first anniversary off Statins

[BDavis]

One year later…
I have been off Lipitor for just over a year now. Coming to near death (left side heart failure, Pulmonary Hypertension and memory loss) but saved by a statin educated physician. I feel blessed to be alive but left with residual effects, which I don’t expect to ever be free from.

After stopping Lipitor I started with a small amount of CoQ10 (50mgx3) and now on 200mgx3 and 500mgx2 of Acetyl-L-Carnitine daily, as recommended by this board. I now can walk 2 miles 5 times a week and live in a two story home requiring repeated climbing of stairs.

I feel pleased with the recovery I have had, though not 100%. I’m sorry for all of those still struggling with the affects of Statins; I hope and pray that someone will find your cure. I know how debilitating the side effects are, truly.

I’m writing to give some hope and support to the value of CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine. I’m a natural born skeptic. When I started CoQ10 at a minimal dosage I still had immediate relief. Thru the months I found with higher dosages and the combination with Acetyl-L-Carnitine I have had the best results. I don’t expect to ever be without my supplements but the help is worth it.

God bless us all as we make our way back to good health.
BeLinda

[JL]

Hi Belinda,

Thanks for sharing the good news and congratulations for
taking the big step of quitting Lipitor. I hope your health improves
in time.

jlk

[BDavis]

Thanks JL,
It's amazing to look back over the last year and see how far I've come. The experience can be likened to a shark attack where you live and are thankful you only lost a leg.
Happy New Year,
BeLinda

[Ray Holder]

Hi Belinda
Glad to hear you are doing so well.

It was 5 years ago at this time that I first heard of Q10 and carnitine, and owe my continued existence solely to their use, I continue to give thanks to Tessa Jupp of the W Australia polio Network who gave me the clues to try them.

Improved health in 2008 to you all

Ray

[Cat Mom2]

I am 18 months off and still suffering the effects in my shoulder. I know the doctors think I am crazy but I just find it to hard to believe a person could suddenly wake up one morning out of the blue and have tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, AND a bone spur in their shoulder when there has never been even a hint of a problem there before and done nothing to injure it! I have had about 5 of those shots in that shoulder that only last 1 week and it's back.

I am seriously thinking about having to retire because of it and how it effects my job performance... (before I get fired).

For those experts out there, would increasing my COQ10 and carnitine help? I am currently taking 500Mg L-carnitine & 100 of the COQ-10.

[BDavis]

Cat Mom2,
I'm no expert but I'd say yes I'd increase both.
In these last few months I have experienced something like what you described. I had pain in my shoulders one at a time. Then my hips were so bad I thought I'd have to give up driving and work. I'm past that now, without any change but increasing my supplements.
I still have problems here and there and when I notice trouble breathing, shaking in my hands or heavy legs, I usually find I missed a dosage of supplements or I increase them after waiting a week or so. I don’t think you ever get back to the way you were before the damage, but I know for me the supplements help a lot.

Good luck with the balancing act. Stay steady and patient.

[Cat Mom2]

I have also noticed last month that I have days where my legs are so weak I can hardly walk. No pain, just weak. I will increase those and see if it helps speed up the recovery. I didn't mention that now it seems to be moving to my left shoulder too. I thought at first it was because I was having to use my left one more. The doctor told me just the other day that it is common when you get it in one shoulder that the other one eventually gets it.. I don't see WHY! In that case, I will not be able to work with 2 useless shoulders.

[BDavis]

Don't give up Cat Mom2,
I was told pain will move to both sides of your body because you begin carrying yourself different.

As for the leg weakness, that is my first clue to check to see if I missed a dosage of CoQ10. It was the first symptom I had when I started having trouble from the Lipitor. Second was breathing. Still when I'm having a bad day, I'll find myself with heavy legs and shortness of breathe because I bent over too long or went up stairs. On those days I do less.

I think you'll work through the pain in a couple of months. I'm not a doctor but I think the joints ache because the muscles are not holding them in place due to their weakness and as they get stronger and can do the job better the joints don't hurt. That is my layman’s theory.

I started slow on the supplements and now wish I'd not. It made my recovery slower. Do your research, find what makes sense to you.

Gods speed to good health,
BeLinda

[adec]

BDavis, I remember your messages from a year ago. So excited to hear you are doing better.

Catmom, sounds like your body has built-up excess fibrinogen. This can be further precipitated by statin-induced liver damage. Increasing CoQ10 and carnitine will likely do nothing more. It's like adding oil to an engine after it has already ceased.

Eventually your situation will get as such that doctors will likely recommend synthetic corticosteroids like: prednisone, cortisone, or even serious cancer drugs, anti-folates like methotrexate... if they haven't already. All of these medications further compound into VERY serious side effects. Believe me. I can only imagine what they already have shot into your shoulder. But you can still head them off at the pass.

I believe you could be GREATLY helped by nattokinase to lower fibrinogen and blood clots. Serrapeptase or serrazimes are another to try. You also need to heal your liver with milk thistle. Also chlorophyll makes an excellent natural, safe, and effective substitute to methotrexate. Pregnenolone is a safe and effective natural substitute for cortisone. This hormone precursor is the first mitochondrial substance to be depleted by cholesterol lowering medications, before even CoQ10.

Another good possibility, I would try taking L-carnosine, or its much cheaper and effective analog beta-alanine. In many ways, carnosine is more important to statin recovery than any other amino acid. Or better yet, L-carnosine (or beta-alanine) taken concurrently with D3, wild blueberry extract, green tea extract, fish oil (especially DHA) will help greatly proliferate extra bone marrow stem cells into the blood. This will help to heal and reverse any damage.

a. Nattokinase
b. Milk Thistle
c. Chlorophyll
d. Pregnenolone
-----------------------
e. Carnosine (or beta-alanine) which could be taken along with D3, wild blueberry extract, green tea extract, and fish oil with heavily concentrated DHA (and EPA), on an empty stomach.

You will find all of these things in supplement form at Vitacost.com, or in much cheaper powder form at Beyondacenturyonline.com especially beta-alanine. You will find inexpensive, but very high quality, highly-concentrated (molecularly distilled) fish oil at Wonderlabs.com. I truly hope you take my message seriously. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. Good luck.