Question about Statins and Muscle weakenss

[Scuba_Greaves]

I’m going to keep this short…

I was doing some research about statins (rosuvastatin - crestor specifically), and most of the journals included effects such as “muscle weakness” and “muscle toxicity.”

Surely one would really want to monitor which type of AAS they are putting into their bodies (especially orals which are worse on cholesterol (read that also, so maybe I’m wrong).

Anyways, does anybody have some more insight about possible muscle weakness/toxicity due to statins (Crestor specifically)?

Thanks guys!

 

[Tony_Parks]

This study has a small sample size, but found that statins lower athletic performance in highly-trained athletes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1884475/. There are other studies similarly showing statins decrease exercise performance and lower willingness to exercise. They do this by suppressing the enzyme that causes your body to produce ATP, which is needed to recover from exercise. I wouldn’t use statins unless you’ve already had a cardiovascular event. The studies on statins have been widely misrepresented, and statins aren’t well understood by most doctors. Many doctors get reimbursed more from insurers if cholesterol numbers are below a certain target, and thus they indiscriminately hand out statins to anyone close to that target. If you ask questions about how they work, absolute risk reduction, or increased lifespan per year of life expectancy, you’ll get a blank look. The only group that has a significant longevity benefit from statins is those who have already had a cardiovascular issue, e.g., a stroke. The reason isn’t from lowering cholesterol but from statins powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Query whether a proper dose of aspirin would do the same thing. In any event, the supposed risk reduction to the general population from statins is the result of statistical sleight of hand. Any actual benefit is trivial. And not only do statins not provide a nontrivial benefit to those who haven’t already had a heart issue, they can cause problems such as decreased exercise performance and brain fog, among others. Your brain needs cholesterol. Statins are bad news in my view.

 

[Scuba_Greaves]

Tony Parks" pid='42726' dateline='1551029762:

This study has a small sample size, but found that statins lower athletic performance in highly-trained athletes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1884475/. There are other studies similarly showing statins decrease exercise performance and lower willingness to exercise. They do this by suppressing the enzyme that causes your body to produce ATP, which is needed to recover from exercise. I wouldn’t use statins unless you’ve already had a cardiovascular event. The studies on statins have been widely misrepresented, and statins aren’t well understood by most doctors. Many doctors get reimbursed more from insurers if cholesterol numbers are below a certain target, and thus they indiscriminately hand out statins to anyone close to that target. If you ask questions about how they work, absolute risk reduction, or increased lifespan per year of life expectancy, you’ll get a blank look. The only group that has a significant longevity benefit from statins is those who have already had a cardiovascular issue, e.g., a stroke. The reason isn’t from lowering cholesterol but from statins powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Query whether a proper dose of aspirin would do the same thing. In any event, the supposed risk reduction to the general population from statins is the result of statistical sleight of hand. Any actual benefit is trivial. And not only do statins not provide a nontrivial benefit to those who haven’t already had a heart issue, they can cause problems such as decreased exercise performance and brain fog, among others. Your brain needs cholesterol. Statins are bad news in my view.

Hell Yeah man! Thank you for the insight.

My doctor wants me on Crestor, and I just hate the thought of it… get bloods every three months, and I tried red yeasts rice (I guess a natural sort of statin), and it didn’t help my levels at all. I honestly don’t know shit about what my levels should be, (I’m 29), but I know it is a hereditary thing (dad has been on statins for a while (he is 67yrs old (looks 55) and as healthy as it gets.)

I work at a store that sells supplements, and anytime I talk to old people, they tell me “statins gave my mom Alzheimer’s” among other negative side effects.

Trying to drop all meds and even levels through diet, but sometimes (when it Is in your family), I guess those type of drugs are necessary. I still feel like I’m too young to be on the shit tho.

Thanks again for your QUICK reply and input

-Scuba

 

[appropionate]

statins are quite a controversial topic. I currently believe everything they’re used for can be resolved by nutrition/lifestyle changes, dodging all of the possible downsides attributed to statins. It does seem like statins are one of those drugs pharma/docs push for profit primarily.

 

[pyr0t3chnician]

Oatmeal for breakfast, fiber bar mid morning. High fiber diets help a lot, so more veggies and legumes. Cut out as much red meat as possible, stick to chicken, turkey, and fish. Try Citrus Bergamot supplements as well. Finally, add actual cardio to your workout, not just a warm up, and make sure you are doing it at least 3x week. Give it a solid 3-6 months and do bloods again… And then continue to stick with it… Forever.

Medicine with lots of side effects or a major lifestyle change.

My numbers were out of whack and I got them under control after about 9 months. My HDL is still bad (genetic) but my LDLs are upper normal. My ratio is the only thing that is off
Blasting royally messes them up, but they come back to normal afterwards.

Not a doc and don’t know your levels, but this helped me not need statins.

 

[HeathGT]

My cholesterol was all out of whack, I hopped on 20 mins of cardio 5 days a week at the end of my lifting and added Niacin once daily 500mg. Did bloods 2 months later and everything had changed drastically for the better. Cardio + Niacin worked for me.

 

[Scuba_Greaves]

@“pyr0t3chnician” & @“HeathGT” thank you both for the information!!

 

[jcs2000]

A very small proportion develop myositis (muscle inflammation) while on a statin. It is poorly understood and appears to be an idiopathic drug reaction. Usually presents with calf and thigh pain. Generally it develops within 90 days of starting. Avoid Crestor. Lipitor and Zocor have generally a lower risk. Overall this very uncommon side effect.

 

[keoking]

This week I finally had to swear off statins for good. Been taking Atorvastatin for the last 5+ years.

Natty, I was getting tingling, burning, and numbness in my upper left thigh. Annoying, but not debilitating.

Since hopping on, it has advanced to full Peripheral Neuropathy. Tingling in fingers / feet, then intermittent numbness, and then serious burning.

I drop the statin for several months, and try again. On my last attempt, I dropped the statin for 9 months and then gave it one last try. I was fine for several months, and then the hands started tingling and going dead on the air bike.

My Doctor was telling me for years that the thigh numbness was in my head, and a Dermatologist confirmed it. PN is a very low level side effect of statins, but it definitely appears that other meds can aggravate it.

 

[Scuba_Greaves]

keoking" pid='43618' dateline='1551567467:

This week I finally had to swear off statins for good. Been taking Atorvastatin for the last 5+ years.

Natty, I was getting tingling, burning, and numbness in my upper left thigh. Annoying, but not debilitating.

Since hopping on, it has advanced to full Peripheral Neuropathy. Tingling in fingers / feet, then intermittent numbness, and then serious burning.

I drop the statin for several months, and try again. On my last attempt, I dropped the statin for 9 months and then gave it one last try. I was fine for several months, and then the hands started tingling and going dead on the air bike.

My Doctor was telling me for years that the thigh numbness was in my head, and a Dermatologist confirmed it. PN is a very low level side effect of statins, but it definitely appears that other meds can aggravate it.

Bro, I get numbness in hands every night /upon waking up. I wonder if this is part of why! (Doctor said it’s either CT symptoms, or something to do with how I sleep…He wants me to wear wrist braces at night time lol)

Hope all is well with you, now!

Thanks for the input @“keoking”