Guest guest Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444385_print Lipid-lowering agents and Myopathy. Wortmann, MD. May require free Medscape registration to view.) Brief quotes: Each of the lipid-lowering agents available today can cause myopathy. The severity of the muscle disorder may vary from trivial myalgias or elevations of creatine kinase in asymptomatic individuals to rhabdomyolysis with myoglobinuria, renal failure, and death. Fortunately, significant myopathy occurs at a low rate. Myalgias and cramps are the most common muscle-related side effects reported with lipid-lowering drugs, although the overall frequency is low (approximately 0.1%). The concomitant use of drugs such as cyclosporine or erythromycin with nicotinic acid, fibrates, or statins as well using a combination of lipid-lowering drugs increases the risk of myotoxicity. Patients with uncontrolled hypothyroidism, muscle coenzyme Q10 deficiency, muscle glycogenoses, or mitochondrial cytopathies should not use these medications. If a patient taking a lipid-lowering drug develops myopathy, the drug should be discontinued. A trial of coenzyme Q10, 60 mg orally twice a day for 2 months, may be considered in patients who were taking a statin. If symptoms persist despite these interventions, a muscle biopsy is probably indicated. The use of a lipid-lowering agent may have unmasked an underlying condition. However, the myopathy might be unrelated to the lipid-lowering drug. The list of conditions and diseases that can cause muscle cramps, weakness, and elevated serum CK levels is lengthy, even in those patients. Note: Both fibrates and statins are known to induce myopathy in some patients. Hope this helps. B _____ From: Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:45 PM To: Subject: high cholesterol I now have high bad cholesterol..I remember the discussions as to what mito folk could safely take, but that was when I didn't have the problem and I did not save any of the information..Could anyone tell me what to tell the Dr. that I can take..? She wants to put me on statins and I remember reading the info that they were bad for us... Thanks for any help and suggestions and names of the safe drugs.........I am trying to lower it the natural way by watching my diet, but it isn't working fast enough. Thanks, from FL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I and other people in my family take 1 to 2 tsp. of ground flax seed per day, which in addition to lowering cholesterol levels for some people, promotes regularity. Me and my husband share our ground flax seed over ice cream. I think the brand is " Dakota Gold " , and we grind it in a coffee grinder. Lots of nice omega-3 fatty acids in it. I have a lot of friends w/o mito who have problems taking statins (shakes, weakness) after even a short period of time, and my MIL is on a statin drug and we give her CoQ10 to combat its depletion from the statin. I am not a medical doctor, so this is just our experience. Take care, RH > I now have high bad cholesterol..I remember the discussions as to what mito folk could safely take, but that was when I didn't have the problem and I did not save any of the information..Could anyone tell me what to tell the Dr. that I can take..? She wants to put me on statins and I remember reading the info that they were bad for us... > Thanks for any help and suggestions and names of the safe drugs.........I am trying to lower it the natural way by watching my diet, but it isn't working fast enough. > Thanks, from FL > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 RH I take essential oils (gel cap with fish oil, fax seed and borage seed). It lowered mine from over 200 to around 150. I tried two different statins for long periods of time which only lowered it to about 190. I'm a believer. laurie > > > I and other people in my family take 1 to 2 tsp. of ground flax seed > per day, which in addition to lowering cholesterol levels for some > people, promotes regularity. Me and my husband share our ground flax > seed over ice cream. > > I think the brand is " Dakota Gold " , and we grind it in a coffee > grinder. Lots of nice omega-3 fatty acids in it. > > I have a lot of friends w/o mito who have problems taking statins > (shakes, weakness) after even a short period of time, and my MIL is > on a statin drug and we give her CoQ10 to combat its depletion from > the statin. I am not a medical doctor, so this is just our > experience. > > Take care, > RH > > > > I now have high bad cholesterol..I remember the discussions as to > what mito folk could safely take, but that was when I didn't have the > problem and I did not save any of the information..Could anyone tell > me what to tell the Dr. that I can take..? She wants to put me on > statins and I remember reading the info that they were bad for us... > > Thanks for any help and suggestions and names of the safe > drugs.........I am trying to lower it the natural way by watching my > diet, but it isn't working fast enough. > > Thanks, from FL > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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