Statin update. It seems I am even intolerant to 5 mg of Atorvastatin. I switched to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday night dosing schedule and the muscle spasms stopped, but I still experience muscle weakness in my calves and thighs on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. We’ll see how much this low dose every other day strategy lowers my LDL and ApoB. I may have to skip statins altogether. Bempedoic Acid and Ezetemibe work just fine with no side effects.
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My wife doesn’t do very well with statins either. Her doc prescribed 40mg, she kept reducing because of side effects (weakness and forgetfulness), now she gets 5 mg and quarters them, 1.25mg per day (looks like a spec of dust). Despite the miniscule dose, it still keeps her ldl in check.
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Neo
#1484
How long was the LDL at 38? Did she have a high level of LDL before getting it down to 38?
It was always pretty low. The highest I ever heard of for her was an LDL of 68 without any treatment.
Pender
#1486
Can you describe the muscle spasms in more detail?
While I am sitting, my calf muscles begin to twitch uncontrollably for a few seconds and then stop. This can happen several times a day when I am taking a statin. It is also accompanied by soreness. However, my calves are the muscle that get the most exercise as I like to take the stairs and do soleus pushups. They’re currently the only muscles that spasm and only while on a statin. Both my parents suffer soreness and weakness from statins.
I have had similar spasms in other muscle groups many years ago when I wasn’t taking any supplements, medicines or statins.
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Before giving up completely on statins, you could try one last hail mary, with pitavastatin 1-2mg. Supposedly, it has less impact on muscles. It is a good statin as far as effectiveness vs CVD outcomes, and if indeed it spares your muscles, that could be a win. It’s cheap and easily obtainable from India. I’d stick to Sun Pharma and Zydus.
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I think I’ll try Atorvastatin 5 mg as I had bought a 2 year supply which is now 4 years on my Mon-Wed-Fri schedule. It’s not horrible. When I run out, I’ll try pitavastatin. 
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AnUser
#1490
There’s also Fluvastatin, Pravastatin, Simvastatin, and Lovastatin. Maybe one of those you haven’t tried yet has the chemical composition just right for you to not to cause muscle pains when inhibiting HMGCR there.
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Satchel
#1491
Forgetfullness and just plain stupid on Rosuvastatin-really alarming -even on 2.5mg/day. Muscle pain so bad that I went to the ER and was told to stop. No forgetfulness on Atorvastatin but the muscles hurt like crazy. Tried Rapatha pcsk9i- developed severe cough/ Then tried 6month Inclisiran PCSK9i- sore muscles and joints-mood alterations and severe sensitivity to caffeine. Hope to try Bempedoic acid -but it’s not available in Canada. I take ezetimibe in between
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Order Bempedoic Acid from India. That’s what I do. It has no side effects for me even though I am also statin intolerant. Although it sounds like you may be more intolerant than I am!
adssx
#1495
- Publisher = MDPI => low quality
- From Nutrients, a journal of such low quality that its editorial board resigned, claiming that MDPI “pressured them to accept manuscripts of mediocre quality and importance”
- Single author
- Unknown author working for the US Department of Agriculture
- The paper is affiliated with the “Center for Magnesium Education and Research” based in Pahoa, Hawaii (924 inhabitants!)… of course, they found that magnesium was essential!
Conclusion: this paper can probably go to the trash, unfortunately.
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AnUser
#1496
But I was just thinking that magnesium is the reason why CVD is the primary cause of death… (and why the U.S life expectancy is so much lower… than other countries)
There is one practical cause and it’s cumulative apoB exposure, easy to reject papers then.
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mccoy
#1497
It’s all right anyway to remind ourselves about the importance of magnesium, I think Nobody here implies that’s the primary cause; although it may be a significant factor in case of deficiency (probably an all but impossible event among the users of this forum).
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adssx
#1498
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AnUser
#1499
I don’t think so. These use typically garbage evidence (muddying the waters), so when people hear 100 things causes CVD or decreases risk, the same with cancer, people think it’s all just fake, rightfully so, and in many cases is. But that means that apoB reduction gets in the crossfire.
Give the public fake after fake they will think it all is.
mccoy
#1500
Ahhh, yes, but we are not The public!
But if you refer to guests of this forum perusing from the public, I think that the consensus on the governing hazard of ApoB oozes from this thread.
And again, in case you are not satisfied:
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
Literature underlines that ApoB governs the atherosclerotic risk.
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AnUser
#1501
Of course Ezetimibe decreases stroke risk. Because the blood vessels are all around the brain and is the same blood. That was a bit stupid of me not to realize. 
Benefit of apoB lowering… Prevent all vascular dementia, and atheroschlerotic strokes. Second most common type of dementia in the U.S.
This is why the cholesterol deniers might say what they do, their brain blood vessels are all clogged up…
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