The drug you are taking is just another station like the others you mentioned that all can cause severe muscle pain. IMO a person should never take any drug that causes bad side effects, especially statins which have never been proven to help women in any way. (I assume that you are a woman based on your user ID.) I bet your doctor never mentioned that little fact.

Please read the thread asking about Crestor. I replied in a post and provided a link to a web site that I highly recommend that you spend the time to learn the new science about cholesterol. It will be time very well spent and you will find the pain relief you deserve by flushing statins forever.

A question: are you taking Co-Q10? If not, or if your doctor has not recommended it, that is reason enough to fire your doctor. It may help with the leg pain. In any case statins destroy Co-Q10 which is vital for your heart and other parts of your body.

To answer your basic question, there are new things just coming on the OTC market including Purified Omega 7 (not omega 3s, which you should already be taking). Check out Dr. Stephen Sinatra's web site for other suggestions. Also read his and Johnny Bowden's best seller called "The Great Cholesterol Myth." http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Jonny-Bowden/dp/1592335217

http://www.drsinatra.com

Niacin is a well proven OTC drug that will improve lipid panels. Stay away from "flush free" types which have not been proven to help. Pure niacin is hard to find sometimes and is very inexpensive. It does have a side effect called flushing that some people cannot get use to. It takes between 1-3 grams per day to be effective. There are delayed and extended release versions, but there are conflicting reports that these types are less effective and can cause liver damage.

BTW 230 is really not bad if your other numbers are good.

My other numbers were not good last time either, but I don't recall what they were. I am horrible at keeping track of things like that. I also have an underactive thyroid, and keep track of my numbers religiously for that because they have never been right....that is a different nightmarish story :)

If there are natural ways to handle cholesterol, why do doctors push these statins? He did not tell me to take Co-Q10 but I do take Omega 3.

I understand your record keeping challenge. I am a retired engineer and I fixed my record keeping problem by building a large Excel spreadsheet that contains the results of every lab test that I have had since 2000. That is extreme, but has been very useful on several occasions. For a real example, my doctor told me last time that test "XX" was questionable. I was able to show that it had been nearly identical for years; end of discussion. If you have a computer I recommend that you take any existing paper lab results and start an electronic record. Once started it is easy to keep it updated.

As for why doctors keep recommending statins it would be easy, and probably mostly correct, to say "follow the money." To be fair there are many reasons, mainly new science, and people who are willing to go back and read all the old pro-statin studies and really dig in to them. Many of the studies have been totally discredited and discovered that the results were twisted to match what the sponsors (guess who) wanted to see. It you go to the Crestor thread that I mentioned earlier and watch the two TV shows that are linked to you will be in for a real education, and become very mad at all the crap that you have told for probably many years. If you have a problem finding the link I am referring to please let me know and I will post it directly. I am using my tabelet now so it is not easy for me to do at the moment.

As for Co-Q10, anyone taking statins must take Co-Q10 or risk serious damage to your heart and many other complications (including muscle pain). From what I understand, in many countries it is considered malpractice not to tell a patient about the need for Q10 when prescribing any statins. Just do a search on this subject, there is zero disagreement on this. Why don't doctors tell their patient? My guess is that Q10 is a supplement and most doctors know nothing about supplements in my experience.

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/heartofthematter/

Above is the link reference in my earlier posts. It is a goldmine!!!!

Megsmom,

230 is not really high cholesterol, but if your lipids are elevated, like 280 then its a good idea to ask why.

Actually, you answered why in your posts without realizing it. You mentioned your low thyroid function and said it was a separate issue. No its not. Its the cause.

When thyroid function is low ( lack of thyroid hormone) blood levels of cholesterol increase. Proper treatment with thyroid hormone replacement will almost always result in a drop in cholesterol and triglycerides, due to the increase in metabolism.

Also, the medical literature is very clear that patients who have an underlying thyroid condition and take statins are at high risk for muscle pain and weakness, and must be monitored for this while on a statin.

Did your physician explain any of this this to you?

No, my doctor has not mentioned any of this to me. At this point, my muscle pains are so severe that I cannot walk without a great deal of pain. I have not been able to work this week because I cannot walk from my car in the parking lot to my classroom where I teach without holding on to my leg and picking it up and dragging it into the building. I am not exaggerating. My doctor ordered an MRI which I do not have the results for, but the xray last week just showed some slight arthritis. I do not believe arthritis could cause pain this severe. This is ruining my quality of life and I cannot do anything outside of my house really. Could all of this really be hypothyroid/statin related? My doctor said he didn't believe that the statins could cause such pain, but my physical therapist said that she has rarely felt muscles so tight and she is having a heck of a time, along with the massage therapist, getting them to loosen up. I can do NO exercise because I can't move without pain in my legs. I seriously am getting depressed over all of this. I am an active person and have a life I would like to get on with!