So Far So Good

I've now been taking Vytorin for 4 days, and don't notice any side effects. I'd like to be able to take this drug to bring my LDL count down and when my work life stabilizes take myself off the drug to see whether a non-stressful life will keep it down.

Vytorin

For the past year and a half, after taking myself off of Crestor, I've been having oatmeal 3 or 4 times a week, and on days when I don't have oatmeal, I have toast with either extra virgin olive oil spread on the toast, or Take Control. These are supposed to lower cholesterol. I've added Niacin to my herbal supplement intake, and I no longer eat pizza. My cholesterol has dropped as a result of these measures, but my blood work up 2 weeks ago shows that my LDL, bad cholesterol level, is 161. The target is for it to be below 100. This means that plaque is probably beginning to build up in my arteries, and I am afraid of following in my dad's footsteps to an early grave. He died of a massive heart attack at 65. I'm 4 months from 59.

My doctor has prescribed Vytorin, which I will take tomorrow evening and continue taking for a month and then return for another blood work up. I hope my body is more receptive to this drug than it was to Crestor, which after 10 days cramped my entire body. I'll blog about my use of the drug and whether there are any noticeable changes, or counter indications.

Doing It My Way

I got my high LDL (bad cholesterol) by eating a steady diet of pizza, so if bad diet was an important reason for my 241 overall count, and if my system responded negatively to Crestor, a statin, then I would see if I could reverse the problem with a healthier diet. I began by having a bowl of oatmeal almost every other day and using Take Control on my morning toast. I also cut pizza out of my diet and have added more tuna, sardines, and salmon. Six months into this new diet, my overall cholesterol count is 191. It's never been this low. My LDL has dropped to 126; it had been 171 six months ago.

Now that I am finished with my Masters, I can exercise more, and really get healthy!

Crestor Isn't Right for Me

When I woke up on Friday morning, 11 days after beginning Crestor, I was feeling achy, but the day before at work, I was hauling computers around, setting them up, and carrying old monitors away, so I thought that was why I was feeling sore. I'd been working pretty intently that week to set up some computer systems at work, so I gave in to the sore feeling and went back to sleep, figuring I'd just call in late. But a few hours later, my stomach felt cramped and my muscles in my shoulders felt like I'd just carried my super fat cousin Nelson up a hill. So I called in sick for the entire day. But the sore muscles and the cramping persisted. It wasn't until late that day after sleeping on and off for about 15 hours that I got up and tried to have a bowl of oatmeal and some coffee. I had no appetite either, although the coffee tasted good. I think even on my death bed, a cup of coffee would taste good. In any case, it occurred to me that if I was having bad side effects from Crestor that's exactly how I'd be feeling. Muscle aches, cramps, nausea. So I took myself off of the Crestor. I felt better after sleeping into early afternoon on Saturday, my second day without Crestor, still the muscles were tender, even after a foray to the Club for spa, sauna, steam, and a few laps in the pool. By Sunday, today, I feel my old self again, and will talk to my doctor tomorrow about what I might take instead. Is there a milder statin?

Just a Little Bit Sore

Right shoulder feeling a little sore. This is my fifth day of using Crestor.

Day 3

Today, I took my 3rd dose of Crestor. I haven't noticed any side effects yet. No muscle aches yet. That is supposed to be the most prominent side effect. I've always been awestruck by how a little pill can control blood pressure or the accumulation of plaque in the arteries, or manage the level of sugar in the blood, or provide a calming effect from panic attacks, or cause hallucinations and a distorted concept of time and reality.

Does the Doctor Know Best

I did not take my Crestor today, but called the doctor instead to discuss his choice of cholesterol medication. I had read theat Crestor's risk outweighed its success in comparison to a few other statin based anti-cholesterol drugs. He told me that recent studies, including one in Lancet, claim the opposite, that Crestor's side effects do not occur as frequently as others and that it is very effective. I going to research this a little more and by morning I may begin taking Crestor. I intend to use this blog to discuss any changes that I notice in my body and/or energy level.