Cholesterol

[Raider Bill]

I'm one who used to not be able to gain weight no matter what I ate. In the last few years that has changed and I can put on weight in my belly.  

Yep, me too. Smartest thing I ever did was in my mid-20's, knowing I couldn't go on eating like that forever, having the realization that one day I was going to wake up fat if I wasn't careful.

I wake up fat every day. :D :D

have to know about side effects and monitor for them.  better than having a stroke or heart attack.  always risk vs benefit.  drugs with no side effects prob. have little or no benefit.  

The pain kept me up at night. Nothing relived it except stopping the statins.
Supposedly there is a "new" statin out that doesn't cause the muscle pain but it's very expensive and my Ins will not cover.

[21incher]

It's in my family so I am plagued with it also. I tried satins and they nearly crippled me with muscle pain. Went on Crestor for years and it was under control with no side effects. 3 years ago my insurance company tried switching me to a generic Crestor and I had same side effects as statins. They refused to supply Crestor so I had to stop taking everything because I didn't want to pay $734.00 for Crestor every 3 months. My cholesterol spiked back up and my cardiologist applied for bimonthly injections as my only other option. Once the insurance company found out they couldn't reject them and they cost over $20k a year they put me back on Crestor and it's good again. Generics definitely have different side effects then name brands.

[Ianab]

It's not so much the "generic" vs brand name thing. The default cholesterol drug is Atorvastatin, usually sold as Lipitor. It's basically a generic drug, made by several companies, and dirt cheap. Hence that's the default one that you will be given. 

For most people it works fine, but the most common side effect is muscle pain. There are other Statin type drugs that can be prescribed, but they are more expensive, and have their own set of side effects. Fortunately they are different from the Lipitor ones, so chances are that if Lipitor upsets you, the others wont. 

After a few months on Atorvastatin I basically told my Dr that I wasn't going to take it any more as it was crippling me. That was enough justification to switch me to Pravastatin (Pravachol). Both are funded by the Govt drug agency, but you can only get the more expensive ones if you can't tolerate the cheap one.

I does sound like it can need a bit more of a push to get switched over in the US, depending on your insurance? But there are those other options.

[Dave Shepard]

Atorvastatin out of pocket was just under $300 a month here a year ago.

When my father was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic 26 years ago, he was put on Crestor abd bp medication despite having excellent cholesterol numbers and good bp because everyone diagnosed as a diabetic was put on cholesterol and bp meds. It robbed him of all his muscle, which he has never recovered from. 

[Ianab]

From their own web page.

CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) may cause serious side effects, including:

Muscle pain, tenderness and weakness (myopathy). Muscle problems, including muscle breakdown, can be serious in some people and rarely cause kidney damage that can lead to death. Tell your doctor right away if:

But this gets us into a whole can of worms with cost of healthcare etc. There are different drugs available that work differently, but you can't afford them.  :-\ Or the insurance doesn't cover them.

[Texas Ranger]

have to know about side effects and monitor for them.  better than having a stroke or heart attack.  always risk vs benefit.  drugs with no side effects prob. have little or no benefit.  

I meant adverse side effects, it keeps my numbers down.

[Dave Shepard]

From their own web page.

CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) may cause serious side effects, including:

Muscle pain, tenderness and weakness (myopathy). Muscle problems, including muscle breakdown, can be serious in some people and rarely cause kidney damage that can lead to death. Tell your doctor right away if:

But this gets us into a whole can of worms with cost of healthcare etc. There are different drugs available that work differently, but you can't afford them.  :-\ Or the insurance doesn't cover them.

In my case, I immediately contacted my doctor when I linked my symptoms to the possible side effects. I was told I was on what I was supposed to be on. The next doctor refused to even discuss it. I  guess I'll just go home and die from my medications.  :

[doc henderson]

your doc should be checking labs, like a CK.  (muscle enzyme).   call back and tell them you want labs to check for muscle pain.  it is often a nurse fielding the calls, and not wanting to add to a busy schedule.  did you talk with the doc?  if you get rhabdomyolysis, it can crunch you kidneys.