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.

Fadetoblack,
I have followed your posts here about your friend. I find it admirable that you continue to support and encourage him to see his Doctor about this when nothing has been changed yet.
Might I ask, does anyone go to his appts with him? Even if 'Yes' could you not pop along for 'support' and take the opportunity to raise concerns?
Another way, which I do with ALL my Drs because of memory/anxiety problems, is write a list of everything he needs to speak to the Dr about, and bury the statin issue at number 3/4.
I hope your friend gets the treatment he needs, and that you are having a good day yourself.

Dave.

Statins have a very low marginal effect on HDL's. Not worth it IMO.

Fish oil will help raise these, and also is very good for lowering triglyerides.

Avoiding sugar and fructose also lowers cholesterol.
A small bit of alcohol a day has shown in some studies an HDL raising effect. But I hesitate to recommend alcohol.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/high-c...olesterol.aspx

However.... the research is showing that the HDL issues are not that critical. It all depends on who you read, these days.

Taking a statin to raise HDL IMO is foolhardy. Statins are very toxic to the body, and the tradeoffs for this use are huge and not in your favor. The day is just about here where the "new" non-statin drugs are going to replace the statins. People who have been on these toxic drugs for a long time, are going to be very very angry soon.

As I feared the memory of the amnesic episode faded. I asked him if he spoke to the doctor yet, after he had the episode he was really clear and freaked out, knowing what he was saying and very insisting he needed the doctor.

Today he is back in the fog. He claims he talked to the doc and showed him "the list of questions" (there is no such list). He said "my question" was on the list (there is no "my question", he just wanted off the statin and not having to experience more of those scary attacks). When I asked what the questions were he said "Oh I don't have the list here right now". When I asked what the doc had said he said "The doctor will look into it". Look into what? He doesn't know. And I'm positive he never communicated with the doctor. He just guesses and tries to give me answers, but in reality he's just confabulating.

I wonder if it is OK to break off the friendship at this point. As his last friend in life. He will have no idea why that happened. It seems so cruel. But I'm really worn down, he keeps "promising" things on good days and then it just fades. The worse he is getting, the more help does he get from government, it seems like no one is looking into his ill health, they just assume that this is incurable, lets throw help at him. He has an aid coming home to him almost full time and does everything for him. He gets the help because he has mobility issues but in reality the aid is also thinking for him. It's sort of a big coverup. I want this insanity to stop, but I feel I have everything working against me.

IMO, this is as cruel as murdering a patient. But they seem to get away with it.

I just had a simple swab test done called a CYP450. I always wondered why Vicodin made me hyper instead of sleepy. It was 12 pages of how my body reacts to drugs. There was a DANGER icon right next to Statins. Wish my doc would have given me that test before I tried it. I now have permanent damage to my left arm (shoulder to elbow). It hurts like heck especially at night when Im trying to rest. When I try to change positions I have to take my right arm to move my left arm. Hubby says I moan at night...not in a good way. lol
My opinion is Statins are a poison. Millions are taking it. There are alternatives. No flush Niacin and Chia seeds are great, lowered my cholesterol over 30 points.
Another thing that makes me mad is...Is there a registry or list of all the people who are damaged? Did my doc tell anyone? Yet it is prescribed every day. Some people can be on it for years before being effected and some have no probs. Ive known over 5 people who told me they were having muscle pain. I asked "Are you taking a statin?" All said yes, I told them to stop. Lucky for them their pains stopped. Mine didnt. They thanked me a million times.

take care David

Shelbie

Very interesting read. Thanks!

Reply...I was on Lipitor for several years. 10 months ago, I came down with burning, red foot. Out of the blue. I know of no injury that might have started it. I found that side effects listed include nerve damage. I was also on blood pressure med called Enalapril. It also has nerve damage listed as side effects. I have no way of knowing for sure that the meds gave me CRPS, but I won't take them. Modern medicine probably saved my life, especially the surgical procedures and pacemaker, but the drugs are a two-edged sword. While they may help you, they also may be harming. Medical science is still in the experimental stage. Going for help is a gamble.

Sorry to hear of your misery with Lipitor. I have heard and read so many stories on it's use and damage. I take a few meds, very few and each time my neighbor goes to see a conventional MD for something she is dealing with, she leaves with a script for some drug and when she does her research on it, ends up not taking it. Works to seek out alternative remedies that could help her issue. So often the remedy is worse than the health concern. I have educated myself on the "cholesterol myth" and Weston Price Foundation has a lot of info for starters. You can google this foundation and read about cholesterol. There are books written about the cholesterol issue.

You know there is a Peripheral Neuropathy section here.