Quote from janeslk:

My husband's doctor is concerned about his CPK level (334).
He developed pain on 10mg over eight years and was almost physically floored when it was increased to 20mg.
His pain has diminished considerably, but his muscles continue to be inflamed.
........please be aware of any abnormal muscle pain.
It was such a gradual thing with my husband that we never suspected Lipitor was the culprit.

Also, thank you, Heart44, for the info on CPK tests. I am going to have my husband tested for damage to his heart as well as muscles.

Hi Janeslk, You are most welcome for the CPK info. It's amazing that the general public does not know this blood test exists.

A muscle biopsy will further define the extent of muscle damage.
Some muscle damage is permanent.

Doctors seem to think that Lipitor 10mg is a low dose. Dr Duane Graveline (former NASA astronaut) experienced TGA (transient global amnesia) on just 5mg of Lipitor. I highly recommend his book: Statin Drug - Side Effects and the Misguided War on Cholesterol.
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_side_effects.html

An even more important risk factor (than cholesterol) is homocysteine.
When you request a CPK test, also request tests for:
* Homocysteine
* Lp(a)
* hs-CRP (high sensitivity - CRP)
These tests disclose "inflammation".
Inflammation is the cause of blood clots and subsequent heart attacks and strokes, not elevated cholesterol.

If your homocysteine is elevated?
Remedy - B6, B12 and folic acid (only side effect is increased energy)
Omega 3 (fish oil or cod liver oil) is excellent for all aspects of heart health.

My husband stopped all statins 1 yr ago. He also took statins for 8 years.
Symptoms that finally made us start our research?
Memory loss..... several episodes of TGA.
I truly thought he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
Many that suffer memory loss from statins are mis-diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
He was socially withdrawn, his muscles are atrophied, and his shoulder still bothers him. He could hardly move his neck from side to side. That has improved greatly. His memory is not back to normal yet, but at least we know what the heck is going on. I didn't realize all the things we did to compensate for the memory loss. Instinct just kicks in and you improvise.

Prior to statins, he ran 5 miles a day, exercised on a regular basis and was very energetic and outgoing.

And as you stated, all the side effects took a long time to manifest themselves.

Those that have immediate side effects seem to recover quicker. For long term statin users it can take years to recover or damage may be permanent.

I hate to sound so negative, but statins are serious medicine and most doctors just think it's "business as usual".

Hope you find this info useful, and most of all......
Research......... Research......... Research.........
Ask Questions and Stay Informed,

Frankie

[
[QUOTE]An even more important risk factor (than cholesterol) is homocysteine.
When you request a CPK test, also request tests for:
* Homocysteine
* Lp(a)
* hs-CRP (high sensitivity - CRP)
These tests disclose "inflammation".
Inflammation is the cause of blood clots and subsequent heart attacks and strokes, not elevated cholesterol.

If your homocysteine is elevated?
Remedy - B6, B12 and folic acid (only side effect is increased energy)
Omega 3 (fish oil or cod liver oil) is excellent for all aspects of heart health.

Prior to statins, he ran 5 miles a day, exercised on a regular basis and was very energetic and outgoing.

And as you stated, all the side effects took a long time to manifest themselves.



Frankie

Frankie:
What are considered high homocysteine levels? His last test he had a level of 9.3, but I read elsewhere it should be under 6.3. Also, I supplemented my husband's B-6, folic acid and B-12 for a few days, but he seemed to go into a depression. He was already getting a total of 800mg of folic acid in two other multi-vitamin supplements as well as B-6 and B-12. I cut those out and as well as poliosanol since those were the only variations I had made to his regimen. I am thinking it may have been the poliosanol (10mg) because he seems ultra-sensitive to anything to do with his cholesterol. When he was on Lipitor he would suffer depression on a regular basis. We even thought he had some sort of sunlight deprivation problem.

His doctor wants him to seen an internist about his CPK levels. What does the hs-CRP reading tell you?

Jane

Quote from janeslk:

What are considered high homocysteine levels? His last test he had a level of 9.3, but I read elsewhere it should be under 6.3. What does the hs-CRP reading tell you?

Hi Jane,

Optimal homocysteine levels are 6.2 or less, the lower the better.

I agree with you about the poliosanol as a possible cause of your husband's depression, as Lipitor had the same effect. Depression is definitely a "cholesterol lowering" side effect.

B6, B12 and folic acid should give him more energy and help to lower his homocysteine.

hs-CRP (high sensitivity-C-reactive protein) is another "inflammation" indicator.
This link explains hs-CRP blood test:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hscrp/test.html

I just came across two more articles below:
http://www.prlnet.com/HSCRP.htm

http://www.liposcience.com/control.cfm?id=17

Hope this info helps,

Frankie