Hey there everybody. as I have said, I am new to this drug Crestor, generally I am new to this treatment at all so a bit of your opinions would be greatly appreciated. I am only 51 years old and I have a friend who is a doctor who is saying that it is likely genetic as I am reasonably, healthy guy and indeed, never had an issue, doing sports and bad habits keeping at low. I am now only 6 weeks into my crestor treatment so I can’t say anything so far. my bad cholesterol has been almost 4 times more higher end of the triglycerides levels. Saying that, it truly has scared the sh*t out of me and as I have already said, I have always been trying to have a healthy way of living, I’ve always been eating very well and I have been trying to exercise, yeah, I do know that I am doing a very bad decision of smoking as I still smoke and yeah… shame on me, but I smoke 10 cigarettes a day (maximum, as it can be as low as to only 5 a day) and I am not smoking 40 a day as some other guys. that’s pretty much the only bad habit I have. I am going to take another blood test in another 6 weeks and we’re going to see. any advice about this, any information, any opinion or experience, as I said, would be very much appreciated. What are the crestor’s side effects, what do you think about the drug? do you think that there are any other better options for me? anything is appreciated. I wish you all the best.
I’m new to Crestor, some opinions?
- Thread starter Wasoness
- Start date
Oh well, though I am not a doctor and I have no rights to say what you should and what you should not do (and if the doctor told you to take Crestor then that’s what you should do) I still think that you would be better off increasing the amount of the soluble fiber that you are eating rather than to take the medicine Crestor. But as I said, I’m not trying to say that your doctor is wrong. This is only my opinion. In case you would take this advice seriously then you should try to get 25 grams of it every single day. you’ve got to look into psyllium which is truly a great way to get there. All you’ve got to do is to mix it with some juice and that’s it. do it for a while and you’re going to see effects, I can guarantee that it is going to lower your LDL level. Though, as I said, this is only an idea that I think you should discuss with your doctor and that’s it.
Melissa M Brown
New member
So well, hi there. I need to ask you: have you ever considered to take some fish or flaxseed oil?? If you haven’t then you really should. You need something with a lot of omega 3, 6, 9! And also, you’ve got to take more protein and more fiber as well and you’re going to see results soon. For having a better effect you need to have a fewer intake of foods with starch and more with whole grain. My husband also have been having issues with his cholesterol but he switched to wheat past and to salmon as his staples and soon later his cholesterol has decreased nicely. I really think that this is what you’ve got to do.
Hi there. look, my PCP really wanted to get me started on Lipitor, however there was my gynecologist and she has been pretty much begging me not to take that drug and that I should firstly try to better diet and to have some exercises. Yeah, I do have to admit that she pretty much scared me because of those stories she told me. I did told her that she scared me and she said: “I am scared too”. that is why she was begging me not to take the drug, because of those horrible stories she has heard about and she has told me some of them, in fact, many of them, involving some very serious side effects of cholesterol that makes you not to want to take any of the cholesterol drugs anymore.
I want you all to understand me correctly, I am not trying to say here that cholesterol medications are not a right choice for some people out there, however I am encouraging you to firstly try the healthy alternatives as they are truly much more safer. IMO, cholesterol medications should be given only as a last resort when there’s nearly nothing else that works. You did said that you try to eat healthy. But you only try. You never said anything about exercising and you smoke. Try to quit. If that’s hard not suddenly, but you could instead of a minimum of 5 cigarettes a day to make it maximum. Then 4, 3, 2 and then 1. Then you could smoke a cigarette in 2 days. then in 3 days. then in a week and then quit. That’s how my aunt has done and she quit. When she got to the point of smoking one cigarette in 3 days, she simply forgot that she smokes, lol. or you could quit immediately. that’s your decision. But it is better to quit altogether. To start going to gym. Exercising. Running. Starting with one time a week, then 2 times a week and then 3 times a week and that’s fine. but if you can do it, run daily and have 3 times a week exercise. And while quitting smoking and starting doing sports you add an even better diet that is directly meant to help with cholesterol then I am sure that soon enough you’re going to be fine without drugs. Since you said that it is genetic only. You’re a healthy man. You’re not having a health problem. why to go to drugs immediately? In fact, I think that those healthy alternatives are really good for you and it does not really matter whether they are lowering your cholesterol and triglycerides or they are not. Pretty sure you’re going to benefit from it, exercising is lowering both of the for me personally, why they wouldn’t do it for you either? and quit smoking already. Although we don’t know you personally, we’re here so we’re already like a family so we would like to see you safe.
Hello wassoness and I am glad you asked. It means that you’re interested on how you can be healthy and this, pretty sure, would really make you healthier and keep it that way. by far not all people are asking and searching for solutions. So well, I need to tell you that 2 weeks ago my doctor has put me on Zocor for my bad cholesterol. However, I need to tell you that we did not initiated with the drug immediately as we put it off for a good while now due to the fact that my HDL (the good cholesterol number) has been pretty nice and high and my trigs are pretty nice and low either. While the LDL is another story now for me… I have started to take the drug only due to the fact that the LDL (bad cholesterol) has gotten so high to the point that no diet and no exercise has been enough to keep it low even though I did tried to do so. And that’s even though I am around your age either. I need to tell that I am a female (from as much as I’ve understood – you’re a man, no?) and I am 5’7” and I am about 120 lbs currently as of this AM. My doctor has told me that my family history is having everything to do with this, absolutely (as you have said, it is bad genetics) and she told me that she has chosen Zocor due to the fact that as she has told, she does not want my HDL to get way too much low, she doesn’t want it dropped down. She has told me that pretty usually, she is starting all of her patients first of all on Zocor and if this one does not help she moves on further to the Lipitor and only if it’s necessary then she is moving even further to Crestor, some kind of a last resort. What I am trying to say is that it seems that Crestor is given only to people who are having pretty big issues with their cholesterol. And yeah, I have to be re checked in about 2 months… I really hope very much that it is going to work for you. I wish you good luck and please, just keep us all updated to know how you feel and what you’ve done. pretty sure there would be lots of people finding your story interesting.
Hey there everybody. to be fully honest with you, I am an very anti statin medications person and I’m feeling this way due to the fact that I have done way too much of research on those medications and what they are able to do to your health so trust me, there’s nothing that you would be happy to have from them… so, honestly, I am a little biased. I personally think that doctors should be giving those drugs only to some certain patients and when there’s an nearly absolute chance that they would do more good than bad and for the first months, when just started to take them, they should be on a close monitor. That’s what I think. So, everybody who is using those medications right now or is intending to take them then they should, at the very least, be using a COQ 10 supplement and preferably in the form of the Ubiqinol in order to counteract some of the damage that those drugs have. I can even tell you that doctors are supposedly “aware” of this thing, and they should be, at least, suggesting that you use that supplement I am talking about along with your medication that they have prescribed, but it pretty much pisses me off when I see that they are not all doing this. I think that prescribing those supplements should be mandatory when prescribing anti statin medications. too bad that they are not doing it, or at least I hope that they are not doing it SO FAR. anyway, I think that people already taking or intending to take them need to look into what I am talking about themselves – do not take my word for it. I really hope that this is going to be at least a little bit helpful to somebody out there. I wish you all the best.
hey there all, I just wanted to say thanks to each one of you who posted and wanted to help me, as I said, I really appreciate very much any of your input and advice and trust me, I really do. some important points and questions that you have posted here I am going to write down and they are going to help me a lot with those questions that I am now intending to ask to my doctor when we are going to get the results of my next blood draw results. he told me that when the results would come I would be able to ask him anything. So well, I did have had some questions but after your posts I have even more. as somebody said about the fish, yeah, she has suggested me to have fish intake 3 times per week and oh my god… I am working as a fish farmer and I really do like to eat fish very much as well as eat the good heart fish like for example Herring, Salmon, Albacore, Mahi, Trout and so on and so forth 6 to 7 times per week. I’ve got to tell you that I am taking very much of benefiber and even though I am eating a lot of the “Ranch Style Beans”, the best canned bean that I have ever eaten in my life, they are doing regular and Jalapeno, I think that you’ve got to search for them if you do like canned beans. Pretty much I have been militant, basically, when it is coming to the diet. Regarding the exercise part has been more difficult for me, however I do manage to take an extremely vigorous walk for approximately 2 miles or so time 2 times per week, as well as with the occasional heart pounding chores that I am having around the farm which is also exercising, isn’t it? and now the smoking part… yeah… it has been the toughest for me, I do like smoking and I enjoy it a lot so it is difficult, however the vaporizer has truly helped me a lot with this. I am going to leave tomorrow, going on a trip (fish related, by the way) and there would also be deer steak (my doctor told me that deer steak is also very helpful, pretty much as fish is. just wanted to sincerely thank each one of you and as I said, I am going to be off for a couple of days, however I would surely come back here checking this thread. I just want to confess that I am pretty much pissed off because there are so many of my favorite foods that are containing so much cholesterol and sat fat 
I should start “un favorite ing” them somehow. I am just hoping that I am going to get fine enough soon so I can, at least occasionally, enjoy a treat like Lobster or some Chicken Fried Steak.. ohh..
Melissa M Brown
New member
Regarding what sofa has said about this:
“So, everybody who is using those medications right now or is intending to take them then they should, at the very least, be using a COQ 10 supplement and preferably in the form of the Ubiqinol in order to counteract some of the damage that those drugs have.”
That it is right on, there is my mother who has been on Crestor either, however then later they have pulled her off of that drug due to the fact that it has been greatly affecting her liver so she has been under a very big risk of a liver failure if they wouldn’t have stopped with the drug. and yeah, it has been crestor that has been known to do that to my mother. However, she does take that COq 10 supplement that you are talking about so I assume that it must be helpful. plus, she said that it has been her doctor who has recommended her to take the supplement. As you have said, most of the doctors are aware of this supplement and they should give it along with the medications, however not all of them do it. fortunately my mom found one who did.
Hey there Wassoness, you’ve got to know that Crestor like all of the statins (and nearly any other drug out there, even OTC one, not mentioning the controlled ones), is having, of course, risks of some negative effects but it also has benefits. Before you would start off with any drug (especially with a statin) I personally would recommend you to look very carefully in what are the benefits of the drug and what are the possible negative side effects. And then, I personally would not at all disagree with an improved diet, some more whole grains intake, fruits as well as vegetables, fiber and not forgetting about Omega 3 fatty acids. Exercise too, is very good and healthy indeed. However, you’ve got to know and keep in mind that genetics are playing an extremely big role in here as well. And you said that your doctor told you that it is genetic related issue. So… that’s a problem. let me explain why by telling you a short story. There is a dear friend of mine, she’s a female, she is not a smoker (never, in fact, smoked a cigarette in her entire life), she is a vegetarian for more than 12 years now, she is religiously exercising week by week, nearly daily running, extremely active lifestyle, with no bad habits at all and extremely healthy eating. having all of that said, she is borderline underweight (it would be strange if she wouldn’t). Her family is from the Nordic Heritage. When she went to a doctor, the doctor got shocked saying that she never seen anything like that before. Her cholesterol and her triglycerides has been off the charts. Her HDL of 36 and an LDL level of 178 in the time the triglycerides has been in the 400’s range. Having all of that said, a heart attack, stroke – waiting to happen.
But no, you don’t know her and she simply refused to take any drugs despite what her doctor told her, despite what I have told her. her doctor told her what is possible to happen (and what most likely would ultimately happen because of her readings) and I have been arguing with her for months, I was nearly begging her to fill her prescription for Lipitor that the physician has written for her, however, she was constantly refusing. She could not accept that living such a healthy way of life and she still can have such problems. she was refusing to believe her physician completely as well as Lab Corp. those people knew that she is in danger and they did knew what they have been talking about. she constantly refused. As much as I can remember, this has happened approximately 4 years ago or so. She is currently in her early 50s and she is going to be have international cardiology angioplasty done for the second time in some months, but by the way, after she has had her first one, she is taking her Lipitor religiously like it should be taken.
Yeah, you’ve got to be aware that those drugs cannot be tolerated by everybody. people are reacting differently on drugs and while some might benefit from a drug, others might not. The liver enzyme tests should be done regularly and always be mindful of sudden muscle aches as well as pain that do not go away. However, when it is all said and done, what it is really matter in the end, I think, are only the numbers. This is what’s important. as I already said, exercising, dieting, yoga, supplements or whatever else are all good, however in case the numbers are showing that it is not enough then you should act how the numbers are showing. Just in case those supplements, exercising, running, yoga diets or whatever else is lowering down your cholesterol as well as triglycerides than I have to tell you – indeed, that’s very well done. you’ve got to keep doing whatever you are doing further as it really helps. However, in case what you are doing is not helping you out then you either have to remove something else or do add something else. you might continue doing the “healthy stuff” because they are helpful not only for cholesterol and triglycerides, but if those “healthy stuff” are not helpful certainly for them (ch and tri) then you’ve got to add something that would help such as Crestor or any other statin. I’m not encouraging drugs, what I am trying to say is that sometimes they are, indeed, needed.
This is pretty much like a math problem, the numbers are not going to lie. In case you are able to get there without the medications then that’s even better for you, but never forget that for every person who is having a terrible or some life threatening reactions to Statins then there are about 50 or so who died or coronary artery disease from high cholesterol and triglycerides and while statins and any other medications indeed might be dangerous (but mostly if they are not used properly) then not doing anything at all also might be dangerous. Pretty much like penicillin: some do die in case they are allergic, however if you added up every one of those unfortunate death, you might reach by maximum 1 % (which I think is too much) of the number of lives that Penicillin has saved. All I am trying to say is that numbers never lie and we truly should follow the numbers and act accordingly. This way we know how to be within the safe range. Good luck to all of you!
Oh yeah, I definitely do agree with most of the people who have commented on this thread and specifically with those who said that statins are some very dangerous drugs, I definitely do agree with you and I can even say that statins are like a devil drug. My doctor has had me going through all of them and I hate it so much, I have been on Lipitor (started off with Lipitor), later on Zocor and I am now on Crestor. As much as it can seem, I am also having a genetic issue, of having chronically high LDL levels that are near to impossible for me to get them in the normal range and it does not matter how hard I try and what I do. I think that it does happen because I am 67 years old now and I am a little bit overweight, however I am by far no deadly obese, just a bit too much. But I have to tell you that, unfortunately, I am not able to exercise because of the severe arthritis that I have as well as collapsing lumber spine with the arches in my feet too. Then my doctor has started me on (finally) Crestor now and that’s even though I have been complaining to him of my joint and my muscle pains. I do know very well that it is not so good for my body, however I do try very and very hard to cooperate with my doctor due to the fact that he is very dangerous in prescribing me pain killers for the problems I am having with spinal condition. I do see that he is willing me to be a cooperative patient (in fact… all doctors want) but I really try my best to obey to what he’s telling me to do.
So, I’ve got to tell you that my crestor dose it is now 5 mg and I am only using half of a pill every other day now. So far, it does a pretty good job in keeping my LDL levels under control. However, the biggest problem that I am now having (besides of the joint as well as muscle pains) it is that this Crestor is also causing me some very and very bad bowel cramps that I’ve never had such cramps in the past as well as some uncontrollable diarrhea. I can’t be sure if the diarrhea is from the drug, but since I know that the cramps are – I can assume that the diarrhea is either. I have to tell you that it is indeed very helpful to use a probiotic with the Crestor due to the fact that it is getting the bowel issues fixed for you pretty well. at least I one started to use a probiotic not so long ago and the bowel problems are being fixed. Frankly, I am trying my best not to take the crestor dosage each time that I can maintain a fat free diet. Whatever the end of the scenario, I really feel like I am going to die with my clogged up arteries. I am only trying now to search and find out how I can maintain a happy medium as well as to keep a quality of my life, at least a little bit, before I am going to die. And also, OP, I really hope that you are going to get fixed with that problem of yours soon. wishing you all the best!
So well, I have finally been able to convince my father to get off of his statin so I do know what you are talking about. he did felt like he did not need it anyway so why to simply take it and risk with your well being? To be honest, his doctor has not been very happy with me (in fact not happy at all) but my father is really eating well, all healthy, his cholesterol is by far not that bad and the tests that he has done showed that he has no heart issues at all. actually, I know that very low cholesterol levels are able to do more damaging to your health than medium (no damage at all) or the high levels, however this is a different subject I think so we would talk about it, maybe, later.
I do know that those muscle aches as well as pains, lack of energy, the brain fog as well as the feeling of premature aging… all of those negative side effects of those drugs are the results of the drugs that are depleting your COQ10 levels and this is the reason why this supplement, IMO, has to be mandatory to people taking them, or at least to be a recommendation of doctor to their patients. To be honest, I have even read that in the past, some years ago, Merck had actually created and have patented a statin drug that was actually containing COQ10 in the pill which means that you were taking the statin along with the supplement that was lowering the risk of having negative side effects. but, unfortunately, for some unknown reason to me, it did not get manufactured. But even so, what I am trying to say is that this means that even many years ago, the drug companies did knew about those issues the drugs were having and about the fact that the COQ10 is required to be added to the regimen in order to lower the risk chances. And yeah, one more very interesting thing that I am pretty sure most of you did not know – a low level of COQ10 can actually be the cause of a heart disease, so for some people who are using these (overprescribed, I do know that there are some people who are seriously thinking so highly of these that they think that they really should be added to our public drinking water) medications for high cholesterol, they are ending up with some heart issues that did not exist in the past. This is the reason why it is so important and why I keep telling you about this that you, at least, should use a COQ10 supplements when you are suing the statin prescribed. And please, try to understand what I am trying to tell, I do not want to tell you or anybody that people should completely and totally stop using their statins either, due to the fact that even though I really do not like and love them at all, I still do believe that there are at least some people who are finding them beneficial, otherwise I think that they wouldn’t even be on the market at all. and then again, please understand me right – I am not intending on scaring anybody away from using whatever the drug that may save their life or at least making it easier and better. all I do here is to point out for you that there are risks that a lot of people are forgetting about and there are even more risks than those that I have mentioned. I tell you that you should not forget to always do your research first and on non biased sites or publications that are not connected to the manufacturers of those drugs due to the fact that the manufacturers obviously would not tell you everything, in fact, they would tell you very little to maybe nothing at all. like for example sugar being the culprit of high cholesterol levels and not fat itself. As I said, read, research, do your homework. Taking drugs is a very serious step.
Alexandeeer
New member
Oh well, if you do not mind, I am going to share the experience I have with Crestor and I hope that it is going to be helpful at least for somebody. I have had to have 2 stents in my heart vessels approximately 10 years ago or so and I have also been, during the same time, prescribed Crestor as well, which I have been religiously using every single morning. Due to the fact that my cardiologist has been pleased with the improvements that I have had on my blood tests, I have continued on the dosage that I’ve been continuously. So well, anywhere in 2014 to 2015 or so I kept running across some of the articles about the Crestor saying that it is causing muscle pain, joint pain etc. I did know that I am already having arthritis and fibromyalgia but I only decided to experiment and see what happens with my blood tests after stopping to use the Crestor and what happens with my arthritis and fibromyalgia. Indeed, I saw some improvement on my pain level and I really liked this. I did know that I still have had to use something but since I did not really wanted to be in pain anymore, I have switched to an OTC supplement that it is called “Heart Savior” and even though I am only using half of what’s the recommended dosage – it still does work fine for me. and yeah, also, due to the fact that I have already been pre diabetes and had risks of having diabetes soon, I have started to eat healthy, I have put myself on a low carbohydrate diet, to the lowest level that I can. by doing so I am trying to keep my blood sugar at, at least, 120 or even below if that’s possible at all times. I am currently getting an A1C as well as Lipid Panel Done every 3 months and as long as I am taking the supplement that I purchase and eating the diet correctly, not cheating then all of my numbers are all great! I do know that it sounds to be too good but that’s true – they are even better than how they have been used to be while I have been on Crestor. This is why, I am truly thinking that it might be very well worth to consider it because I do realize that it might not work as it did on me, but what if it does? Think about it.
So, firstly I need to tell you hi people. I’ve got to mention that they have had my father on 20 mg of the drug called Lipitor which, as much as I understood, the lowest strength for that drug, but I am already having my concerns with my father with his other medical issues that he has. So, yeah, I am pretty worried right now about him. So well, I have discussed to my pharmacist about it and I wanted to find out how safe it is for my father to take that drug. so, here it is the advice that the pharmacist had for me:
the first one has been to switch to bergmet non mega until we could get the latter (BergaMet Mega) which it is more of a natural product and this is why it is not requiring a script or something like that. he told me that if we would do it then there are a number of benefits which are including: it could assist in the maintenance of the normal blood pressure in the healthy individuals, it may also assist in the maintenance of the cholesterol keeping it in a normal range in healthy individuals, it could assist in the maintenance of the normal health blood sugar/ glucose levels in healthy individuals. It may assist in the improvement of the LDL to HDL ratio either. It could assist the weight management in conjunction with a healthy diet as well as exercise. This product is helping to support and improve healthy arteries, it is helping the user’s body to metabolize fats better, quicker etc. and it is also helping to support cardiovascular health. He told me that there are many cardiologists out there who can swear by it, however the problem it is that the drug is not going to make the patient aware (royalty kickbacks, or at least this is my guest).
The second thing that he has recommended me is to put my father on Metamucil which has Psyllium Husk in it which is an extremely beneficial product in attacking the bad cholesterol and thus making it lower. And he as not to drink the juiced fruits, he told that he was only to eat them in their all natural state like that.
And now the third and the last one he said that I should find and give my father flaxseed because here are the benefits of it: Omega 3 essential fatty acids, the “good” fats that have been shown in order to have heart healthy effects. every single of tablespoon of ground flaxseed is containing approximately 1.8 or so grams of plant omega 3s. The lignans, which have both plant estrogen as well as antioxidant qualities. The Flaxseed is containing about 75 to 800 times more lignans than any other plant foods so it would be extremely beneficial to aim getting certainly Flaxseed. And lately it also has a lot of fiber which is another very big benefit. The Flaxseed is containing both the soluble as well as the insoluble types.
And now, in order to cut it short, they are stopping the Lipitor therapy and then they are replacing it with our therapy at our behest and did a blood test 3 months later. here is what we have got:
The HDL had risen up while the LDL had dropped down and the overall cholesterol count had dropped a little bit either (the body does need the cholesterol) and the last few blood tests that my father had have all been just fine, in fact, they have been excellent. So I really recommend you all to do the same. Since it helped my father so well, I guess that it must help you guys either. the doctors are now very happy to keep my father on the current regime and they are thankful to me for doing all of that saying that they are impressed and that I should go to a med institute either way, I just wrote all of this only trying to help you guys so I really hope that I did and some of you would find it helpful. I wish you all the best and stay safe.