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Fibro and Statins (eg Lipitor, Crestor)

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Posted 11/20/2008 9:06 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone had any experiences with statin drugs? If yes, I'm wondering how many of you had to

go off them due to increased muscle pain and other symptoms.

My cholesterol by itself isn't high but the ldl/hdl ratio is pretty high. The doc put me on Crestor,

20 mg. about 6 months ago. It has brought my ratio down a lot but I'm wondering how many of my aches and pains are being caused by the Crestor.

I was just looking at a JohnsHopkins study where they found that in the first year it was on the market there were more reports of muscle and kidney problems than with any other statin drug. It has been linked to rhabdomyolitis, a potentially fatal muscle wasting condition.

My fibro symptoms have definitely gotten worse in the past few months so it got me to wondering if it could be the Crestor.

Thanks,

Russ

Posted 11/20/2008 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
Before I was dx with Fibro, I took my self off Lipitor, thinking it was maybe the lipitor causing so much pain.  The dr was furious with me.  He does a test called CPK every 6 months which indicate any muscles damage, and

mine is always within normal range.  I was only off the lipitor for 2 months

and the pains never went away, but my cholesterol shot up.  So I know

it was the fibro.  I sure made my dr mad, and now I take my lipitor religiously.  Ask your dr for a CPK test if he hasnt already done it

Good luck and feel better

Posted 11/20/2008 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Tootie,

The CPK test will show any skeletal muscle deterioration so I'll add that to my bloodwork. I have it done every 3 months. My doctor just makes up the basic order for liver function, etc and then I add anything else I think should be done :) I think I'll stay off the Crestor for a while though to see if there's any relief at all from the muscle pain.

Cheers,
Russ
Posted 11/20/2008 11:51 PM (GMT 0)

I am one of those people that seems to react to everything....so take that into consideration when reading my post.  I have high cholesterol that is genetic.  Doesn't seem to matter what I do (no sugar, low fat, exercise, weight loss etc.) nothing makes much of an impact.  I have tried several statins - Lipitor, Lopid, Red Yeast Rice, and Niacin.  The Niacin made me feel as if my skin was burning off - no doubt about that side effect - and I definitely tried to slowly build up my dose.  The statins all increased muscle pain - especially in my legs.  I had a normal CPK, too.  Additionally I had GI side effects/problems.  Even the doctors told me to stop.   I would like to be able to take something - and  I still have the pain of fibromyalgia - which is enough - I just couldn't add to it, nl CPK or not.  I don't know how common this is.....just relating my experience.  I wish you good luck with this!

Lucy

Posted 11/21/2008 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Lucy,

When the doc put you on the niacin treatment were you allowed to use the non-flush niacin? I ask because my cholesterol is also genetic so if I can't tolerate the statins I may try the niacin.

You may find this interesting - I have mentioned in other threads that I have gotten good relief from some soft tissue pain (mainly tendons) by using curcumin. This is an extract of the spice tumeric and is widely available. It is also useful in lowering blood cholesterol levels. Before any statin my ratio was 4.8. After throwing in Crestor at 20 mg/day the ratio came down to 3. After starting curcumin my ratio came down to 2.2. This is without any change to my diet or excercise activity.

Curcumin even in large doses has no side effects. I take 3x 500 mg capsules a day usually with flax seed oil as this helps absorption of the curcumin.

Here's a small clinical study using 500 mg curcumin a day:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1291482

You may also wish to read this: http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/natural-health-articles/high-blood-pressure/reduce-cholesterol-without-drugs-00743.html

Curcumin also has many other benefits that are just being discovered - protection against some cancers
including breast and colon, inhibition of the protein plaques that cause Alzheimer's disease to name a couple.

The only caveat to taking curcumin is that is it a bit of a blood thinner so one should not take it without consulting a doctor if one is on prescription blood thinners.

Regards,
Russ
Posted 11/21/2008 12:57 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Russ,

As for the Niacin, I was told by both my doctor and the very knowledgeable owner of the health food store I go to, that the timed release variety of niacin was NOT the way to go.  I'm not sure if that is equivalent to the "non-flush" or not.  I started at 50 (mcg or mg?) daily and then would increase to 100 after a week and so on.  I didn't get very far (150, I think).  

Like I said - I am extremely sensitive to meds/vits and the like, and at that time was just beginning to realize the extent of it.  I should have taken more time to increase the dosage than the average time frame, and heeded the side effect, not the schedule.  Who knows I may have done much better that way, and may try it again some day.  As it was, the doctor took me off of it based on my description of the skin reaction/flushing/burning, which was very intense. 

Thanks so much for the curcumin info and links!  I will certainly look into it.  I believe I may have heard about it for muscle pain, but was not aware of the cholesterol benefit.  The change in your numbers is pretty darn good!  And I'm all for the natural approach whenever possible.

Cheers,

Lucy

Posted 5/19/2010 10:39 AM (GMT 0)
Try Red Yeast Rice, it works like Niacin but without the flushing. I've used it without side effects.

For all using statins, please make sure you're using Co. Q-10 with it. The doctors don't tell you that the statins kill off the
Q-10 in your body and leads to heart disease. I started using it years ago on the advice of my cardiologist and have since
gotten off all heart meds. I'm not sure if the lower Co Q leads to the muscle pains with the statins.

Nana Monster
Posted 5/19/2010 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Nana is absolutely correct.  I started getting more muscle pain with Zocor...another statin.  I heard that statins affect the coQ10 in the body.  My doctor had me stop the statins for one month and take 200 mg of coQ10 instead, to load my body up.  Then he had me start the statin again and keep on taking the coQ10.  I don't have the added muscle pain anymore.

 

Sherrine

Posted 5/19/2010 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
I am on a low dose zocor.  My leg muscles ached before I started taking it so I can't contribute it to my aches and pains
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