Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

A forum to discuss personal experiences and share information on statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs.

Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

Postby Pdougan » Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:14 pm

Statin Free … One Year Later
Uh Oh!, I am back on Statins 

When the webmaster, posted my fifty facts regarding the statin-heart-health-cholesterol theory, it was actually an extract from my personal health history after one year of removing myself from statins. To be sure I wasn’t getting anyone [me] into any legal trouble, I wrote all of the quoted authors to secure the necessary copyright releases for the previously posted fifty facts. I am not a professional writer, but I hate lawyers.

I thought the my history portion was also going to be included into Spacedoc or the forum. I am sure my story was too lengthy or too personal for the webmaster to edit. Still, I think my data is as important as the fifty facts accumulated from a myriad of sources. My personal data too is all true; what might have ended up on the editor’s floor doesn’t when I am the editor.

If I have a writing style, it is one prone to excessive exaggeration to make a point or obvious humor. I cannot stress enough however that my year long history and results have not been inflated. Without exaggeration, I am a highly opinionated Type-A personality and will waste a lifetime to prove a point. In the case of the statin-heart-health-cholesterol controversy, you can add to that Pissed-Off … not just because what statins have done to me, but what they are continuing to do to others. Add to that the incompetence and neglect of physicians who refuse to follow their oath.

What’s worse? … I am now back on statins! But, unless you cheat and skip to the end to find out why, you’ll have to wade through my lengthy, but informative, twelve months. You might as well. If you had something better to do, you wouldn’t be on the internet anyway.
Pat Dougan
Plano, TX


Preface:
It is incumbent on any scientist, which includes physicians, to challenge the theories. The more a hypothesis is challenged and survives the test of scrutiny, the greater the reliability of the argument. However, science is not a democracy nor can it be if it is to maintain credibility. Once a hypothesis is statistically disproven … if only one time … the theory is no longer arguable. You can’t vote a theory to validity. Any scientist (physician) who subscribes to a voters opinion is no longer a scientist but a pawn in another’s [drug company?] agenda; they no longer have credibility in my book. The statin-heart-health-cholesterol theory has been statistically proven, hundreds if not thousands of times, to be invalid; read the abstracts in *http://www.pubmed.org; order the print outs, buy books.

PhD. Chemist Ancel Keys, Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, 1997 who was the originator of the cholesterol hypothesis (debunked by his use of selective data), has since directly stated, “There is no connection whatsoever between cholesterol in food and cholesterol in blood. And we’ve known that all along. Cholesterol in the diet doesn’t matter at all unless you happen to be a chicken or a rabbit.” Bring on the butter!

So, why are statins still being prescribed and diets restricted?

Background:
I have been disabled and unemployable since 1999 (legally declared in 2003). How much of my disability can be linked to legally prescribed prescription drugs? I effectively lost my quality of life and income at the peak of my earning career (top 5%) in a matter of months. Additionally, I think it is important to note that while I was on statins, my total cholesterol was in the 110 -120 range for ten years. While admitted to the Waco VA hospital in 2004, the dietician informed me confidentially, “Look, I shouldn’t be saying this because I am not a doctor, but your cholesterol is too low.” When bringing this issue to the resident physician in charge of the program, he didn’t agree. It has now been shown that low cholesterol is inversely proportional to an increase risk of heart disease. My heart attack came in 2005.

Science dictates that, "Correlation is not causation.”
But, how many anecdote’s equal one fact?
Scientifically, None.

How long do you have to go to prove there is no placebo effect i.e. it’s-all-in-my-head, become fact?
Scientifically, Never.

However, I am not a scientist; I don’t have to prove anything. I am driven by common sense and the ability to link facts and occurrences’ while deleting obvious bias and fiction from my personal equations.

My Empirical Facts:

February 2014 ended a year since I quit taking a "normal" dose of statins. Here are my personal results ..."

What’s changed in one year?

1. In November 2012 I weighed in at 227 lbs (heaviest ever); last Monday 182 lbs, and I am still consciously continuing to lose weight.

2. I haven't taken an anti-depressant since April 2013, nor wanted to [I had been on as many as three different anti-D prescriptions at one time during the last ten years]

3. My EKG's and stress test are virtually normal minus the minor damage from the heart attack in 2005 (after statins).

4. Physically, I was feeling so good that I started playing competitive racquetball two to three days a week starting last August.

5. I haven't taken an ED (erectile dysfunction) med since last spring; I don't need them anymore.

6. I am off all meds except blood pressure. This includes a twice daily dose of morphine (though pain management from a damaged nerve may require a return at some point). I have cut the BP meds in half; additionally, the BP diuretic to is cut in half which I now take every other day ... probably due to the r'ball exercise.

7. I do keep an active hydrocodone Rx for nerve pain, though I don't use it except as an occasional cough suppressant ... I’ve got seven unopened bottles on the shelf.

8. As long as I play r'ball, I don't have an insomnia problem … I have three unopened bottles of Ambien and four bottles of Tamazepam on the shelf.

9. Memory .. OMG memory! .. I can play Trivia again! Sometimes I think I could go out for the debate team again i.e. cognitive thought. I may relearn Morse code again...Naa!

10. The endocrinologist was flummoxed when I saw him last; he can't understand why it appears as though there is in improvement in my bone structure after three years of osteoporosis deterioration. However, I was severely chastised for quitting statins though neither he nor his PA could explain why all of my lab results that day were absolutely normal. So normal in fact, that he wouldn’t have been allowed to prescribe statin; my TC was 180.

He's going do another bone scan in the spring to see what's going on. The conflicting issue here is my internist put me on a 15% compounded testosterone cream (not the 1.5% that you see advertised for ED) last spring to compensate for the excessively low testosterone levels. The results from my last check are in; it is now back to 500. In the overall scheme of things, it's normal, but I'd like it over 700. Regardless, my wife is not complaining.

Now, what do statins interfere with? The adrenal glands i.e. testosterone, which one has to have to have to maintain bones ... the soft one and all the others. Note too, that if one researches statins, their effect on the adrenal glands and how this affects other areas of the body is a common theme.

11. There are all sorts of anomalous changes that can't be linked or explained e.g. I had a single toe fungus for almost ten years (it began after statins). Never had it before; never spread, never went away .. toe fungus does not go away without systemics; I wouldn't take 'em. It's gone! Weird.

Dupuytren's contracture: Diagnosed in 2002 and progressed to a large lump in my right palm and approximately a 30% bending of the right ring finger. The hand doctor wanted to operate; I said no…no pain, no cut. Today, the lump in my palm is almost imperceptible to the untrained eye and all fingers lay flat with complete movement.

My fingernails are so hard now, I could carve diamonds. I literally use toenail clippers on my fingers. How much can be attributed to statins or the increase in natural supplements that I now take, I don't know, but it has all happened since getting off of the statins.

12. I bought a professional grade blood analyzer just to satisfy my own curiosity. It cost about as much as one set of labs, worth it to me. Total C never above 240 (same-same all my life) and usually runs just under 200. Triglycerides's = 100.

My January 2014 fasting lab results are in … TC=145, TriG’s=131, LDL=82, HDL=37 PSA=2.2.

ADDENDUM:
Unresolved issues/comments for my doctors:
It is quite clear that the side effects from statins are not immediately apparent. Reports indicate that this often takes months or years to manifest (and just as long to recover.)
I reluctantly agreed to be placed on a statin in the late 90’s after they lowered cholesterol requirements from 250 to 200. My Dr. (close personal friend, my former flight surgeon and roommate from Vietnam) wanted to protect me from potential heart attacks or coronary artery disease. He knew that I am definitely a Type A working in a high stress environment and can emotionally drive my BP leptokurtic to unacceptable levels.

I was still uncomfortable with statins because of the reports that I had read on its negative impact to the liver. My doctor assured me that we would conduct routine liver checks to be sure nothing adverse was going on.

Importantly, and with no angst, my doctor was prescribing what was in my best interest with the information he had available. Unfortunately, that information came from the drug companies and those “influenced” by the drug companies and not the NIH or some other independent monitoring agency.

I had no predisposition or family history of heart disease. I had taken a flight physical every year since 1967 which included an EKG; all were normal, though I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 1972 and have taken various BP meds continuously since.

Approximately 18 to 24 months after beginning statins, my internist discovered the first blip on the statin EKG radar. He took the common aviator approach, “fly it and watch it.” [I was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam; this was a standard maintenance response to a logbook entry.] The blip was no immediate problem at the time, though the hospital scheduled for my back fusion surgery in 2000, delayed the procedure until they got a waiver from my doctor.

I was somewhat lucky as I had my “statin prevented heart attack” (five stents in tandem in the RCA) on the Emergency Room table in March of 2005. I was in the OR in mere minutes, minimal damage.

I have almost 2000 combat flying hours (many more overall) from two tours as a Vietnam helicopter pilot. In thirty years, I never had a problem with PTSD issues. However, it doesn’t take watching too many helicopters go down in flames or personally filling body bags with “spare parts” to take its toll. Regretfully, I used to openly mock people who reportedly did have a PTSD problem. If I didn’t have a problem after what I had seen, why should they?

That was until 2000 and the cumulative effects from my MRI’s (I am extremely claustrophobic) and back fusion surgery. I was suicidal within four days after the operation and directed to the hospital emergency room. My surgeon, a former chief of orthopedic surgery at the Boston VA hospital, tried treating me with the current anti-depressant of the day. It didn’t work
.
Eventually, I was referred to a civilian psychiatrist who explained that I had “sudden onset” PTSD, which in his opinion was the worst kind. Once manifested, PTSD does not ever go away; they teach you to learn to live with it.

Eventually, I started going to the VA hospital for PTSD treatment. At one time I was on three different anti-depressant drugs daily along with routine psychiatric and group therapy. Voluntarily, I entered a twelve week in-patient program in the Waco VA PTSD treatment center to learn the coping techniques. I am not ashamed, and contrary to Senator Dianne Feinstein, nor am I a crazed Vietnam Vet.

After reading the multitude of books on statin drugs and how they affect so many other things in the body, one correlation keeps sticking out. Statins affect the adrenal glands in many insidious (and under-reported) ways.

Adrenal glands affects the natural hormone levels of norepinephrine (noradrenaline), epinephrine (adrenalin), cortisol levels (and others? .. see 28 below) in the brain.
Prior to statins, were my natural levels of hormones allowing me to deal with the potential PTSD issues of the previous thirty years? Were the statins impeding the adrenal glands the real reason that I quit coping? Did the reduction of my natural level of hormones cause my inability to deal with current stressors?

I think there is certainly correlating evidence that the depletion in the brain of norepinephrine and ephedrine should be considered as a potential cause for my susceptibility towards PTSD. If not, why not? And, if so, why don’t the VA psychiatrists take the veteran’s entire drug history into consideration prior to making their assessments?
Trust me; they don’t. Fifteen minutes in-and-out with the VA shrinks and maybe a new prescription or refill when you leave. VA psychiatrists don’t have time for therapy or research; their workload is too great; there are too many other veterans sitting in the hall waiting for help. VA doctors have effectively become legalized drug dealers.

There is a strong indication that my osteoporosis might actually be showing some signs of improvement. Again, statins work against the adrenal glands which impacts testosterone. So, is my bone structure improving because I got off of the statins, my internist prescribing 15% testosterone cream, or my return to exercise? I am sure it is a combination of all three, but clearly, two out of the three can be correlated to the removal of statins. I wouldn’t have felt like exercising again if it wasn’t for the improvement of my mental and physical health.

As I stated in the early comments, I am now no longer on any anti-depressants. Why is that? Why did I end up on them at all? And, why did I get PTSD after thirty uneventful years? Why am I now able to live with the PTSD without medication?

Conclusion:
Needless to say, my personal experience and research verses the advice that I have been getting from multiple physicians has caused me to reevaluate the utmost respect that I have held for their medical opinions. One should never have to question the advice of their doctor. Now however, I question everything.

Follow up:
I wrote the above and the fifty facts at the top of the cholesterol section in the Spacedoc Forum for my personal physician.
So, with my pill cutter firmly in hand, [and my personal doctor aware] I am now modifying my old prescription since 10mg is as small as my drug company makes. However, if even the slightest change or a return to the previous symptoms occurs, I’ll be “flying and watching” solo.

So far, the medical profession has done a better job fixing the defective hearts than preventing heart attacks.

I’ll take my chances.
Pdougan
 
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Re: Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

Postby cjbrooksjc » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:21 pm

As before, valuable and useful information. Thank you. But I have always wondered: if the principal benefit of Statin medication is the anti-inflammatory effect, isn't there another selection in our pharmacopoeia or dietary regimens that provides the same benefit? Why Statins, and why are you reentering the ring after being gored? Is being gored slightly a bit more comfortable than being gored badly? Our sponsor on this site is seemingly of the same opinion: that Statins are best offered in small doses. Based on my own experience I still don't understand that position but, in the end, I am not a medical professional, just a stat, and I hope you fare well. Thanks so much for the write-up.

Best,
Brooks
cjbrooksjc
 
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Re: Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

Postby David Staup » Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:42 pm

"Omega 3's are fatty acids that our body derives from food. Studies have discovered that Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effect due to their ability to convert into anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. In addition, Omega-3 fatty acids can decrease the production of inflammatory prostaglandins by Omega 6, resulting in a greater decrease in inflammation."


http://www.spacedoc.com/omega_3_availability.html

http://www.spacedoc.com/aging_omega3

http://www.spacedoc.com/aging_mitochondrial_mutations

http://www.spacedoc.com/stephen-sinatra-QandA-01

http://www.spacedoc.com/atherosclerosis ... ttacks.htm
David Staup
 
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Re: Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

Postby David Staup » Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:42 am

*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2849981/table/T4/
"Risk Factors for Statin Adverse Effects (AEs)"

This is Table 4 from:
*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2849981/

"Statin Adverse Effects: A Review of the Literature and Evidence for a Mitochondrial Mechanism" By Golomb et al

Where you will see:

"Prior Muscle Problems on Statins or
Other Cholesterol Drugs"

I would counsel anyone contemplating even a very low dose statin after suffering AEs from statins previously to think long and hard about the potential costs versus dubious benefits! Well, it does benefit the DRUG COMPANIES

chuckle

David
David Staup
 
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Re: Statins One Year Later ... I am back on 'em

Postby MichV » Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:46 pm

My doc's never informed me of test results, but I assume my LDL is low. Since switching to butter and ditching margarine, I've felt loads better, the bones don't crack as much. Plus I'm taking an iron supplement (Floravit, female) and everything is going better. My periods are less intense, not as much blood. The only thing remaining is the extreme dizzyness.

It is my understanding that plant fats increase/cause inflammation, and sat./animal fats decrease it. I'd rather not go back to an artificially created "food spread".
MichV
 
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