Very interesting. And I believe it. Happened to me.

I wonder if this is connected with reports that say Lipitor can increase the chance of Diabetes in women?

Lipitor has been linked to an increase in both diabetes and breast cancer in women. Another two reasons in a long list that everyone, but especially women, should be pounding their doctors on why they are being prescribed this dangerous drug.

I highly recommend that everyone read the information at: http://www.spacedoc.com/

What NASA and Lipitor did to the owner of this site should be criminal.

thank you for the link. There really isn't much information out there that gives the full story and always searching.

I'm up in the air about taking Lipitor only because my #s are so high. But if they were in the 200 range, and hot FH, I'd definitely take the other route of diet and exercise. Which I do anyway even those that doesn't help.

And it's strange too that 2 friends taking Lipitor had strokes.

Retiredheather, interesting you noted two friends who went on to have strokes even though they were taking a Statin. Your comment reminded me of a comment a Cardiologist once made about people on statins. "They still go on to have heart attacks and strokes anyway."

I am one of the few that believe statins have zero benefit in preventing heart attacks, strokes or heart disease. I view the "studies" showing statins to be beneficial as being manufactured to meet the market. I give no merit to studies conducted by a drug company selling the drug.

More deals are made behind closed doors than in public view. Conflicts of interest run sky high. Side effects are minimized. Benefits are exaggerated. Welcome to the real world of sales.

In sales, consumer perception is everything. As long as the customer perceives a benefit, the product will sell like hot cakes, even if there is no real benefit. The benefit only needs to exist in the consumer's mind.

The stark reality? There is no way to prove these pills prevented a heart attack or stroke in anyone, nor is there anyway to prove these pills extended a persons life by one single day. Its simply impossible to prove.

Think about it. You would have to know a person was destined to have a heart attack, and you would have to know a person was destined to die on a certain date, in order to prove these pills prevented this event from happening.

Not possible is it?

Now you can go kick the walls and scream and yell as reality sets in. Hey, I have been there and I'm here for everyone's support.

hello MedLab::: I've followed your posts and know you really went thru a lot beause of statins. I so agree about the research you explained to us. It's very helpful and don't think many doctors know the facts.

I've fought my doctors tooth and nail about taking any statins. I've even gone to a lipidologist hoping he'd have a more natural, common sense approach. But he didn't. I forget the medicine he prescribed, but a side effect was loss of hair. What woman wants to be bald? LOL!

After the TIA's, my GP was really pushing me to do something so I took Crestor, and gained 17 pounds in 1 month. That's with doing a 1200 calorie diet and 45 minutes daily exercise. What woman wants to be heavy and not from eating? :) ... How is that heart healthy?
BTW my doctor probably doesn't believe it was the Crestor. I'd have to eat a lot of cookies to gain that much in that short a period of time... maybe a truckload.

I decided to try Lipitor again, as long as there aren't side effects. So far I'm on a lower dosage of 20 mg, the 40 isn't do-able.

About my friends that had strokes. After two years, one is still in rehab, the other has a lot of health problems and is in dialysis.

You're so right, no one can predict one way who will get what down the road, because simply can't do that.

Thank you for your support and am listening for sure.

Lipitor acts like poison to my body as does all statins. In 24 hours of talking any statin my muscles start cramping and I have trouble moving.

But I am not a Dr. and have some friends who have been on low doses for years. Of course they do not think their muscle aches which have gotten worse since they were put on statins, have been caused by statins, their Dr's told them so.

Just do a lot of research and MedLab has certainly done a lot of that and is sharing it with us.

Good luck with whatever you do.

thank you missd12932... I had problems while on Lipitor about 15 years ago and stopped. I wasn't sure if it was just back problems or the statin. It's hard to figure out sometimes. My doctor's mom is a doctor also in the same practice. His mom can't take Lipitor and think he's aware of what it can do. He said he's worried about the good and bad ldl numbers fluctuating and not in a good way. I'll give it a try in small amounts and see how those numbers change after my first 3 months on Lipitor. I hate medicine of any kind so this is a struggle for me to decide. thank you again, your advice is very appreciated.

Retiredheather, I think gaining a clear understanding of exactly of how statins work will be helpful.

Statins block a pathway in the liver called the Mevalonate pathway. This pathway makes cholesterol, but it also makes other products the body needs to sustain life.

Cholesterol itself is a very important and serves multiple purposes in sustaining life. Think of cholesterol as the maintenance man repairing damaged cells, and a builder making new cells. Picture in your mind a hunky guy with a tool belt, and he is framing up a house. That's the correct personified image of cholesterol.

Cholesterol builds healthy new cells and repairs damaged cells.

But there is more. Cholesterol goes on to make steroid hormones for healthy muscles, libido and daily function.

The Mevalonate pathway also produces CoQ10 which is needed to help produce ATP which gives cells their energy. If we inhibit this pathway with statins, we can deplete CoQ10. The heart muscle has the highest concentrations of CoQ10 than any other place in the body. This is due to its constant demand for energy. Deplete CoQ10 and the risk for cardiomyopathy is real. Cardiomyopathy is a fancy word for weak heart muscle.

There are more beneficial products blocked when we inhibit the Mevalonate pathway. More later....

Key thought: The reason there is so much cholesterol in an egg is because that's how much is needed to build a new chick.

MedLab1, your description of how CoQ10 is destroyed is explained in some of the presentations by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, which I am sure you know of and have seen. Below is a link to one of his must see presentations about how fructose destroys the liver and I think it also includes his description of how CoQ10 is destroyed by taking statins. I have seen several of his presentations and I am not sure if this is the one that includes CoQ10 or not, but well worth watching anyway. It is still stunning that many, if not nearly all, U.S. doctors that prescribe statins to not also insist that their patients also take CoQ10 or better yet Ubiquinol. Another in a long list of reasons that each person has to look out for themselves.

http://authoritynutrition.com/why-is-fructose-bad-for-you/

MedLab and Sptrout::: my GP is the only one that mentioned oQ10 supplments when he suggested Lipitor. I'd read about the importance of taking it already but was amazed even the Lipidologist didn't mention this when prescribing a different statin which I didn't take.

The one common thing the lipidologist and my GP along with my cardiologist agree is that the size of the platelets determines the degree of possible blockage and they were right and unfortunately had two known TIA's.

Thank you for the posts, I'm learning a lot for sure

Thought provoking question:

In natures design, was mankind meant to manage his cholesterol?