Statins...

SteveR_100Milers

Am really disappointed/depressed/angry at my genetic disposition...Visited the docs today after annual bloods, and my cholesterol has risen slightly to 7mol/ml. Now he explained normally probably would leave it, buts since i have lost 3 stone and gained fitness in the last 12 months, and that I suffer from the triglycerides thing I have to take statins. Atorvastatin to be precise (as Lipitor). I have heard the side effects include muscular cramp and even atrophy. Doc admitted would possibly have a detrimental on athletic performance.

Anyone else take statins and what effect have they had..??

oldwelshman

& is high Steve. Mine was 5.2 and doc put me on them due to family history.
I did not notice any side effects though I have not taken them for few weeks now, naughty me.
Will get my levels checked again soon.

SteveR_100Milers

well if you take them they dont seem to have slowed you down....<relief>

blackhands

I've been taking 40mg of Simvastatin daily for over two years and have had no noticeable side effects.

But statins can affect the production of CoEnzyme Q whic is important in muscle function. So ask your doctor about taking a CoEnzyme Q supplement (which you can get in supermarkets, chemists etc).

Dr_Death

Omega-3 oils have been shown to alter your lipid profile as well and may mean you need a reduced (or even no) dose of statins...

SteveR_100Milers

I already take omega 3 supplements, eat fish regularly, drink soya milk, eat low fat foods etc etc and has no effect.

Dr_Death

That's that plan knackered then....



Still imagine how bad you'd be if you didn't!

Steveorow

Yep Atorvistatins made me feel like sh!t when presecribed a couple of years ago , muscle soreness etc . The doc should do a check in a couple of months ; muscle enzyme test ; to check they are not adversley effecting you .
Was taken of statins altogether and put on Ezetimibe for cholestrol result now 3.2 with no side effects .

robwithers

Due to family history and raised Cholesterol (about 7) I was put on statins about 2 years. I had no detrimental side effects. The one effect I did notice was that it seemed easier to get nearer my max HR - but I've no real evidence to show if this was the effect of the statins or merely I was trying to go up hill harder or simply paying more attention to what my body was doing.

In the etape I was further away from a gold medal last year than the previous - but then I think a lot of people had a hard time going up Alpe D'Huez

Incidentally, I've been told that the one thing you should avoid with statins is taking them intermitently. Statins make the plaques on the inside of your arteries more pliable (as well as reducing the rate at which they are deposited). By stopping taking statins, they are a risk of hardening which, apparently, raises the risk of the plaques becoming dislodged and then getting lodged in brain/heart/legs/wherever.

So, once you're on statins - you're on them for good

Mike Willcox1

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

well if you take them they dont seem to have slowed you down....<relief>

Check out side effects statins by doing an internet search. They stop the liver producing CoQ10; an essential enzyme for energy production. I took them for a year and ended up with total exhaustion and extreme muscle pain in my thighs, shoulders and arms.

The effects manifested over about 6 months but I continued to take them as I didn't know what was wrong. It took me over 12 months to recover. One of the at risk groups from side effects listed by the canadian health authorities is athletes due to exercise intolerance. Don't expect to train hard and take these drugs. In my opinion they're poison.

SteveR_100Milers

Mike, I have already done a bit of research and have a reasonably honest GP with whom I discussed this already; which is why I am concerned about taking them. I am on the lowest dosage of 10mg / day. However, I did a 50 this morning, and had a bad time of it: I struggled to get my HR above 80%, even in the final few hundred metres. I felt sick from about 15 miles through to about 30, then perked up again. Now I put it down to excess guinness consumption on Friday night, and was feeling ropey yesterday.

This evening I feel absolutely wrecked: my glutes are extremely painful; more so than I can recall after previous long/hard efforts. I also have a painfupl lower back, but I expected that since this is the first 50 I have. Coincidence? Don't know, but I am deeply suspicious. I have a 10 and 25 which I am going to prepare for properly (i.e. not drink alcohol for at least 3 days beforehand) coming up so will see what happens.

Mike Willcox1

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike, I have already done a bit of research and have a reasonably honest GP with whom I discussed this already; which is why I am concerned about taking them. I am on the lowest dosage of 10mg / day. However, I did a 50 this morning, and had a bad time of it: I struggled to get my HR above 80%, even in the final few hundred metres. I felt sick from about 15 miles through to about 30, then perked up again. Now I put it down to excess guinness consumption on Friday night, and was feeling ropey yesterday.

This evening I feel absolutely wrecked: my glutes are extremely painful; more so than I can recall after previous long/hard efforts. I also have a painfupl lower back, but I expected that since this is the first 50 I have. Coincidence? Don't know, but I am deeply suspicious. I have a 10 and 25 which I am going to prepare for properly (i.e. not drink alcohol for at least 3 days beforehand) coming up so will see what happens.

At 10mg a day it is unlikely that the statins are to blame for your ailments. I was on 40mg a day and my GP wanted to double the dose to 80mg a day. 10mg a day isn't going to cause you any problems; on the other hand it isn't likely to impact on your cholesterol level very much either.

I think the alcohol was the probable cause. How many pints of guiness did you drink?

SteveR_100Milers

http://www.spacedoc.net/lipitor_side_effects.htm

OK so its gee whizz medical science, but case number 9 is spooky nonetheless.

Mike it was a lethal combination of guinness and magners....I lost count. I'm still aching now though, and my lower back and right glute is still sore; more so than after the Dragon which seemed way way harder.

Chriscommuter

I have had raised cholesterol for 25 years now, spent best part of the 80's doing all the right things to get it down i.e. low fat foods etc etc No effect!

Read recently that if you follow the recommended diet, on average, you will see a 3% reduction in cholesterol i.e. sweet f.a.

I was put on a 10mg dose of simvastatin which my consultant then upped to 20mg as 10mg was a "homeopathic" dose..i.e would have no impact whatsoever. So 20mg really is a small dose.

Given how little above normal your level is, unless there are "other factors" e.g. family history of heart death etc etc It may be worth discussing with your GP whether it is really neccessary to take statins.

domtyler

Aren't oats meant to be good for lowering cholesterol levels?

What happens if you carry on with high cholesterol anyway?
________
Rhode island medical marijuana

Dr_Death

Dose is not necessarily a factor with the side effects of Statins. Some people can get side effects with the lowest dose. I agree that 10mg is probably ot having a huge effect on your cholesterol though..... Could be worth changing to a fibrate or anion-exchange resin - discuss it next time you are at your GP's

Dr_Death

Oh yeah and if you carry on with high cholesterol levels your arteries clog up and you die (basically).

Mike Willcox1

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

http://www.spacedoc.net/lipitor_side_effects.htm

OK so its gee whizz medical science, but case number 9 is spooky nonetheless.

Mike it was a lethal combination of guinness and magners....I lost count. I'm still aching now though, and my lower back and right glute is still sore; more so than after the Dragon which seemed way way harder.

Number 9 is me. I didn't realise he had me on his web site. How about that?

SteveR_100Milers

Am already taking fenofibrate to combat familial hypertriglyceridaemia, which I have been taking without problem for 2 years. Although my cholesterol level is not high, and indeed my GP explained that for a "normal" trig level person they wouldnt be prescribed. Since I have such a high trig level, he is being cautious. It is a deliberately low dose at my request to minimise any side effects - he understands my interest in bike racing.

Mike, on a separate issue, can I ask for some specific help regarding training. Let me know if its ok to email you directly. Thanks.

Fab Foodie

Hi Steve

I have equally poor genes!

I've been on 40mg Simvastatin plus Ezebitimide, cod liver oil, high oats, Aspirin etc and have reduced my Cholesterol from almost double figures to about 5. Very happy. At 42 had my first minor heart attack, not much fun, don't want another for a while.
I'm also on Beta-blockers. These certainly make me feel a bit sluggish, but even with all of that medication, I really don't feel too bad at all, my muscles have grown, I'm fitter than ever, my endurance and recovery seems pretty good. Speed only limited by keeping HR below 140.

I think you might need to give it a while. Get and enzyme test once everything has settled down. If problems persist ask to try Simvastatin or another as an alternative, we all react differently to different drugs.
The other week I was given a different brand of Beta-blocker when I collected my prescription, I thought nothing of it, started to feel really lousy, like being on Prozac. At night, heart really seemed to pound, was functioning really really badly at work. Eventually spoke with the pharmacist and then got a prescription for my regular brand, within 48 hours was back functioning as normal. Whilst the active agent might have been the same, the release rate could well vary and even that has a big effect.

Just might take a bit of time to get it all right for you.

Mike Willcox1

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike, on a separate issue, can I ask for some specific help regarding training. Let me know if its ok to email you directly. Thanks.

Of course. No problem

Fab Foodie

domtyler wrote:

Aren't oats meant to be good for lowering cholesterol levels?

What happens if you carry on with high cholesterol anyway?

Yes, Oats have proven benefits, but you have to eat quite a bit, I think at least 2 bowls of porridge worth per day to have a significant effect.
However, It is quite easy these days to get a lot of oat based cereals, sweeet and savoury snacks etc to make this feasible without being a chore.

As the Dr said, If you carry-on with high Cholesterol you die, or, if really lucky get a very painful and frightening chest pain...

SteveR_100Milers

Mike Willcox1 wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike, on a separate issue, can I ask for some specific help regarding training. Let me know if its ok to email you directly. Thanks.

Of course. No problem

PM sent - you dont have an email address link in your profile.

Mike Willcox1

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike Willcox1 wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike, on a separate issue, can I ask for some specific help regarding training. Let me know if its ok to email you directly. Thanks.

Of course. No problem

PM sent - you dont have an email address link in your profile.

I've PM my e-mail address. Cheers Mike

Mike Willcox1

Mike Willcox1 wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike Willcox1 wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

Mike, on a separate issue, can I ask for some specific help regarding training. Let me know if its ok to email you directly. Thanks.

Of course. No problem

PM sent - you dont have an email address link in your profile.

I've PM my e-mail address. Cheers Mike

My message is still sitting in my out box. How do you send it FFS?

SteveR_100Milers

message sits in outbox even after its sent. It would be more logical to call it Sent Box. Got it and replied.

AcousticDave

I was on statin for 10 years suffered mysitios (something like that) where the muscle starts to break down and can lead to kidney failure. I have never recovered properly and now have very weak muscles. I am now on Fibrates. Keep clear from Statins in the long term they will damage you

SteveR_100Milers

the symptoms for this are continous muscle pain/cramps, which are well described in the instructions with the tablets. So far I havent had them, though I reckon they are messing my TT performances