Zocor and Cholesterol

[buch482]

I am a 68 yr old male. When 60, my new Dr. gave me a physical. All was fine but lipids were High, (TC 269, Trigs 212, LDL 187). He wrote Rx for 80 mg Zocor. After reading data sheet, I said, "No thanks." At 63, my new DR. (other Dr. left town), ordered blood test and lipids were still high, (TC 258, Trigs 213, LDL 176). He wrote Rx for 40mg Zocor and I again said, "no thanks, I'll try and lower lipids with diet and excersise." I asked if I could get a carotid artery test and he said, "Medicare won't pay for it so it isn't worth taking." I later went to a "Life Line" mobile lab to see if had a Carotid artery problem. Test showed Moderate Stenosis in my left ICR and my Dr. ordered a duplex test to verify the results. He wrote me Rx and free samples for Zocor 40mg and said if if I didn't take them I could die of a stroke. So at 64, I began taking Zocor and had all the problems mentioned in this forum. After three weeks on Zocor, my Lipids were (TC 132, Trigs 62, HDL 43, calc LDL 77), too low in my opinion. I started cutting my pills in half. and then Dr. wrote Rx for 20mg #!@*#. I cut those in half also. When Zocor's patent was ending, he wrote Rx for Vytorin, (Zocor+Zetia--a NEW PATENT!) I didn't take this or the Vioxx he presribed earlier, and quit statins at 67. I asked him later if I could have a C-reactive protein test and a Homocysteine test and he said the only thing that treats athersclerosis is statins and since I won't take statins there is no point in ordering those tests. I asked if isn't the fish oil I was taking was a good anti-inflmmatory treatment for atherosclerosis and he said "No, inflammtion doesn't cause atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis causes inflammation. Is what this man is telling me the truth, or shoulld I get a new Doctor. Frankly, I think he, along with the FDA and Congress are pimps for Big Pharma. Oct 2008: TC220, Trigs 145, HDL 35, LDL 156, TC/HDL 6.29 (I'm going to settle for this.)

[Darrell]

"No, inflammtion doesn't cause atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis causes inflammation."
Get a new doctor.

[cjbrooksjc]

This Dr. either doesn't want to be frank with you (he's blowing you off), or he is a total dolt. Inflammation is the primary cause of arterial narrowing because cholesterol sticks to the inflammation site. AND it has been recently shown that Zocor and Vytorin both cause FURTHER narrowing of the artery wall (look for the recent thread in the STATIN category). My opinion. Get a new doctor.

Best,

Brooks

[catamaran]

Take that expensive prescription and toss it into the bin before you suffer some serious negative side-effects from its use.

Before I knew better I was taking Zocor for ten years. Aside from constant muscle involvement the only permanent damage I have suffered seems to be a reduction in lung efficiency probably resulting from statin-induced pulmonary inflammation.

As for atherosclerosis, inflammation is not the cause, but the body's natural response to the breakdown of an artery compromised by years of vitamin C deficiency. The process: Chronic vitamin C deficiency; reduced arterial mechanical integrity; break down, disintegration of the vessel wall; invasion of the artery walls by blood factors including clotting agent LPa; inflammation as white blood cells rush in to clean up the invaders and make repairs; insufficient ascorbate carried by the white blood cells to initiate repairs followed by cell proliferation, the body's only recourse to insufficient ascorbate to rebuild the compromised vessel wall; reduction of the area of the lumen as vessel walls thicken from the cell-proliferation process; ultimate thrombosis caused by fatally compromised vessel.