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BS: Statin Alert
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BS: Statin Alert |
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Subject: BS: Statin Alert From: Donuel Date: 19 Feb 14 - 11:05 PM Two years ago someone created a thread about Statin, Crestor, Lipitor etc. that consisted of primarily positive remarks. I need to amend my remarks. Over the last year the Statin drug brand name Lipitor 20 MG / Atorvastatin generic name was directly causal in creating cataracts in both eyes that went from a .25 to over 2.0 on the scale of 4 representing total blindness and 1 representing perceived foggy degradation of vision. Google statin and cataracts for the study or the NYT article that discusses the increased risk of 26% for cataracts (which does not translate to a one in four likelihood of statin users to go blind but only an increase in risk factors. Onset of cataract present with rainbow effects and light clouds around light sources. a stage 2 cataract looks like thick fog everywhere and photos of the interior of the eye are so occluded one can barely see the internal blood vessels in the photos. Being only half blind naturally has made many compromises and unique changes. Since cholesterol is necessary for a normal lens to maintain clarity the oxidation of cholesterol limits the ability of the eye to maintain normal clarity. The GOOD NEWS is that after a week without statins my eyesight has returned to near normal, or at least where it was 2 years ago. Perhaps the re uptake of cholesterol inside the lens is fairly rapid in my case, but in any case it is quite an experience to suddenly regain effective sight after living without it for nearly a year. THIS HAS ONLY BEEN MY EXPERIENCE SO CONSULT A PHYSCICIAN regarding your own health and prescriptions. Eating smart is always the smart thing to do, but don't over do that as well. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: GUEST,Eliza Date: 20 Feb 14 - 11:28 AM Thank you Donuel for the update, and glad to hear that your eyesight is more or less back to normal. The body manufactures its own cholesterol, which would lead one to believe that it's necessary for various functions. The body also needs quite a bit of dietary fat, and folk trying to eat 'fat-free' are asking for trouble IMO. I'm always a bit suspicious of the major drug companies setting their own 'limits' for cholesterol,such as '4' or '3.5' etc. Who decided that's the optimum level? There's an enormous multi-million pound business going on with statins and blood-pressure tablets. All medications have their side-effects, some very serious indeed. But as you say, one should consult the doc before taking any decisions. Glad you see well now. Big PHEW! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: DMcG Date: 20 Feb 14 - 01:37 PM I had an interesting discussion with my doctor re statins after I was having the side effect of finding sleep almost impossible. The leaflet said the recommended dose was 10mg, with 40mg exceptional. I was on the border of whether statins were recommended or not, so the doctor had said it was entirely my choice. Given that, I was surprised to see I was on 40mg. All that is preamble to the discussion. In the UK, they 'only' prescribe 40mg. This is because all the research is done on 40mg and it is literally unknown what the benefit of a lower dose is. He was happy to prescribe 10mg or 20mg for me, but said they was no way of being confident it would have any beneficial effect - even 40mg is actually a small statistical benefit, and we all know that to go from a statistic to an individual is a most unreliable thing to do. And there was still the risk of side effects, although as like as not they were also reduced. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: Bert Date: 20 Feb 14 - 01:48 PM Thanks for starting this thread Donuel. I didn't know anything about that. I'll have to talk with my quack about it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 20 Feb 14 - 01:54 PM Statins come with cautions, they help to lower very high cholesterol, but there are a number of side effects for some people. Careful monitoring of the effects by your physician is necessary, and the attendant laboratory checks should be carried out on a regular basis. Nothing new about cautions; which are given with all drugs. See the Mayo Clinic website (enter 'statins' in their search and one will find number of informative articles, recommendations and cautions). Continuing research by university and private institutions may suggest new cautions and warnings or a change in recommended treatments. A good physician should be aware of these. Eyesight should be checked yearly by an ophthalmologist, regardless of a person's condition. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 20 Feb 14 - 07:57 PM Thank you...Mr. D. Sincerely, Gargoyle I refused the statin offer ... however mega doses of niacin produced eye problems and muscle ache. However,losing 30 pounds and daily exercise were "the magic key." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: Donuel Date: 23 Feb 14 - 01:54 PM 7 days later my cautious optimism was proven prudent since a small degree of fogginess did return Saturday morning while still off statins. It is as though my vision regressed from the miraculous to merely remarkable improvement. Thanks all, and as bert said "the Duckter knows best when it comes to quackers and what big drug dynasties say and does not say, but only you know best when seeing is believing." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Statin Alert From: Bugsy Date: 23 Feb 14 - 11:03 PM Mrs Bugsy experienced stomach cramps for nearly a year and no amount of tests, or scans could find a cause. Later she started to lose the strength in her legs to the point where she can't raise herself unassisted from a sitting position and finds it dificult to climb or descend stairs etc. Her specialist diagnosed Polymyositis, and advised her to come off her statins immediately. She did so and the stomach cramps disappeared within days. However she still has Polymyositis and the specialists believe that this could have been brought on by using statins. They are taking a muscle biopsy this week and depending on the outcome she will be placed on a course of steroids to try and rebuild the wasted muscle. All very stressful and worrying. Cheers bugsy |
