There is potential benefit to supplementing with CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) to help reverse some of the side effects.

CoQ10 review article

Somewhat inconclusive, but as far as I know, no negative effects from CoQ10 supplementation, so it may be worthwhile.

Here are some ratings on various CoQ10 products

CoQ10 on Labdoor

---

I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

I think that's the minimum dose, correct? I've taken 20mg of Crestor for 4 years-ish (maybe more, I've lost track). Can't say that I have any more/less muscle soreness than in the past...other than what can be attributed to just getting older. I've had periods where I've stopped taking it for a while...or have taken a higher dose (40mg) for a period of time. I can't say that there has been any occasions where I've been surprised by my soreness or lack of it---as being different from baseline expectations.

Statin induced muscle pain as a side effect is tough to predict, but it is real, and not uncommon (i will say 1/10-20). For some it happens quickly, for some it seems to just spring up after months or years. As an athlete, given that muscle sorness can come with training, it might be a correlation does not = causation situation.

I say give it some time (1mth) if you can. Talk with your doctor, but i advise patients that suspect the side effect to do a trial of lower dose (5mg), or even a period off the drug (1mth).

If it goes away... restart the drug. If it comes back, stop it. If it goes away again... it is more likely to be cause and effect, and not councidence. Then your choices are lower dose, or swap to a different statin.

Both dose reduction, a drug rest, and statin swap can spontaneously resolve the symptoms. However, my experience is that if someone is going to have the side effect, it will be dose related and swapping agents does not much help. Everyone is different however, so try the above (after speaking to your doctor).

To add to the emerging unproven medicine/ongoing research fields, ketotic diet has some early positive benefits for weight loss, diabetic control, and improving lipid profile while feducing cardiovascular risk factors. It is worth a read.

But I will debate. Ketogenic diet has taken people off statins. Those who continue shitty life style on statins choose another means of dying. Muscle wasting and liver damage from statins

Weight loss in general seems to be the key... diets/ llifestyle work, and evidence of one diet being better than another are hard to prove (because most people are poor at keeping strict diets). Much of what we prescribe medications for can be avoided with a healthy diet and lifestyle. But i suspect i am preaching to the choir here.

Pills can lower bloodpressure, blood glucose, lipids, etc. Diet and lifestyle can help improve all the above... it just takes more work. Pills are easy. Many people want easy. That being said, sometimes people need or benefit from pills. Some people opt for statins because they have no weight to drop, and lifestyle is good. Sometimes it is genetics.

Ketogenic seems to have some diffefent unique physiological benefits/mechanisms, but it is early days and i am never keen to early adopt, rather i make people aware. Sometimes we want the positives, and jump on an approcah without fully knowing the long term negatives. For keto diet it seems to be constipation and renal stones. But again, current evidence is positive and it is being studied in some large high quality studies.

Its not always quite so simple. I'm the poster child for lifestyle change in my Doctor's office. 4 years ago, I weighed 210 lbs, was somewhere around 30% body fat. I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and borderline fasting glucose (109). I was taking 20mg of Crestor, and irbasartan for the blood pressure.

Fast forward 2 years: I lost 60 lbs and 20% body fat (currently 150 / 11%). I switched to a low-carb (not quite keto, ~20%), low glycemic index diet, high fiber, good fats, blah-blah diet. I logged every ounce of food I ate for 2 years. I restarted endurance training. My blood pressure fell so far that I had to stop taking the BP meds (10x / 5x). I was getting dizzy when I would stand up. So, I stopped taking the BP meds (on dr. advice).

Now its 117 / 73 two years after stopping the meds. Fasting glucose is back in the normal range.

But, my cholesterol numbers didn't change one tiny little bit without the Statins. With statins...again, poster-boy status. ::Shrug::

This is an internet forum, so take it all with a grain of salt, but it sounds like you are doing the right stuff! Good on you.

All i will add is that it sounds like statins are a good option for you. You have some risk factors for cardiovascular disease. You are probably aware, but i will add that total cholesterol is often high... but as long as hdl/good cholesterol is also high, it can be a “good high” (no pun intended). A ratio of less than 5 is good, or ldl less than 2 is ideal (given your other risk factors). I assume those are your targets.

The iCCS app for your phone has a framingham risk calculator that you can plug your numbers into to estimate risk. I then like to drop things like the cholesterol numbers to see how they effect your risks. Then you can decide if it is worth it.

Total cholesterol maybe, but the ratios of HDL,hdl , vldl must have? What are numbers before and after? Good you got off some meds

And keto worsens some people's cholesterol too.

I do not remember the total numbers exactly, but it was around 300. The quote from my doctor was, "sky high". Hdl I know was 43. I did have a blood test done while off the statins post weight loss. I actually forgot to tell my doctor that I'd run out before the test, and he called a bit worried that my Cho had gone back up. :)

My hdl rose to 45. But, I recall specifically how dissapointed I was that total Cho and the hdl were so unaffected.

Back on the statins my most recent test showed total Cho 98, hdl 52. My goal was specifically to get below 100 for total Cho.

Now that target numbers have been hint, will there be effort to wean you off the drugs?

The numbers are there because of the medication. They'll go back up if he stops.

Reduce your animal product consumption by 50% or all together and get retested. Only 1 way cholesterol gets into your body voluntarily.

Having been in good health all my life I was always resistant to taking any kind of medication, I took pride in the fact that I only needed the occasional aspirin. I was on Crestor for a while but had stopped taking it because I quit my desk job and was much more active. My cholesterol was "almost high" but my Dr seemed to think it was OK and I didn't want to feel like I needed medications to live my life.

So 2.5 years ago I had my yearly physical and everything was good. That afternoon after my workout I collapsed with no pulse and no breathing. No chest pain, just lights out and on the floor.

Lucky for me I was at my local YMCA where a fellow gym rat who happened to be an off duty EMT jumped in and gave me CPR. A few broken ribs and a couple of stents later I was home and on the mend, with a whole bunch of medications to take for life. I'm not quite so dismissive about what the medical profession has to say about my health anymore. These days I just follow orders.

My advice would be to keep your heart healthy even if it puts a hitch in your giddyup. Shit happens.

---

"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

Just some follow up info.

I am 45, and in generally good health, but admittedly have been slacking with my fitness.

Since getting this news, I have dropped 15 lbs, and could reasonably drop 15 more if I REALLY want to get thin and lean.

I have also drastically altered what I have been eating: both eating LESS (I was over eating) and eating better (almonds, oatmeal, lean chicken, a VERY rare "cheat" meal...).

ALSO: I got a cardiac CT scan and it showed a score of 18, which is not terrible, but it aint a zero either.



So, the doc said I could either:

A. Continue to lose weight and really watch what I eat and come back in 3 months for bloodwork.

OR

B. Continue to lose weight and really watch what I eat and ALSO add the 10 mg Crestor a day and ALSO come back in 3 months for bloodwork.

He is a VERY good doc and works with some national class (NOT me) athletes and he left it up to me, but with a bad cholesterol of 170, he said it was just unlikely that I could get that 170 number low enough. If I DO get it super low, we can try a lower dose when the 3 month bloodwork comes back.

Thus far (1 week) I dont THINK I feel anything in the way or soreness, but my mind is now almost "looking for" the soreness and I can't tell what is just being 45 and what could be the statin.


Thanks for all the feedback...feel free to keep it coming!

I was on 10 mg crestor due to family history and after about 2 years on the drug started to get repeated bouts of tendonitis in weird places (hips, etc) that would take me out of running for 2-3 weeks each time.

So I stopped the pill, went to a low carb diet and have never looked looked back. I did take ubiquinol for about a year after stopping the crestor. I haven't had any running injuries since (fingers crossed) - including one ironman , several halfs, and 20+ triathlons later. My total cholesterol went up with the low carb diet, but HDL/LDL ratio also went up and triglycerides went down. Fasting blood glucose also went down from prediabetic level to well within normal. I am 49.

---

______________________________________________________________

False.

This is a misleading statement. The liver makes most of the cholesterol in the body (~80%) and that amount is largely dependent on genetics.



I feel like this thread is giving me deja vu...

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...cholesterol#p6643505

And synthetic is still in the middle of it lecturing people and telling them that docs need to update their knowledge.

Meanwhile he thinks you can wean off a statin once your numbers are hit, indicating a basic lack of knowledge of the matter.

Go keto / low carb. (Best yet, try to focus on more raw wholefoods like broccoli) .And sorry, cheat meals should be no more

Ok doctor roostTroll, you can google yourself for docs recommending people go off statins:

https://drhyman.com/...ol-stop-statins-now/

Just since you brought it up (and feel free to PM me instead of hijacking OP's thread), but what long term studies have you reviewed which suggests a ketogenic diet is a solution to longevity? You seem to imply that a ketogenic diet is more beneficial since if OP chooses a statin over keto he chooses "another means of dying". By that you infer that a ketogenic diet will reduce the risk of all cause mortality. Please cite studies and references for your claims that if someone has high cholesterol that may require pharmacological intervention that their all-cause mortality is reduced by a ketogenic diet.

Blog posts are not valid scientific sources. If they were, antivaxxers would be right all the time - they are not, ever.

All cause mortality? I don't think it will help in a car accident.

Here is one relating to the topic:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...articles/PMC2716748/

You can google "pubmed <insert topic here>" yourself. Lots of positive results for cancer, a glucose powered disease. Long term studies are lacking, but currently on going.