I doubt his family wants to support him if he decides on a vacation from this drug. They have grown accustomed to him being "difficult" so they are very scared of messing with his meds. They think it can only get worse. I'm just going to inform him and see if he will make any kind of decision.

He is in more pain since he started this, but they just put him on methadone for that (yea seriously). But that made him sleep walk and destroy things so they have to take him off and replace with oxycodone which he is currently on. He was in pain before but not nearly like this.

Well, if your friend has been on them so long... years...it may be too late to recover functions lost.

This is why.... the new research shows that statins kill cells.
Well, kill enough cells in the brain, and they may never be replaced to return the patient to usefullness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19uxXqWF8h4

You can also Google Dr. Stephanie Seneff who is at MIT and doing research on what cholesterol chemistry is really about.
She has a website and many videos. She has stated that cholesterol is essential for proper brain functioning, according to her findings.

This is information the drug industry does not tell doctors.

An interesting thread, folks. I was on Simvastatin from '08 and it increased my baseline pain by one or two points. Am on statins because my 'good' cholesterol (can never remember which is which - symptom?) is so low, 0.7, giving a high Combined.
Since dx of microvascular disease have been changed to Atorvastatin(Lipitor) last year. Less overall side effects I think as many are the same as symptoms I suffer. However, until I started here I was in a permanent cognitive and memory loss fog.
Brain exercise has definitely helped fight the Statin Stupids, but I still find myself 'reaching' for common words or spellings. Perhaps the damage has already been done.
Unfortunately, my heart and bloods make statins a necessary evil, but to others - Pay Heed!

Mrs. D,
Because of discussions regarding the statins, as well as Lisinopril; I asked my doctor about my staying off these meds for a while. I did go off both of them. (I had been on both for about 4 or 5 years.)

My blood pressure went up significantly, as well as my cholesterol. I had fasting tests for the cholesterol. I really don't seem to recall any difference in memory, pain, etc.;( although both seem pretty bad) or any improvement with being off the Simvastatin.

The doctor recommended that I take lower the doses; but he left final decision up to me. I went from 15mg's Lisinopril to 5 mg's and Simvastation from 20mg's to 10 mg's. I had fasting lab work done two weeks ago. My cholesterol has improved and is about the same as when I took the 20mgs.

As for the Lisinopril; went from 15mg's to 5mg's. My blood pressure has improved and is good.

Soooo with lesser doses; the results were the same as the higher doses on both meds. Not sure, as you mentioned regarding cells, that the years being on a Statins has already done their damage.


Gerry

The studies on Crestor show 5mg once a week works for most people! And here the drug companies are pumping higher doses into everyone!

I only provide the information people here need for informed choices. Since you don't get any information from doctors at all (because they don't get it from the drug reps), people should understand what they are doing and what the tradeoffs can be.

I feel mega down today. A while ago me and friend talked this out and he was pretty clear that day and took notes and said indeed he will ask doc for a vacation from simvastatin.

When I asked him how the appointment went, I knew what day it was, I asked the same day, he said he hadn't been to the doctor. I said but then you missed your appointment. He said he would ask his family and did, he had been. He just had forgotten it two hours later.

Well this is weird Dr Oz just came on and he is talking about the bad side effects Statins have. lol
Hi David, here is my story
My doctor first gave me Zocor. It only took a month and I was not able to pick up a frying pan. The pain in my arm from the shoulder to the elbow was bad. So a month goes by and I'm back in the doc's office. She said we need to re-visit your cholesterol. She gave me Lipitor. Keep in mind my pain never went away from the Zocor. The Lipitor made it worse. duh She gave me another statin. Now I have permanent damage to my arm. The pain is worse for me at bedtime. When the brain and body wants to relax, so you can sleep the pain starts throbbing. Its like muscle pain but while massaging it I also feel a deep bone pain. Its hard for me to describe. My arm is so weak and in so much pain I cant move it at all while sleeping.
I want to know what that drug actually did to me? My doctor cant tell me and I cant find online information. Did it eat my muscles? Is it eating away at my bones? Another thing I think about is.... Did my doctor tell anyone? Is there registery out there that keeps track of our reactions to this drug? I would hope someone is keeping track.
I want to tell everybody, I just had a swab test done. It is called CYP450 . They swabbed the insides of my cheek. Finally I can see what drugs to AVOID. Statins was on the DANGEROUS list for me. I think every doctor should have to give this simple test to every patient before prescribing a statin. Had my doctor given me this test before I started statins we could have avoided this horrible pain that never goes away.
By the way ...I have saved 3 people from this pain. Yeah ME!! Every one of these people started telling me about the pains they were having. My first question to them was are you taking a statin? They all said yes. I told them to immediately stop taking the statin. After 2 days their pain went away. Oh I also told them to call their docs. But everyone has thanked me so many times.
Another bit of info I will pass on is....Chia seeds has lowered my cholesterol by 25%. I put them on everything. Salads, cerals , lasagna you name it.

To me the statin was a poision.

shelbie4u what was your chol # before any treatment? Or anyone - care to post your #'s

My cholesterol was 275 total number in 2003- I took lipitor for 9 months or so
last time checked 2006 was 350 - not taking any statins

my triglycerides are pretty high too - i forgot what the # was , but in my reading in the past, it seems that the triglycerides might be the more indicator of possible health problems...

Has anyone came across info on Metabolic syndrome?
I think I have that, but haven't sought any treatment yet..

I have cut out most junk food- and adding in more healthy choices and real food vs chemical or modified food choices.. butter/olive oil vs margarine etc.. avoiding MSG and additives..

Avoiding sugar is a good idea. Everyone around me eats sugar like crazy. No way that can be good.

Looks like things MIGHT turn around for my friend. I hope it will not just be one of those times where I get my hopes up.

He had an attack of global amnesia. It REALLY scared him. I once more asked him to possibly go off the statin. This time he sounded very sure he will talk to the doctor.

I just hope he will REMEMBER being this scared.