blood test result confusing the doctor
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hello all, hmmm confusion reigns supreme here in sunny Caithness. visit to gp this morning for latest blood test results having been taken off statins a few weeks ago, once again my liver function is'nt up to scratch so they were ringing the hospital to hurry up the ultra sound mentioned weeks ago! also the indicator that shows muscle deterioration had also gone back up slightly?? was advised to stop a supplement I was taking to see if that had any bearing on things (ubiquinol 100mg one per day) so I'm perplexed and also a tad worried that my liver thing has'nt stabilised, perhaps the statin has caused permanent damage? oh the joys of life haha
0 likes, 34 replies
mrbob84 david_25160
Posted
Awesome info, folks. Just went back onto Atorvastatin a month ago - generic for Lipitor - which my cardiologist says will make my memory less patchy than simvistatin did, and that it's just routine. (According to the FDA, all statins are alike on their side effects.) I have alerted my cardiologist that I want an explanation, seeing as how he has me on it for nothing but "Protocol" purposes, and my LDL is not even close to being elevated. It is well inside the safe zone, tho my HDL could be a bit higher.
He has some explaining to do, since he has never once - in the 2.5 years since my heart operation and thus numerous cardiac consultations with him - mentioned one word about side effects of any of the drugs he has put me on. Including the statins.
See the current entry on the FDA website about statins and new warnings:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm293330.htm
And here's another link at this very site about it all, another eye opener for me that I came across yesterday, I immediately made a long coment there -
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/does-simvastatin-40-mg-cause-memory-loss-and-amnesia--144769?page=0&order=Oldest#1215342
Thanks to all for your experiences. They are making me afraid to stay on the statins, even for a little while, and he wants me on them permanently! Just routine when you've had a heart operation.
"Be afraid. Be very afraid..."
jude65855 mrbob84
Posted
derek76 mrbob84
Posted
alzheimer derek76
Posted
derek76 alzheimer
Posted
$(function () { if(!($("#DrugShortage_sortid").length || $("#WarningLetter_sortid").length)) { if ($(".tablesorter").length > 0) { $(".tablesorter").footable({ }); } } });
alzheimer derek76
Posted
Emis_Moderator derek76
Posted
Regards,
Alan
alzheimer mrbob84
Posted
derek76 Emis_Moderator
Posted
mrbob84 david_25160
Posted
So here's what I wanted to say: As soon as I read this thread, "Does Simvastatin 40 mg cause memory loss and amnesia?", I had to respond to it.
My link was to that thread, plus to the fresh article currently on the FDA's website on Statins and new dangers. I am sure you can search out that fairly easily, a nurse at my cardiologist's office came up with it yesterday while I was still on the phone with her!
Thanks so much for all your contributions, being here has really been an eye opener - esp. the reference to the 1999 book, "Lipator - the Thief of Memory", by Dr Duane Graveline. Esp. since Lipitor is what my cardiologist prescribed when I told him that the Simvistatin had had noticeable effects on my memory - and not good ones!
Here's what I posted on that other thread, you won't need to see my suppressed/"held up for moderation" post now. No need for moderation on this one since there will be no links in it -
I was on Simvistatin 40 mg for 2 years following my heart operation in 2012, on automatic treatment from my cardiologist. Protocol for patients having had heart operations. My LDL was/is not out of range and has been within fully safe limits, but my HDL could be higher.
My heart operation was NOT cholesterol related, the need for the operation came from other directions, this is straight from the doctors because I asked. Even in view of that, he said that taking the statins should be done as a preventive measure. Even dating back to our initial consultation, he has never once made any mention of any side effects, much less some very serious ones listed in the FDA's current advisory posted on their website.
My cardiologist is very convincing and says it is best to be on statin drugs if you've had any heart condition. I asked him at the time how long, and he said for the rest of my life. That in itself is a bit shocking, as I don't believe in making my body dependent on ANY drug.
The memory patchiness - being a patchwork quilt with massive blank spots - came up gradually and almost unoticeably over that 2 year period, until finally what I was not being able to remember became unmistakable. Words I would reach for and not find, names I knew were there but I simply could not recall, no matter how hard I tried.
Once I noticed the memory patchiness had gotten really noticeable on the simvistatin - it's hard to be aware of what it is you are unaware of - I went off the simvistatin and gradually my memory became reliable again, filling in the empty patches and delivering three dimensional life again, which had gone very one dimensional while on the statin.
(Unfortunately one of the drugs on the list that is known to cause that memory patchiness is thyroid supplementation - which I need because my thyroid gland was hit by the Xrays in the radiation therapy in '80, while being treated for Hodgkins Disease. Now I take 100mcg every day. Can't stop taking that one.)
Recently during an office visit with my cardiologist I told him about stopping the Simvistatin a year ago and he started me on Atorvastatin 40mg instead, saying Lipitor would have less deleterious effects on memory than Simvistatin. But the advice I have read from the FDA earlier today says that all statin drugs act alike. And in the month I have been taking Atorvastatin, I find I am reaching for people's names more now again, like before, and this time I am not allowing it to creep up on me. I can't help but wonder what it is that should have been occuring to me these days, that is NOT occurring to me because of the blank/blind spots in my memory. Again, what is it that I am supposed to be aware of that I am not aware that I am unaware of?
As of today's FDA advisory reading, I am now worried about my liver, diabetes, and potential muscle damage as well. "The rest of my life?" I don't think so.
I will be showing my cardiologist the FDA warning and will probably stop the atorvastatin at the end of the month, unless he presents me with compelling proof that I need it. Had to do the same thing in the hospital after my heart operation when they were hitting my lungs with searing Atavan and other breathing drugs 4 times a day, burning my throat and IMHO scarring it. My breathing was just fine! I rebelled. When confronted with my demand for proof of the need for such treatment, they went away and came back later, saying it was my choice, I could quit if I wanted. They could not present me with any earthly reason for me to be taking it except that "It's protocol". So of course I quit it.
Why did they endanger and stress out my delicate breathing apparatus for no good reason? What would have happened to my lungs if that had continued, 4 times a day, until I was released on the 9th day? Why don't they find the side effects of these things as important as the POTENTIAL help I would get from keeping my already safe-level cholesterol levels down further??? These side effects were not even MENTIONED by my cardiologist. Ever.
My chiropractor says our brains are made of fat and need a certain amount of cholesterol to function properly. I think that, at least in my case, the statin drugs are depriving my brain of that, and making me unaware of things that should be occurring to me naturally. In which case I consider these drugs not only deleterious, but insidious as well. Taking it for the rest of my life? Sorry Charlie.
Not an option.
jude65855 mrbob84
Posted
If i were you I just wouldn't take statins. I always check the website for the manufacturers' information, but my cholesterol was high so I stayed on them with no ill effects for about a year after my heart attack. I realised later that I was also still taking St John's Wort for mild depression and I'm POSITIVE I told the cardiologist that after the stent was inserted in a conversation about taking fish oil and he said to keep taking what I was already taking.
Well, St John's Wort can block the effect of some prescribed medication and I reckon it was blocking both the postive (cholesterol lowering) and negative effects of the statins, because when I went to hospital about a year later with what I thought was another heart attack but turned out to be pneumonia, I was told I shouldn't be taking SJW with all the other medication.
So I stopped taking it and lo and behold, about a month later started getting some of the negative effects the manufacturer lists on the website! Specifically, depression different to any I've experienced; extreme exhaustion and lethargy: muscle weakness; many different types of pain all over my body and total loss of libido.
When reporting back to my cardiologist and then to my GP, I was changed to lower doses and other brands of statins - exactly the same effects. A locum GP prescribed a non-statin cholesterol lowering drug - same effects, so I reckon it's actually the lowering of the cholesterol which does at least some of the damage.
After much thought and quite a bit of fear, I went off them totally and all the negative effects vanished within a month or so. I tried a few "alternative" type treatments for high cholesterol but none of them worked.
I'm now getting it down with Psyllium Husks, slowly, but it is coming down and if I start getting statin-like symptoms I'll assume my cholesterol is too low and cut it down.
If you or anyone else is wanting to try these post your interest on here & I'll give you the precautions, which I did put on here not long ago.
Isn't it amazing that so many doctors prescribe statins as a "precautionary measure" when they're not in fact needed, as in your case? There does seem to be a fair bit of evidence emerging that high cholesterol isn't always or maybe even often a factor in heart attacks.
I thought it was fairly well known by now that low cholesterol isn't a good thing either, because as you say our brains need it to function properly, which would explain your memory disruptions. I did have a bit of that, but until I read your post I'd put it down to the statin induced depression and the amount of painkillers I was having to take for the statin-induced muscle and nerve pain.
Even though mine was a bit high I don't believe it had anything to do with the heart attack either: it happened almost on the anniversary of when I'd been raped exactly a year before and I really believe that had more to do with it than cholesterol. Who knows, but that's what I think anyway, because I'd been to hospital by ambulance not that long before and everything was checked out and OK.
Good luck with the medical system and stay in touch
mrbob84 david_25160
Posted
After reading all this, methinks he and I are going to have a little talk next week there at cardiology after my scheduled echocardiogram...
And my links have been allowed thru! Posts with links don't disappear after all!
derek76 mrbob84
Posted
I had the situation where the surgeon who did my aortic valve replacement who said that I could stop statins and warfarin after being back in sinus rhythm for six months after having cardioversion for subsequent AF and the cardiologist saying otherwise.
Guess whose advice I followed:-)
mrbob84 david_25160
Posted
mrbob84 david_25160
Posted
Original stats after a year off of them are listed: After a year off of them, then Currently as of April 29 2015 (after 2 months ON them), then Targets/Ideal (this is American of course):
Total 146 99 125-200
HDL 40 44 >40
LDL 77 38 <130 ratio="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" 3.7="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" 2.3="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" =""><5.0 triglicerides="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" 143="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" 85="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" ="" =""><150
hdl went up 4 points to its target minimum, which is a slight improvement, but ldl was cut roughly in half. way too low imho, when your cholesterol is not out of line to begin with. imho being put on them "just in case" is a formula for disaster over the long term, which is what he wanted me to do. his words were, "for the rest of your life".
this is on protocol from my cardiologist after my triple bypass/aortic valve replacement in june 2012, and obviously made my total go way under the target minimum! starved my brain of essential fats to work with and send signals in. not sure what it did to my dendrites up there.
i did not experience the bad things others here have experienced physically, but if your brain does not have the fats it needs to be sending the proper signals to the rest of your body, those organs get starved of the impulses they need to function properly, like a pinched nerve cured by a chiropractor adjusting your bones and getting rid of it so the nerve can resume sending signals freely, like it was designed to do. "subluxation"! (only took me 20 seconds to come up with that word, which was escaping me - my brain is definitely getting better!)
correct me if i am wrong but i think this is what happens when a person becomes diabetic - critical parts of his body do not function freely like they are supposed to because of too much unused sugar floating around in one's blood, that has not been delivered to blood cells because they are already "sufficiently satisfied", as my dad woulda called it, and the cells reject that sugar so it stays in the blood, where it's not supposed to be. this is from all the straight sugar being eaten and not enough exercise to burn it off and make the cells hungry again, and relieve the blood of those sugars. that sugar stays in the blood, where it should not be, and eventually causes problems elsewhere in the body. domino effects happen. (this is roughly how my gp described diabetes to me at last visit, as i am 1 tick over the line on being pre-diabetes, so i needed that counseling.)
i figure that fully explains my memory losses, with critical fats my brain needs to function being cut in half. who knows what long term effects coulda happened to my body and my mind had i stayed on them? from what i have been reading here, i am totally glad to be off them! eating whatever it takes to maintain good, non-starvation levels of cholesterol will be where it's at for this boy in this body, if changing from today's norm ever becomes necessary. (no pills - anybody want the eight 40mg ator's that i still have left? i'll send them to you free!)
as of now i am what my cardiologist calls "perfect". when i read my stats off to him (from having been off of them for a year, which is way more than enough time for them to leave your body) over the phone he said, "you're perfect." i told him that i would be going off of the statins now. he didn't say a word.
i am staying that way. normal. ="" hdl="" went="" up="" 4="" points="" to="" its="" target="" minimum,="" which="" is="" a="" slight="" improvement,="" but="" ldl="" was="" cut="" roughly="" in="" half.="" way="" too="" low="" imho,="" when="" your="" cholesterol="" is="" not="" out="" of="" line="" to="" begin="" with.="" imho="" being="" put="" on="" them="" "just="" in="" case"="" is="" a="" formula="" for="" disaster="" over="" the="" long="" term,="" which="" is="" what="" he="" wanted="" me="" to="" do.="" his="" words="" were,="" "for="" the="" rest="" of="" your="" life".="" this="" is="" on="" protocol="" from="" my="" cardiologist="" after="" my="" triple="" bypass/aortic="" valve="" replacement="" in="" june="" 2012,="" and="" obviously="" made="" my="" total="" go="" way="" under="" the="" target="" minimum!="" starved="" my="" brain="" of="" essential="" fats="" to="" work="" with="" and="" send="" signals="" in.="" not="" sure="" what="" it="" did="" to="" my="" dendrites="" up="" there.="" ="" i="" did="" not="" experience="" the="" bad="" things="" others="" here="" have="" experienced="" physically,="" but="" if="" your="" brain="" does="" not="" have="" the="" fats="" it="" needs="" to="" be="" sending="" the="" proper="" signals="" to="" the="" rest="" of="" your="" body,="" those="" organs="" get="" starved="" of="" the="" impulses="" they="" need="" to="" function="" properly,="" like="" a="" pinched="" nerve="" cured="" by="" a="" chiropractor="" adjusting="" your="" bones="" and="" getting="" rid="" of="" it="" so="" the="" nerve="" can="" resume="" sending="" signals="" freely,="" like="" it="" was="" designed="" to="" do.="" "subluxation"!="" (only="" took="" me="" 20="" seconds="" to="" come="" up="" with="" that="" word,="" which="" was="" escaping="" me="" -="" my="" brain="" is="" definitely="" getting="" better!)="" correct="" me="" if="" i="" am="" wrong="" but="" i="" think="" this="" is="" what="" happens="" when="" a="" person="" becomes="" diabetic="" -="" critical="" parts="" of="" his="" body="" do="" not="" function="" freely="" like="" they="" are="" supposed="" to="" because="" of="" too="" much="" unused="" sugar="" floating="" around="" in="" one's="" blood,="" that="" has="" not="" been="" delivered="" to="" blood="" cells="" because="" they="" are="" already="" "sufficiently="" satisfied",="" as="" my="" dad="" woulda="" called="" it,="" and="" the="" cells="" reject="" that="" sugar="" so="" it="" stays="" in="" the="" blood,="" where="" it's="" not="" supposed="" to="" be.="" this="" is="" from="" all="" the="" straight="" sugar="" being="" eaten="" and="" not="" enough="" exercise="" to="" burn="" it="" off="" and="" make="" the="" cells="" hungry="" again,="" and="" relieve="" the="" blood="" of="" those="" sugars.="" that="" sugar="" stays="" in="" the="" blood,="" where="" it="" should="" not="" be,="" and="" eventually="" causes="" problems="" elsewhere="" in="" the="" body.="" domino="" effects="" happen. ="" (this="" is="" roughly="" how="" my="" gp="" described="" diabetes="" to="" me="" at="" last="" visit,="" as="" i="" am="" 1="" tick="" over="" the="" line="" on="" being="" pre-diabetes,="" so="" i="" needed="" that="" counseling.)="" i="" figure="" that="" fully="" explains="" my="" memory="" losses,="" with="" critical="" fats="" my="" brain="" needs="" to="" function="" being="" cut="" in="" half.="" who="" knows="" what="" long="" term="" effects="" coulda="" happened="" to="" my="" body="" and="" my="" mind="" had="" i="" stayed="" on="" them?="" from="" what="" i="" have="" been="" reading="" here,="" i="" am="" totally="" glad="" to="" be="" off="" them!="" eating="" whatever="" it="" takes="" to="" maintain="" good,="" non-starvation="" levels="" of="" cholesterol="" will="" be="" where="" it's="" at="" for="" this="" boy="" in="" this="" body,="" if="" changing="" from="" today's="" norm="" ever="" becomes="" necessary.="" (no="" pills="" -="" anybody="" want="" the="" eight="" 40mg="" ator's="" that="" i="" still="" have="" left?="" i'll="" send="" them="" to="" you="" free!)="" ="" as="" of="" now="" i="" am="" what="" my="" cardiologist="" calls="" "perfect".="" when="" i="" read="" my="" stats="" off="" to="" him (from="" having="" been="" off="" of="" them="" for="" a="" year,="" which="" is="" way="" more="" than="" enough="" time="" for="" them="" to="" leave="" your="" body) over="" the="" phone="" he="" said,="" "you're="" perfect."="" i="" told="" him="" that="" i="" would="" be="" going="" off="" of="" the="" statins="" now.="" he="" didn't="" say="" a="" word.="" i="" am="" staying="" that="" way.="">
hdl went up 4 points to its target minimum, which is a slight improvement, but ldl was cut roughly in half. way too low imho, when your cholesterol is not out of line to begin with. imho being put on them "just in case" is a formula for disaster over the long term, which is what he wanted me to do. his words were, "for the rest of your life".
this is on protocol from my cardiologist after my triple bypass/aortic valve replacement in june 2012, and obviously made my total go way under the target minimum! starved my brain of essential fats to work with and send signals in. not sure what it did to my dendrites up there.
i did not experience the bad things others here have experienced physically, but if your brain does not have the fats it needs to be sending the proper signals to the rest of your body, those organs get starved of the impulses they need to function properly, like a pinched nerve cured by a chiropractor adjusting your bones and getting rid of it so the nerve can resume sending signals freely, like it was designed to do. "subluxation"! (only took me 20 seconds to come up with that word, which was escaping me - my brain is definitely getting better!)
correct me if i am wrong but i think this is what happens when a person becomes diabetic - critical parts of his body do not function freely like they are supposed to because of too much unused sugar floating around in one's blood, that has not been delivered to blood cells because they are already "sufficiently satisfied", as my dad woulda called it, and the cells reject that sugar so it stays in the blood, where it's not supposed to be. this is from all the straight sugar being eaten and not enough exercise to burn it off and make the cells hungry again, and relieve the blood of those sugars. that sugar stays in the blood, where it should not be, and eventually causes problems elsewhere in the body. domino effects happen. (this is roughly how my gp described diabetes to me at last visit, as i am 1 tick over the line on being pre-diabetes, so i needed that counseling.)
i figure that fully explains my memory losses, with critical fats my brain needs to function being cut in half. who knows what long term effects coulda happened to my body and my mind had i stayed on them? from what i have been reading here, i am totally glad to be off them! eating whatever it takes to maintain good, non-starvation levels of cholesterol will be where it's at for this boy in this body, if changing from today's norm ever becomes necessary. (no pills - anybody want the eight 40mg ator's that i still have left? i'll send them to you free!)
as of now i am what my cardiologist calls "perfect". when i read my stats off to him (from having been off of them for a year, which is way more than enough time for them to leave your body) over the phone he said, "you're perfect." i told him that i would be going off of the statins now. he didn't say a word.
i am staying that way. normal.>