it. I noticed my skin looks better. I didn't have breathing problems to speak of so that is why I haven't noticed that I'm breathing better and my sinuses are still clearing up. Not smoking makes people sleep better and easily save $100 dollars a month.

The weight gain is the one downside.

Too much weight, drinking too much alcohol and smoking are the 3 things that will kill anyone early even with good genes.

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I am 60 and I take no meds. My Mother is 84 and takes no meds. My wife is 63 and takes no meds. We all do take vitamins and eat a normal healthy diet including moderate booze use (1 to 2 drinks a day). I learned to mistrust the drugs and stopped taking them. I now work on being healthier and rather than taking a Statin if I had problems I would probably do other treatments like Nopal. I believe we will find out NSAIDS are bad for you. They have already lowered the dose down. I hope I am wrong but people with certain illnesses would have problems without Aleve or Advil type drugs. I sure hope my feelings are wrong about NSAIDS.

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