Doctors tell us that it is dangerous and foolhardy to stop a statin cholesterol drug and that heart attack may be imminent if you do.
Is there any truth to these claims?
Undoctored Can Make You Smarter Than Your Doctor
Undoctored Can Make You Smarter Than Your Doctor
Doctors tell us that it is dangerous and foolhardy to stop a statin cholesterol drug and that heart attack may be imminent if you do.
Is there any truth to these claims?
Darrel Tanelian (MD, PhD) was at Southwest Medical when Statin was fraudulently introduced by by hiding the negative effects that were known. The doctor who created it got filthy rich. Darrel left formal medicine.
I am a homecare nurse and the majority of my day is spent teaching patients. When I suggest Metamucil instead of statins, people thing I’ve lost my mind. But it’s true and I challenge them to try for 3 months and I’m always proven right. I love being right!
Brenda wrote: «I am a homecare nurse and the majority of my day is spent teaching patients.»
And what do you teach them about diet and supplements?
re: «When I suggest Metamucil instead of statins, people thing I’ve lost my mind.»
What Metamucil product, and on what theory of action? I’m no fan of statins, but this is new to me.
Psyllium (bulk, unsweetened) is used in some Undoctored and Wheat Belly recipes, but not as a generally recommended supplement. It’s an insoluble fiber, of which we need some, but it’s of no real benefit as a prebiotic for cultivating gut flora. Although the Meta line has capsules that are just psyllium, they of course aren’t economical as a recipe ingredient.
As far as I can tell from a look at over a dozen of their other products just now, none are compatible with the program here. They all have at least one disqualifying contaminant from this list, in no particular order: wheat, soy, sugars, flavorant, preservative, adverse emulsifiers, colorant, calcium, oats, artificial sweetener.
I actually used to be a routine consumer of that brand. The “need” for them mysteriously vanished shortly after switching to Wheat Belly in 2011.
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Thanks, Dr. D. I’m stopping this bleeping statin (Atorvastatin 10 mg) right now. My PCP insists it prevents strokes – I had an (apparent) TIA in Feb. and spent 3 days in the hospital while they looked for a clot (didn’t find any). Also wore a Holter monitor for a couple of weeks – no Afib. I’ve complained about sore muscles before and got the dose reduced – was 40 mg at one time. But now I hurt all over and get horrible cramps when I try to get out of bed. I can stick to the daily baby aspirin to stave off strokes. I could just forget to mention the no-statin unless she asks about it.
BTW, I’ve been a WB disciple for 6 years now. I lost about 40 lb early on – it was 6 months after a knee replacement when I started. It took a whole week (!) to get me off insulin, glipizide, and losartan. (different Dr in those days – he got run off for wasting time talking with patients) I kept on the metformin until last year. The past couple of years I’ve gained about 10 lb back. My arthritis (which disappeared after WB start) is back now, and worse. It’s in both feet and hands. I joined Undoctored for advice and to see what others are doing / saying. Maybe start over from the beginning?
Thanks again, and sorry about the long message
Susan Goss wrote: «I’m stopping this bleeping statin (Atorvastatin 10 mg) right now. My PCP insists it prevents strokes…»
The reverse might be true on that, particularly for anyone who has a stroke history (which you may not).
re: «I’ve complained about sore muscles before and got the dose reduced…»
I don’t suppose any of your statin pushers suggested that a CoQ10 supplement might help with that.
re: «…I’ve been a WB disciple for 6 years now.»
That would place it in 2013, or about a year prior to Wheat Belly Total Health (2014), which added the topic of gut flora cultivation (and made some elements of the original 2011 book more clear).
re: «I kept on the metformin until last year.»
How are the metabolic markers lately; fasting BG, HbA1c, triglycerides? Actually, there are a bunch more markers we could explore, although this blog format is far from ideal for that.
re: «Maybe start over from the beginning?»
If you just want to book it, Undoctored would be the go-to resource now.
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Thanks, Bob. I have (and have read) all the books, including Undoctored. I’m a better reader than watcher of videos or blogger. I’ve become a very good cook and have a box of my favorite WB recipes. But when I saw the statin posts I had to join in. As Dr. Davis said in the video, many of us are afraid of being “fired” by our doctors. When you’re old (I’ll be 75 next month), it’s hard to find a provider; and medicare (at least in MT) won’t pay for naturopaths. I had a sympathetic DO for a while, but she left.
I’m seeing my PCP next month. I always ask for lab tests (I was a Med. Tech. once) but always have to argue for them. Any suggestions on what to ask for? (I love lab tests, wish I could order my own.)
My A1C has been pretty good, 5.8 – 6.2 for the past couple of years. My FBG is the highest of the day – goes up during the night. ( Last night 99 at bedtime, this AM 140) The ran lots of tests in the hospital – CBC, chem panel, and lipid profile – all within normal range for their lab. TC was 178, trig 109, HDL 54, (calc) LDL 102
I do take CoQ10 – found out about it on my own though. I take one Qunol at night along with the statin (which I just noticed is 20 and not 10 mg when I was putting the pills back in the bottle).
Have you had a CT coronary calcium score to see if you have any calcium buildup in your heart or arteries? Check out the Widowmaker video https://youtu.be/NSPcuGjstN4
Carolyn O’Connor wrote: «check out the Widowmaker video…»
For those unfamiliar with the back-story, the sponsor who produced that movie learned of CAC scans from Dr. Davis.
See also on the blog:
Why you should have a CT heart scan
What is better than a CT heart scan?
And to forestall any disappointment, CT calcium scans are not something you can usually web order. Depending on region, you may or may not be able to phone order your own (we can in Kansas).
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Susan Goss wrote: «But when I saw the statin posts I had to join in.»
Expect it to be a continuing topic, because the statin pushers are still at it, and now figuring out how to game CAC scores. The JACC lately had a paper (pay-walled, natch) that is being spun as statins being beneficial at higher calcium scores. The problems are:
1. MACE focus
The abstract and press stories are focused on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events, and silent on ACM (All-Cause Mortality). If there was an ACM benefit, I’d expect them to have led with it.
2. The missing subtitle
The tables they did reveal clearly show zero MACE benefit for statins at CAC score zero. They show nil MACE benefit for 1-100 scores. We really need to see the ACM for those cohorts.
re: «…many of us are afraid of being “fired” by our doctors.»
If you need to find a real doctor, the process has to start somewhere. Not sure it matters who fires who.
re: «…it’s hard to find a provider; and medicare (at least in MT) won’t pay for naturopaths.»
The nice thing about being healthy is that you don’t then need a sick care provider.
re: «I always ask for lab tests (I was a Med. Tech. once) but always have to argue for them. Any suggestions on what to ask for?»
Here’s the list (plus CBC). Being in MT, you can order many of these on your own. If you have a LabCorp office handy, the Life Extension product line has many of the tests we rely on.
re: «My A1C has been pretty good, 5.8 – 6.2 for the past couple of years.»
As you likely know, that’s considered pre-diabetic. Program target is 4.0-5.0%. The elevated FBGs, and the high TG, are concordant with that, and suggest that your net carb consumption is higher than you suppose. Tracking some +30…60 min. postprandial BGs would help ID the dietary culprits. Some of the elevation may be due to the statins per se. They do that (increase risk of diabetes).
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Dr. Davis, I had Cleveland Clinic bloodwork done at my last physical and my High-sensitivity CRP (I assume this is C reactive protein?) came back high 52.4 and my myeloperoxidase also high 569. My doctor was very worried about these results and finally convinced me to take a statin. HDL 77 Triglicerides 96. Can you shed any light on this?
Mary Pat Kochenash wrote: «…my High-sensitivity CRP (I assume this is C reactive protein?) came back high 52.4 and my myeloperoxidase also high 569.»
I’m not Dr. Davis. As I understand it, hsCRP and MPO are both inflammation markers. There are others, but those appear sufficiently elevated as to require some understanding. What might be afoot? an infection (possibly chronic, like a number of oral conditions), an injury, some inflammation specific to some organ are all candidates.
Even with any of the markers we commonly follow, I’m not sure how much progress could be made in this blog format.
re: «My doctor was very worried about these results and finally convinced me to take a statin.»
With what diagnosis? Even if the doctor made some effort to discover the root cause of the inflammation, how is a statin expected to address that? Is it going to do any more than a random NSAID would (and those don’t fix the root cause either).
re: «HDL 77 Triglicerides 96.»
HDL is in program range. TG is elevated (our cap is 60 mg/dL). What diet/lifestyle are you on, and for how long? Any of the labs linked above might be worth exploring for clues on next steps.
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Thank you. I had three month bloodwork done yesterday, awaiting results, to see if it’s changed, and then she said she will check sources of inflammation. So we will see. She believes the statin reduces risk of heart attack. I do follow wheat belly, will have to re-evaluate how well I am doing. Thanks again for input. Working on getting the triglycerides down.
Mary Pat Kochenash wrote: «She believes the statin reduces risk of heart attack.»
Most doctors do. It’s their religion. My read of the data suggest that for people on standard diets, a statin reduces MACE (major adverse cardiac event) risk, but raises risks of other problems, for a net benefit risk reduction of perhaps 1%. This trivial number may be lower for females. There’s tons that can be done that deliver more risk reduction than that, and without the side effects of statins.
re: «I do follow wheat belly…»
What vintage of reference information? The 2014+ information (Wheat Belly Total Health) is more clear and detailed on strategy. The latest info is Undoctored.
We can chat about the labs when you get the results.
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Many thanks, you’ve been so helpful!