simvastatin/chloesterol meds.

yannah · #1 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 11:01 AM

is anyone on cholesterol medications? Is simvastatin okay to take?

what do you take?

Cassini · #2 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 11:12 AM

Good morning yannah!

I take Lipitor which is indeed a statin, I now take 40mg/day because my Trigs were....

omg, take a deep breath

900! I should be dead??!!

They do not affect any of my other readings so if suggested by doc I would definitely take them.

Cass

mortis505 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 11:43 AM

I take simvastatin without any problems. I tried Crestor for a bit but was unable to continue.

We all react differently so give it a try and keep an eye out for side effects.

yannah · #4 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassini

Good morning yannah!

I take Lipitor which is indeed a statin, I now take 40mg/day because my Trigs were....

omg, take a deep breath

900! I should be dead??!!

They do not affect any of my other readings so if suggested by doc I would definitely take them.

Cass

Oh my!!!!!!

I am still taking them. Still having trouble taking meds in general, but hanging in there.

Cassini · #5 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 12:16 PM

Keep hanging in there. I know for some people taking meds of any kind can be difficult. (I have a friend who will not even take a Tylenol when she needs one)

I agree with Mortis about keeping an eye out for side effects, great addon , Mortis. I have been taking statins so long I forgot about those

Good luck yannah, and let us know how this is going, ok?

Cass

BlueSky · #6 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 12:59 PM

You won't know whether you can tolerate statins until you have been taking them for a while. And you may have to take them for a long time to get the answer you are looking for. It can take up to 7 years for the adverse effects to manifest. Stopping statins provides relief from the side effects (aching muscles, memory loss etc), but the relief is often not complete. Many people never fully regain the health they enjoyed before they started taking statins. The benefits are very questionable anyway, and IMO the long term risks are just not worth it.

fgummett · #7 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 01:00 PM

What are your lipid values that make the Doctor feel you need a statin?

yannah · #8 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fgummett

What are your lipid values that make the Doctor feel you need a statin?

I have no idea, so I just called the doctor and left them a message to call me back with the values.

I think the tryglycerides were in the mid 200's. but i can't remember, it is all a blurr to me.

yannah · #9 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 01:32 PM

they called me. my cholesterol is 127, and it was 127 in sept.
my tryglycerides are 111 and they were slightly higher but normal in sept.

I have an appt on thurs to see about going off the 2 medications. I mean I eat less than 50 carbs a day and I have lost almost 60 lbs. couldn't that have something to do with it?

yannah · #10 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 01:48 PM

the blood pressure thing, I never had high blood pressure, do we all take blood pressure meds?

fgummett · #11 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 02:05 PM

Total cholesterol is really fairly meaningless as a measure - it predates the recognition that an higher HDL-C is a marker of "good" health. It only really make sense nowadays as part of the "Total Cholesterol / HDL-C" ratio which should be below 4.0

LDL-C (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) is an over-simplification as it just gives a total volume of LDL-C... but LDL comes in different particles sizes with "large and fluffy" being seen as harmless in comparison to "small and dense" - which is considered by some authorities to be 300% more dangerous. The implication of "volume" versus "particle size" is that someone could have a high LDL-C volume made up of large fluffy partciles and still be at lower risk than someone else with a low volume of small dense particles. Please read this PDF, print off a copy and take it to your Doctor: Beyond Routine Cholesterol Testing: The Role of LDL Particle Size Assessment... This is not controversial... just new.. and your Doctor may not have heard about it yet. There is a blood test called "apo B" which measures LDL particle size.

The important measures are Triglyclerides, HDL-C and TC/HDL-C ratio.

These are some reasonable targets :
Triglycerides < 130mg/dl
HDL-C > 60mg/dl
Total Cholesterol / HDL-C ratio < 4.0
LDL-C < 100mg/dl

I have also read about a lipid "spike" shortly after starting low-carb... makes sense; as fat which has been locked in the adipose cells is finally being released. My LDL-C went way up (is now coming back down) but my Trigs have come way down and my HDL-C has come up.

---

As for Blood Pressure: we do have an increased risk for CVD so BP control is seen as more important than in the general population

yannah · #12 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 02:19 PM

wow, thanks! you always know everything diabetes!

fgummett · #13 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yannah

wow, thanks! you always know everything diabetes!

Are you kidding me

Far from it! I just know what I have to find out about my own treatment. I believe that knowledge is power, and I don't like being put on pills without me being part of the decision-making process

yannah · #14 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 02:47 PM

either do I. I got diabetes from a pill. (Zyprexa) My problem is that I have mental health issues. what I mean by that is my doctor thinks all my concerns are because I am bipolar and not taking an antiphychotic. I am trying to sue my phychiatrist, and i had to pick up my medical records today to send to the lawyer. I read the records and almost every doctor visit since I was diagnosed with Diabetes says "manic"
Good Lord, cut me some slack, I was diagnosed with Diabetes! I wasn't manic, i was freaked out by this.

anyway, I want to take as little pills as possible, but I don't think he takes me seriously. I went and saw another doctor, and he was so sterile. So i went back to my old doctor. Maybe stupid, but I think this doctor really cares about me and tries to take good care of me. He just doesn't see that I am an intellegent person with diabetes and bipolar disorder. and ya, I am a bit med phobic after getting diabetes form a med, that probably wasn't even necassary for me. and wasn't monitored although it was supposed have been, and when they did test my blood sugar in 07 i was prediabetic and no one told me and they just kept prescribing the drug. Yeah, i am a little scared of doctors and drugs.

It Ain't Over · #15 (**permalink**) 11-13-2008, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mortis505

I take simvastatin without any problems. I tried Crestor for a bit but was unable to continue.

We all react differently so give it a try and keep an eye out for side effects.

Interesting. My endo put me on Crestor at first. Had some strange side effects. He said no history of any of them but took me off and put me on 10 mg of Lipotar. That was about six years ago and no side effects noted.