Stopped taking my cholesterol drug.

Posted , 17 users are following.

i have had PMR for almost 5 yrs.  I have never been able to get off of prednisone.   I had read about how cholesterol drugs can effect the muscles and cause stiffness.  Also that now the docs are not even sure if they work.  I stopped taking mine and decided I would give it 2 months time.  Almost immediately I started to feel better.  Then I decided I was not going to drink beer.  Again I started to feel the best I have felt in a long time.  I'm now down to 5 mg of prednisone  and feeling the best I have felt in 5 yrs.  Has anyone else tried stopping their statin drug?

1 like, 37 replies

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  • Posted

    Lelee, about 10-12, one of my friends told me about the side effects of stating, one of which I had back pain, like a kidney punch. Over years since different doctors have prescribed different statins, but they all seem to have the same side effect, so no statins for me. Good luck on your journey, think positive and try to smile. Smiling. 🙂

  • Posted

    I've also just stopped taking Statins! On the 'risk scale' I am 19.5% if I were 20% my GP would strongly advise continuity because my Mother died of a heart attack aged 62 but my Brother-in-law, who is a Pharmacist, thinks Statins aren't necessary if you are 60+ so I am trusting his judgement. 

  • Posted

    Hi Lelee

    Yes i stopped statins because they made my pain a million times worse...i am much better off them.....

  • Posted

    Hi Lelee

    Yes i stopped statins because they made my pain a million times worse...i am much better off them.....

  • Posted

    I've been on Simvastatin 40 mg for 7 years and haven't had any side effects as far as I could tell.   No muscle or pain issues.  I'd be hard pressed to blame my PMR on the statin I take.   I will admit that I probably have more reason than most to stick religiously with my statin medication - in the 19th and 20th century every male in my family that died was under age 52 and died from strokes or heart attacks.  Since the advent of statins, beta blockers and diuretics that losing streak has been broken!  I guess it all depends on your cholesterol readings, family history and personal health.  Statin dropped my readings over 40% to the almost perfect range.  I can see why those who are borderline might not go the statin route as nobody knows who will win or lose the side effect lottery. 

    • Posted

      There is a big difference between your familial history and the genetic form of hypercholeaterolaemia and people with a slightly raised cholesterol and no history of cardiac problems. I have no objection to statins being used there - but for those of us where there is no proven benefit it shouldn't be dished out willy-nilly. For: women with no history of a cardiovascular event there is no benefit at all and only limited benefit once they have had one. 

    • Posted

      Right, there is a difference.  That's what I was trying to point out before everyone thought statins were a devil drug. In my opinion satins are especially good for men and women with very high cholesterol readings.  I'm puzzled why any doctor would hand out statins to anyone lacking high cholesterol readings or vascular issues.  

    • Posted

      No puzzle. 

      GCA is a member of the Vascultiis group, in fact the the largest member.

    • Posted

      Because they have been brain-washed into thinking that the lower the cholesterol level the better (probably by the drug reps). But for older people a moderately elevated cholesterol is probably there for a reason and the mortality with a very low cholesterol is higher than with a slightly elevated one. Mine is raised - probably because of pred. But I'll take that. The reduction in cholesterol is almost certainly not what reduces the rate of cardiac events - it is what is called a surrogate marker, it happens to fall at the same time but isn't the reason for the change.

    • Posted

      "The reduction in cholesterol is almost certainly not what reduces the rate of cardiac events"  That's not entirely true, but its far healthier to lower your cholesterol through dietary changes.  Statins can help, but if you don't change your diet as well, the positive effect is muted.  Heart disease is a food borne illness.  Rural Chinese usually eat no meat, oil, or dairy of any kind and not by coincidence they have zero heart disease.  Their average cholesterol level is 2.3 .   In the Framingham Mass. study of 2000 people over a 25 year period nobody with a consistent cholesterol level under 3.8 had a cardiac event.  So lower cholesterol level is better, but how it gets lower matters.  You're much better off eating leaves than lard...unless you soak the leaves in butter, then the outcome will be pretty much the same.

  • Posted

    lelee never thought of that.    but after reading all those post.  i am going to give it a try.  and i will get back with the results.    when u said almost emmedietly   how soon did u feel better  cannot wait to give it a try   i have been on statins   around 20 years.   and pmr 5 years.    so we will see what happens x
    • Posted

      It took about 2 weeks to start to feel better.  It has now been a month.  I'm feeling better and stronger every day.  I no longer feel like I need to stay in bed.  These days I actually want to get up and get out of bed.  I also walk 2 miles every morning.  Life is good.  I too have been on a station for almost 20 yrs.  I'm just now putting 2 & 2 together.  And it is working

  • Posted

    I have been taking statins for probably 7 years maybe more I know it's been a long time. But about five years ago I had a stroke and then in December I had a TIA. When I had the TIA I was only taking aspirin as a blood thinner and my cholesterol was still high even though I was on cholesterol medicine. So they put me on a different cholesterol medicine but it's still a Statin. Well after a few months my leg started to hurt horribly so my GP suggestion I get off of it for a month and see what happens. Well my leg pains did not get better and I actually had some days that it was worse. So an MRI was done and I just got the report today in fact. It turns out the pain is sciatica which I didn't think it could be because it's an achy pain not a sharp Zing kind of pain. But my pain management PA says that sciatica can be like that. That it does not have to be a sharp pain. I was also blaming it on PMR but my rheumatologist insisted that it is not a normal place for PMR pain.

    • Posted

      Try Bowen Therapy, It is non-invasive and in the Durham Hospital Trust area if you are referred to the Pain Management Clinic, that is one of the options.   The Trust gave them a contract for one year as a trial and they have now extended it.

      Put Bowen Therapy and read all about it.

      It got me out of a wheelchair, stopped using zimmer frame and only carry a folding walking stick in case the pavements are uneven.   Best money I have ever spent.  I call it white witch craft and if PMRpro had not told me about it, I would never have known.

    • Posted

      Aspirin doesn't count as an anticoagulant - unfortunately too many doctors seem unaware of that fact! To put it very basically, it just makes the blood cells "slippier" so they slide past each other better. It doesn't stop clotting. As you found out.

      My sciatic has always been aching rather than sharp pain. The sharp pain for me comes from myofascial pain syndrome and muscles going into spasm and pinching the nerve. Either way - it HURTS! Hope yours improves now.

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