Idea: Stop taking Lipitor
Reason: See if it is causing muscle cramps and weakness.
Statins have been found to reduce the amount of naturally occurring coenzyme Q10 in the body. Because coenzyme Q10 plays a role in muscle cell energy production, some researchers have proposed that taking a coenzyme Q10 supplement might reduce the risk of muscle-related side effects. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant that your body produces naturally. Your cells use CoQ10 for growth and maintenance.
Risks of stopping:
“The most common reason people stop taking statins is because of side effects, like muscle aches, but many have muscle pains from other causes and stop taking the medication in error,” Dr. Carimi says.
Hummm..."If you’ve experienced a heart event or stroke and your doctor prescribes a statin, Dr. Carimi says it’s best to stick with the medication. He says the risk is too high, even if you’re now living a better, healthier lifestyle. However, if you haven’t had a stroke or heart attack and you are taking statins due to high cholesterol numbers, ending statin use might be an option. Dr. Carimi says you must first start with lifestyle improvement, like diet and exercise, then have discussion about risk with your doctor."
Their results documented that the older adults (>75 yrs old) who stopped statins had a 33% increased risk of being admitted to a hospital with heart or blood-vessel problems during an average follow-up period of 2.4 years.
“To patients, we would say that if you regularly take statins for high cholesterol, we would recommend you don’t stop the treatment when you are 75,” emphasized lead researcher Philippe Giral, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist and specialist in prevention of CVD. “To doctors, we would recommend not stopping statin treatment given for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in your patients aged 75.”
If you’ve been taking statins and would like to stop, you’ll need to do so with your doctor’s guidance. This is because it can be dangerous to stop taking statins. These drugs are highly effective in preventing heart problems such as heart attack and stroke. In fact, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), they can reduce your risk of these and other cholesterol-related problems by as much as 50 percent. The AHA looks at stopping the use of such effective medications as essentially doubling your risk of these health problems.
Go for it: Or, go without it! Take home test. Go for 90 days. Take home test. (You can purchase a cholesterol home test kit at your local pharmacy or medical supply store. They are usually priced under $20.) Log test in results in the blog and how I feel in first 7 days. Muscle cramps gone? More energy?
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