Re: On and off?

March 12, 2005

Barbara... welcome to the group.

What an interesting and novel concept. Three times a year!

Ask your doctor where he heard of this idea. It is interesting that

this is not being used by the drs. of the US.

The pharmaceutical reps would just fall over if they heard of this

practice. It goes against the grain of everything that medicine is

made for in the USA.

The medical community here believe that when you start taking Lipitor

you should continue taking it until you die (which sometimes happens).

Can you send some of those drs. there up here?

With this kind of a regimen for taking drugs, the pharma. cos. would

go broke. Up here they want you to continue to take the drug. Three

times a year for only 25 days each time would be a tremendous cut

into their profits. The stockholders would not like that at all.

I would love to find out where he came up with this idea for 3 x @ 25

days each for Lipitor. Does he believe this for Zocor and the other

statins too?

Keep in touch!

Ed Gundy

Moderator

>

> Hi,

> I'm new to this site, and I'm also new to Lipitor.

> Background: I'm a former New Yorker, basically very medication-

> averse. I live in Brazil now, where I've found the approach to

> patients, medicine and medical treatment much more oriented toward

> the human side. It's wonderfully refreshing!

> That said, here's my question: though I present no risk factors at

> all, I have a high cholesterol (248) and a high LDL (152). My

doctor

> here denies that once you start a course of Lipitor you must

> continue to take it, without a break, forever. He has devised a

plan

> whereby I take Lipitor 3 times a year for 25 days each time, and

> control the high readings using this on again/off again dosing.

> I've done one dose, had NO side effects, and succeeded in crashing

> the LDL down to 56. Then, after three months off Lipitor, a recent

> blood test showed cholesterol back up to 244 and LDL back up to

138.

> Before I start another dose, anyone have any comments?

> Barbara

March 12, 2005

Hello Barbara.I wish you could share some of your surrondings with us too. I betcha it's breath taking not far from where you live....or maybe right where you DO live. It just dumped 3" of snow here in Michigan today. I wonder what your Doc hopes to keep your numbers at long term. Does this type of treatment cycle you into a level. Does it build up a wall of prevention?? I really would like to know. I would try the Doc's way in a minute. Maybe it has a rather good outcome? Please follow up with us if you can. I take my Zocor in half, with days off inbetween. I'm doing it at my own risk. I get my blood tested every 2 months or so. I'll post in the next 2 weeks what my levels are this time. Good luck....try the plan. Enjoy your life!!barbara_lowenstein wrote:

Hi,whereby I take Lipitor 3 times a year for 25 days each time, and control the high readings using this on again/off again dosing. I've done one dose, had NO side effects, and succeeded in crashing the LDL down to 56. Then, after three months off Lipitor, a recent blood test showed cholesterol back up to 244 and LDL back up to 138. Before I start another dose, anyone have any comments?BarbaraPlease and Thanx, Bogie__________________________________________________

March 13, 2005

Barbara

What about your diet? Did this change? Without changing your diet and

paying attention to what and how much you eat will have some to do with

it. I take herbal remedies to help keep mine down. Cayenne and garlic.

It's best to get them in true form. A couple of cloves a day along with

several peppers.

Hershell

barbara_lowenstein wrote:

Hi,

I'm new to this site, and I'm also new to Lipitor. Background: I'm a former New Yorker, basically very medication-

averse. I live in Brazil now, where I've found the approach to patients, medicine and medical treatment much more oriented toward the human side. It's wonderfully refreshing!

That said, here's my question: though I present no risk factors at all, I have a high cholesterol (248) and a high LDL (152). My doctor here denies that once you start a course of Lipitor you must continue to take it, without a break, forever. He has devised a plan whereby I take Lipitor 3 times a year for 25 days each time, and control the high readings using this on again/off again dosing. I've done one dose, had NO side effects, and succeeded in crashing the LDL down to 56. Then, after three months off Lipitor, a recent blood test showed cholesterol back up to 244 and LDL back up to 138. Before I start another dose, anyone have any comments?

Barbara

March 14, 2005

He hasn't had any tests yet. He is making an appointment to go shortly. Up until now, they haven't done anything about it. That's why I am doing some research myself, so I can go in there with the information and say, do these tests, check this. According to them, just going off the meds should have corrected the problem. So they are stumped now. Is there a particular type of doc he should be seeing? I could ask for a referral to a specialist if I knew of a kind of specialist that would know better about this problem.

Chrissie,

I am so sorry that you and your husband are victims now, too, like the rest of us. I heard the same story, too, that it couldn't be the statin, or the neuropathy would have corrected itself when I went off the drug.

He did have liver function tests come back high, but they did some other stuff, then said to just not worry about it. It is probably normal for him. I don't agree with this, which is why I want to get some info for myself. He will be going to a different doc in the practice this time, so maybe he'll get better results....let's hope.

They told me the same thing, that the high liver tests were normal for me. They must get together and rehearse what they will say to all of us, their lies, these DR's without scruples or integrity or conscience.

My husband is only 47 yrs old and is wobbling around like an old man. He used to be quite strong, and now I can easily overpower him. He complains constantly of being in pain and weak. He can't even walk through a store without complaining of his legs hurting. His sleep is effected by the constant leg aches too. He does have psoriatic arthritis also, so maybe the Lipitor in conjuntion with the Psoriasis triggered something? I don't know. But the muscle weakness definitely started when he went on the Lipitor.

It sounds like he does have the symptoms of statins, without a doubt, the DR's deny it, even though it's there, right in the pharma insert you can get from the pharmacy.

Will the CoQ10 help after the fact, or is it something that should have been taken with the Lipitor? Will it do any good now, since he has been off the Lipitor for many many months, maybe close to a year now?

I've been off the statins since last April, and no improvement either. Taking Q-10 can't hurt, and maybe he could take other antioxidants as well, such as grapeseed, olive leaf, there are more, I can't recall all of them at this moment.

Les.

PS I like your screen name, I'm a Shih Tzu Mom, too !!

Les .

March 14, 2005

I am new to this list and have a question. My husband was on Lipitor for about 8 months which caused severe muscle weakening. When he told the doc, she took him off the Lipitor and put him on Zocor, I believe. It did the same thing and he went off it himself and hasn't been on anything else for months now. But, the muscle extreme weakness, and symptoms which seem to mimic fibromyalgia hasn't gone away. Has anyone had their symptoms from Lipitor remain after going off the meds? And is there anything that can be done about it? Could the Lipitor have triggered something else, or is this still a continuing side effect of the Lipitor itself?

Chrissie

shihtzumom@...

March 14, 2005

Hi Chrissie,

Welcome to the group.

Both Lipitor and Zocor are statins and both can cause severe

muscle pain. Even though Lipitor is more potent than Zocor,

just changing from one statin to another can cause a more

severe reaction.

Is your husband taking CoQ10? Statins deplete this vital

nutrient and one of the main reasons people suffer statin

side effects.

What blood tests did your husband's doctor perform, other

than a liver function test?

CPK blood test might prove that statins are causing muscle

damage, but this test is not always reliable.

What is your husband's doctor saying or is the doctor

stumped as most are today?

Leigh

> I am new to this list and have a question. My husband was on

Lipitor for about 8 months which caused severe muscle weakening.

When he told the doc, she took him off the Lipitor and put him on

Zocor, I believe. It did the same thing and he went off it himself

and hasn't been on anything else for months now. But, the muscle

extreme weakness, and symptoms which seem to mimic fibromyalgia

hasn't gone away. Has anyone had their symptoms from Lipitor remain

after going off the meds? And is there anything that can be done

about it? Could the Lipitor have triggered something else, or is

this still a continuing side effect of the Lipitor itself?

>

> Chrissie

> shihtzumom@s...

March 14, 2005

He hasn't had any tests yet. He is making an appointment to go shortly. Up until now, they haven't done anything about it. That's why I am doing some research myself, so I can go in there with the information and say, do these tests, check this. According to them, just going off the meds should have corrected the problem. So they are stumped now. Is there a particular type of doc he should be seeing? I could ask for a referral to a specialist if I knew of a kind of specialist that would know better about this problem.

He did have liver function tests come back high, but they did some other stuff, then said to just not worry about it. It is probably normal for him. I don't agree with this, which is why I want to get some info for myself. He will be going to a different doc in the practice this time, so maybe he'll get better results....let's hope.

My husband is only 47 yrs old and is wobbling around like an old man. He used to be quite strong, and now I can easily overpower him. He complains constantly of being in pain and weak. He can't even walk through a store without complaining of his legs hurting. His sleep is effected by the constant leg aches too. He does have psoriatic arthritis also, so maybe the Lipitor in conjuntion with the Psoriasis triggered something? I don't know. But the muscle weakness definitely started when he went on the Lipitor.

Will the CoQ10 help after the fact, or is it something that should have been taken with the Lipitor? Will it do any good now, since he has been off the Lipitor for many many months, maybe close to a year now?