http://strangestories.info/statin-drugs/statins-are-these-cholesterol-lowering-drugs-safe-for-you/ Latest Strange News Stories from All Over the Globe Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:16:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://strangestories.info/statin-drugs/statins-are-these-cholesterol-lowering-drugs-safe-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-427 John Kocur Jr. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:38 +0000 http://strangestories.info/?p=569#comment-427 Permanent, irreversible liver damage should not be considered "benign and few". Statins should be evaluated on the basis of morbidity and mortality, not on a numbers game with cholesterol levels. Another aspect of this that needs to be seriously considered is the successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, not medical doctors, to get the government's recommended "safe" cholesterol level dropped from 200 to 150. Several recent studies have shown that aggressive lowering of cholesterol levels may be responsible for nerve damage. This should be considered a no-brainer, considering that cholesterol is required to build the myelin sheath around each and very nerve cell in your body. Twelve years of statin therapy failed to ever reduce my overall cholesterol ( went from 330 to 280 ). Worse yet, they made my triglycerides spike from under 300 to over 800, which is at least as significant a problem as the very low HDL levels I have, about which statins did nothing, while putting my liver at risk of permanent damage on a daily basis. Permanent, irreversible liver damage should not be considered “benign and few”. Statins should be evaluated on the basis of morbidity and mortality, not on a numbers game with cholesterol levels. Another aspect of this that needs to be seriously considered is the successful lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry, not medical doctors, to get the government’s recommended “safe” cholesterol level dropped from 200 to 150. Several recent studies have shown that aggressive lowering of cholesterol levels may be responsible for nerve damage. This should be considered a no-brainer, considering that cholesterol is required to build the myelin sheath around each and very nerve cell in your body.
Twelve years of statin therapy failed to ever reduce my overall cholesterol ( went from 330 to 280 ). Worse yet, they made my triglycerides spike from under 300 to over 800, which is at least as significant a problem as the very low HDL levels I have, about which statins did nothing, while putting my liver at risk of permanent damage on a daily basis.

]]> http://strangestories.info/statin-drugs/statins-are-these-cholesterol-lowering-drugs-safe-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-426 larry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:36:28 +0000 http://strangestories.info/?p=569#comment-426 12 years ago at age 40, out of curiosity I had my cholesterol checked. I was shocked to hear it was 325. My doctor prescribed Lipitor and said I would have to be on it for the rest of my life. He said that even with diet and exercise the best I could do was a 20% reduction. I took the Lipitor for two years and had a few negative side effects. Also, without insurance it was expensive, so I stopped taking them. I did some research and started to take supplements. I take cholestoff, fish oil and niacin purchased at Costco. I also started exercising and lost some weight. I was able to get my total cholesterol down to 196. I purchased a meter and strips to check my cholesterol and triglycerides. Its much cheaper and I can feel comfortable that I'm below 200. Note, my other ratios are check OK. I hope this will help others who are concerned about there health. Lastly, there are many labs who for a reasonable fee (around $100) will draw blood and give you the readings without going through a doctor. Actually there are many other tests for both men and women that can be done very reasonably for anyone that wants to monitor there health. If you have questions after the tests you can take them to your doctor. I hope this helps. 12 years ago at age 40, out of curiosity I had my cholesterol checked. I was shocked to hear it was 325. My doctor prescribed Lipitor and said I would have to be on it for the rest of my life. He said that even with diet and exercise the best I could do was a 20% reduction. I took the Lipitor for two years and had a few negative side effects. Also, without insurance it was expensive, so I stopped taking them. I did some research and started to take supplements. I take cholestoff, fish oil and niacin purchased at Costco. I also started exercising and lost some weight. I was able to get my total cholesterol down to 196. I purchased a meter and strips to check my cholesterol and triglycerides. Its much cheaper and I can feel comfortable that I’m below 200. Note, my other ratios are check OK. I hope this will help others who are concerned about there health. Lastly, there are many labs who for a reasonable fee (around $100) will draw blood and give you the readings without going through a doctor. Actually there are many other tests for both men and women that can be done very reasonably for anyone that wants to monitor there health. If you have questions after the tests you can take them to your doctor. I hope this helps.

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