My Cholesterol drug ( Bestatin ) is giving me bad side effects – looking for advice

[tomgreen]

At a recent hospital appointment I had a blood test done and the doctor said that my cholesterol level was high so they prescribed Bestatin 40mg. I have been taking that drug at bed time for a few weeks . After taking the Bestatin when I now wake up in the morning I have a really bad headache and some times feel nauseous , which I never had before taking Bestatin .

 

I have looked through other similar older topics here on cholesterol lowering drugs , but I’m looking for any up to date information on an alternative for Bestatin . I have also started a new exercise and diet regime that I hope will help my high cholesterol situation.

 

Any suggestions , comments or advice please .

 

Blood test results ( taken with out fasting before hand ) 

 

Cholesterol – 244 ( H ) 
Triglyceride – 83
HDL – 54
LDL – 173.4 ( H )
 

Tom 

[tifino]

Seeing the High LOL vs the Small HDL. ... 

The 'statin reduces Both! But you only want the LDL to be assassinated. 

Dump the 'statin as you'Lloyd be feeling off for as long as you use it.

 

Been thru this, as did mrs...

Dump the 'statins and go buy some good 150 COq10

This focuses on ridding the LDL and leaves the good HDL be... 

[Tayaout]

Try LCHF or zerocard diet under medical supervision. No need for statin. It's a scam. 

[RJRS1301]

I suggest you consult your medico and seek referral to dietician/nutritionist, moderating diet is better than only depending medication.

 

[Tayaout]

 

[alan grice]

Ive been taking 10 mg Zimmex Simvastatin for 6 years now, headache no more. 1 after last meal on the day.Worth a try.


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[alan grice]

Oh foregot, did cut out grave , sausage n Ferangy Offal type food , hence only 10 mg and still healthy results.


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[Pilotman]

Was prescribed statins 10 years ago, they gave me terrible back ache, so they went in the bin and I started to look at diet as the best option for cholesterol control.  I now am slimmer, fitter and have no cholesterol issues.  I don't take any medications. Diet and exercise above any prescribed medicines will always be the best option, at least for me. 

[essox essox]

i was going to suggest ZIMMEX....I take 40 mg before I sleep, as I was told to do this by  GOOD doctor in Uk years ago.

I would always take/use advice of a UK doc......better qualified than ones here, in my opinion

[sfokevin]

Try taking he bestatin in the morning (with a little food)  and see if the headaches change/disappear...

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, Tayaout said:

 

Well, this video says it all.  Should be required watching before anyone starts to take statins and blindly following the advice of Doctors without critical analysis of the benefits of medication to them personally. Doctors don't know everything.  Actually, its sobering to think how much they don't know and how much contradictory information is available to them and to the patient. 

[cheshiremusicman]

2 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

I suggest you consult your medico and seek referral to dietician/nutritionist, moderating diet is better than only depending medication.

 

I seem to recollect reading that 'Statins' are virtually useless for people over the age of 50, just good old 'Pharma' and the FDA together making a buck never-mind the kickback for the docs writing out the scripts. I read this (sorry can't remember where) when I was doing some research to try and help a friend that was concerned about health. Try 'googling' statins and find out just what the side effects are that they don't tell you about. Just my two penny worth!

[blackcab]

@Sheryl is away for a few days. I've tagged this post so she can reply to you when she gets back.

[tlandtday]

get off the drugs and correct your diet then see what happens.

[Puchaiyank]

Might try taking 1/2 tab in morning and at night...????

[cooked]

5 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

I suggest you consult your medico and seek referral to dietician/nutritionist, moderating diet is better than only depending medication.

 

If you would find ONE physician in Thailand that has even heard of using diet to treat this kind of problem I would  be VERY surprised. Just check your LDL regularly and make sure it doesn't go too low when you go low carb.

[puck2]

If the cholesterol is too high, check the internet ... like: "how to fight against excessive cholesterol" i.e. .

 

I'm surprised. Why do you only think of pharmaceutic products?

One way to fight it is:  moving.

• is free of costs
• no bad side effects
• more healthy
• burns the calories earned by fat eating and therefore reduces cholesterol.

Of course, it depends on your physical conditions. It worked for me by 100 %.

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

If you would find ONE physician in Thailand that has even heard of using diet to treat this kind of problem I would  be VERY surprised. Just check your LDL regularly and make sure it doesn't go too low when you go low carb.

If you can find more than a dozen doctors in Thailand who know more than the very basics of medical practice, bar those who are trained in the West,  I would be surprised. I have not met one yet who has any deep scientific knowledge, or scientific  curiosity. The over prescription of antibiotics is a prime example. I'm not sure how deep their human biology, chemistry and pharmacology learning goes here, not very deep if the evidence is their prescribing and background knowledge. 

[Sheryl]

First of all:  since your triglycerides are low the first thing you need to do is find out if the LDL is direct or indirect. Indirect LDL is an estimation and uses a formula that can be inaccurate when the TG level is unusually low or high. Basically the formula assumes TG level between 100 - 400.

 

If it was indirect (often the case) it needs to be repeated with a direct measure.  Until that is done you do not actually know what your LDL level is.

 

Secondly, the Cholesterol ratio is important as well as the LDL. Yours is too high but can be improved not just by reducing the LDL but also by raising the HDL. I suggest you start taking fish oil and/or eating more fish, especially oily fish like mackeral and tuna.

 

Thirdly, with your numbers (assuming the LDL is direct), there is a good chance that lifestyle modifications alone would be enough and this should have been tried first. In the West, this is the first line of approach for levels such as yours with medications used only if the patient is unable/unwilling to make the needed changes or the changes alone don't bring levels down enough.  Thai doctors tend not to bother, assuming patients will nto change their diets etc.

 

Basically what you need to do is:

 

1 - get more exercise on a regular basis. Although the more the better, any increase over your current level of activity is better than none and you should aim for things you can sustain as regular parts of your day over the long run.

 

2 - Avoid processed foods overall and processed carbs especially.  That includes white breads, pastas and white rice. Switch to brown rice, brown bread, wholewheat pasta and try to overall consume less rice/bread/pasta and more of other foods.

 

3 - consume more fiber. Oatmeal is very helpful and something many people find easy to add to their diet.

 

4- Eat more fruits and vegetables. (Will also help on the fiber front)

 

5- Use healthy oils like olive  oil. NO palm oil which is what most fried Thai foods are made with.

 

6- beans, legumes and nuts are also good but with nuts, as they are very caloric, keep it in moderation.

 

The above measures, if you can follow them, will certainly improve your lipid profile and possible to a point where no medication is needed.  In addition to improving your lipids and with that risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, these measures are associated with lower risks of cancer and other health problems.

 

IF despite lifestyle modifications your cholesterol ratio and/or non-HDL cholesterol  remain too high, there are medications other than statins that can be tried. (There are also other statins).  But try these measures first, and repeat labs after 3 months, making sure the LDL is a direct measurement.

 

[Saltire]

I agree with many of the posters that you should consider alternatives to statins. I was on Simvastatin for around 5 years but after reading up on the more modern thinking on colestorol decided to dump them a year ago. My lipids are up slightly but are easy to control on a keto (low carb high fat) lifestyle. I get a full range of blood tests ever 3 months or so.

 

What made up my mind was a similar video to the above which conclusively proved the claims by big pharma at the launch of statins that they reduced the chances of a coronary episode by 36% was a total statistical (deliberate) error. The real figure being 1%. With such a small potential reduction you have to ask if they are worth taking, I decided not. Also current thinking has shown high colestorol unless excessive, need not lead to health issues in every case.

 

I firmly believe that big pharma and several governments are directly to blame for the obesity crisis and global diabetes epidemic through just plain wrong diet advice for decades.

[cooked]

22 hours ago, Saltire said:

I agree with many of the posters that you should consider alternatives to statins. I was on Simvastatin for around 5 years but after reading up on the more modern thinking on colestorol decided to dump them a year ago. My lipids are up slightly but are easy to control on a keto (low carb high fat) lifestyle. I get a full range of blood tests ever 3 months or so.

 

What made up my mind was a similar video to the above which conclusively proved the claims by big pharma at the launch of statins that they reduced the chances of a coronary episode by 36% was a total statistical (deliberate) error. The real figure being 1%. With such a small potential reduction you have to ask if they are worth taking, I decided not. Also current thinking has shown high colestorol unless excessive, need not lead to health issues in every case.

 

I firmly believe that big pharma and several governments are directly to blame for the obesity crisis and global diabetes epidemic through just plain wrong diet advice for decades.

Use of statins also does NOT reduce mortality from all causes. Slightly less chance of having a CAC event but increased chance of developing diabetes and other related modern diseases.

[cooked]

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

First of all:  since your triglycerides are low the first thing you need to do is find out if the LDL is direct or indirect. Indirect LDL is an estimation and uses a formula that can be inaccurate when the TG level is unusually low or high. Basically the formula assumes TG level between 100 - 400.

 

If it was indirect (often the case) it needs to be repeated with a direct measure.  Until that is done you do not actually know what your LDL level is.

 

Secondly, the Cholesterol ratio is important as well as the LDL. Yours is too high but can be improved not just by reducing the LDL but also by raising the HDL. I suggest you start taking fish oil and/or eating more fish, especially oily fish like mackeral and tuna.

 

Thirdly, with your numbers (assuming the LDL is direct), there is a good chance that lifestyle modifications alone would be enough and this should have been tried first. In the West, this is the first line of approach for levels such as yours with medications used only if the patient is unable/unwilling to make the needed changes or the changes alone don't bring levels down enough.  Thai doctors tend not to bother, assuming patients will nto change their diets etc.

 

Basically what you need to do is:

 

1 - get more exercise on a regular basis. Although the more the better, any increase over your current level of activity is better than none and you should aim for things you can sustain as regular parts of your day over the long run.

 

2 - Avoid processed foods overall and processed carbs especially.  That includes white breads, pastas and white rice. Switch to brown rice, brown bread, wholewheat pasta and try to overall consume less rice/bread/pasta and more of other foods.

 

3 - consume more fiber. Oatmeal is very helpful and something many people find easy to add to their diet.

 

4- Eat more fruits and vegetables. (Will also help on the fiber front)

 

5- Use healthy oils like olive  oil. NO palm oil which is what most fried Thai foods are made with.

 

6- beans, legumes and nuts are also good but with nuts, as they are very caloric, keep it in moderation.

 

The above measures, if you can follow them, will certainly improve your lipid profile and possible to a point where no medication is needed.  In addition to improving your lipids and with that risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, these measures are associated with lower risks of cancer and other health problems.

 

IF despite lifestyle modifications your cholesterol ratio and/or non-HDL cholesterol  remain too high, there are medications other than statins that can be tried. (There are also other statins).  But try these measures first, and repeat labs after 3 months, making sure the LDL is a direct measurement.

 

I hate to contradict Sheryl but oatmeal is a high carb food, scientifically therefore, proved to be something to be avoided. If you are looking for something with a high fibre content then coconut flour, which can be used for making omelettes, thickening sauces, all sorts of things, is definitely more helpful.

[Tayaout]

6 minutes ago, cooked said:

Use of statins also does NOT reduce mortality from all causes. Slightly less chance of having a CAC event but increased chance of developing diabetes and other related modern diseases.

According to the aggregated analysis of multiple study in the video I posted it does increase your life span between 3-5 days. 50% get side effect including 25% that has extreme side effect. Up to you! 

[EricTh]

Statin is a scam, there are many Youtube videos on this. Watch this.

 

 

It gives you lower cholesterol but also other side effects if taken long term.

 

 

 

 

[ignis]

I take Bestatin 10mg  take 1 x mornings since 1991

[cooked]

55 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

According to the aggregated analysis of multiple study in the video I posted it does increase your life span between 3-5 days. 50% get side effect including 25% that has extreme side effect. Up to you! 

Let's not forget that for people that have already had a CAV event, statins + stents etc may be needed, but I am yet to be convinced. People laying at death's door are hardly in a position to tell doctors what medication they want. I did see a Youtube guy that had tattooed across his chest: "No stents! I WILL SUE!" 

Personally, the day that I was prescribed statins I went on internet, discovered Keto and subsequently, as well as never starting the statins I stopped my blood pressure meds also. Running 15 - 20 miles a week at age 71 now.

[Tayaout]

Lots of current information on cholesterol, low carbs, statins, etc. Here: https://www.youtube.com/user/lowcarbdownunder

[Berkshire]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

Use of statins also does NOT reduce mortality from all causes. Slightly less chance of having a CAC event but increased chance of developing diabetes and other related modern diseases.

Ever heard of this drug?  (https://www.vascepa.com/)

 

Taken in conjunction with a statin, it's supposed to reduce CDV events by like 25%.  Will be the next Lipitor.

[JAS21]

Well I am one of those unfortunate people with exercise and diet will not control that cholesterol level.

 

In 1993 at the age of 48 who did gym, cycle, run, play squash I had an MI. A few weeks later a  double bypass. Two weeks later I was back to cycling  10 miles before breakfast and later frequently cycled for 25 miles each way to work and back.

 

 Even though I was very careful with my diet my Cholesterol levels were unacceptable and I was put on a statin.  And from then my LDL was kept at a very low level. In fact at the level that is acceptable today for heart patients.

 

 In 2005 I had another MI.  They didn’t find a cause for it so maybe dehydrated  but it was within six weeks of a long aircraft flight.

 

 So the cardiologist added Ramapril, clopidogrel and ezetimibe.

 

 I did have a stent fitted in 2012 After a routine treadmill showed a problem. Somewhat unfortunately I had a bit of a problem a few days later so Ended up with some muscle damage.

 

So basically in 1993 even after the operation I still had some narrowing but they were too small to do anything with.  I was told you have enough capillaries to deal with it.

 

 I am on second generation  statins now.  Yes my muscles ache a bit but I’m still above ground and maybe wouldn’t  if the cardiologist at London Bridge Hospital had not started me on them when he did. 

 

I can still get into level four on the treadmill and have just had rotator cuff surgery and didn’t have a problem heart wise.

 

YMMV

PS I am having to dictate this using Siri so sorry for any bad English or punctuation. Siri doesn’t always listen!!

 

[cooked]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

Ever heard of this drug?  (https://www.vascepa.com/)

 

Taken in conjunction with a statin, it's supposed to reduce CDV events by like 25%.  Will be the next Lipitor.

As a result of being told lies by Big farma for many years, I'm afraid that I remain extremely sceptical.

It appears to be an derivative of Omega-3 and is meant for SEVERELY high trigs, which excludes most potential CAV patients. I haven't seen the studies so I am also sceptical about the 25% claim, sounds like the "reduction by 35% claim for statins, which was a manipulation of statistics bordering on fraud. 

The accompanying advice "eat low fat" is completely contradictory to what is proven (and completely ignored) research and science. So I'll give that a pass.