4 hours ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

@Chippy @Lighty @Fullhealing

I have to start taking a statin. Should I be worried about making the withdrawal worse? Has anybody else taken a statin while tapering that you know of?

Hi @Noblewarrior2 personally not familiar with this medication, but I see that it is intended for cholesterol and blood pressure. In principle, anything can have a small or large effect on a hypersensitive condition, but there are situations that require treatment, so this is tricky.

Im sorry, maybe others have more info or personal experience.

Edited April 24Apr 24 by Fullhealing

8 hours ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

@Chippy @Lighty @Fullhealing

I have to start taking a statin. Should I be worried about making the withdrawal worse? Has anybody else taken a statin while tapering that you know of?

Adding any drug into the system in wd is to be avoided and can cause issues. Being on an antidepressant can make your BP readings higher. We have members who are on statins, they have found that as they taper, their need for BP meds reduces.

I would avoid unless you absolutely have to. Pick the 'monitor and see' approach, and medicate if absolutely necessary. I think doctors reach for them too easily personally. Obviously, if it is serious then you may need to consider starting them.

Maybe there are other non-drug things you can look at to help with your BP? Diet, exercise, stress management and so on?

Any other thought @LostinCanada ?

There is a lot of controversy around statins @Noblewarrior2

@Feralcatman did research regarding them and they are very dangerous. The side effects are worse than the benefits in my opinion.

Like any drug, it is worth doing your research. We know how Big Pharma operates...for profit...they do the research...hide the facts... indoctrinate the doctors..make the money with no concern for the fall out.

These are a few links to investigate for yourself:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/9487-statins-lipitor-and-others/#comment-165551

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/page/30/#findComment-696077

7 hours ago, Chippy said:

Maybe there are other non-drug things you can look at to help with your BP?

Just a small correction here, statins are for high cholesterol, not BP.

14 minutes ago, Sminismoni said:

Just a small correction here, statins are for high cholesterol, not BP.

I’m confusing beta blockers with statins! I’ll blame my burning brain for that one! 🤪Thanks for the correction @Sminismoni

1 hour ago, LostinCanada said:

There is a lot of controversy around statins @Noblewarrior2

@Feralcatman did research regarding them and they are very dangerous. The side effects are worse than the benefits in my opinion.

Like any drug, it is worth doing your research. We know how Big Pharma operates...for profit...they do the research...hide the facts... indoctrinate the doctors..make the money with no concern for the fall out.

These are a few links to investigate for yourself:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/9487-statins-lipitor-and-others/#comment-165551

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/page/30/#findComment-696077

In the uk, they seem to want to have everyone over a certain age on Statins. They offered them to my Dad and he doesn’t have high Cholesterol!

@Chippy @LostinCanada @Sminismoni @Fullhealing

So my bloodwork for a genetic cholesterol level is high, LP-a and it’s different from LDL or triglycerides. Lp-a is inherited from family. There is no medication to lower this number. Diet, exercise and lifestyle do not lower Lp-a levels. Having a higher Lp-a makes you greater risk for a heart attack or stroke.

I don’t smoke, or drink alcohol, and I’m not overweight. I go for a walk everyday, and try to get sun when I can. I eat very healthy, no processed foods. My diet is usually Salmon, Skipjack tuna, chicken, turkey, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, chai seeds, Brazilian nuts, bell peppers, apples, bananas, blueberries, kale, spinach, collard greens, onions, etc.

The goal is to get my LDL level down along with having a high a Lp-a level. My LDL is at 98, which isn’t bad but for someone with a high Lp-a level it’s not good. That’s why they want to put me on a statin. I already eat healthy, exercise and eat lots of fiber.

So now I have to make a decision out of what is presented. It’s bad either way. No I don’t want to take a statin but I don’t want to have a heart event either. My grandfather died at 52 from a heart attack. I’m trying to make the best decision I can.

2 minutes ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

I’m trying to make the best decision I can.

It’s all you can do.

As mentioned, do your research. Only you can weigh the risk/benefit. I strongly encourage you to read the FDA pamphlet insert for the drug before making a decision.

13 minutes ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

@Chippy @LostinCanada @Sminismoni @Fullhealing

So my bloodwork for a genetic cholesterol level is high, LP-a and it’s different from LDL or triglycerides. Lp-a is inherited from family. There is no medication to lower this number. Diet, exercise and lifestyle do not lower Lp-a levels. Having a higher Lp-a makes you greater risk for a heart attack or stroke.

I don’t smoke, or drink alcohol, and I’m not overweight. I go for a walk everyday, and try to get sun when I can. I eat very healthy, no processed foods. My diet is usually Salmon, Skipjack tuna, chicken, turkey, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, chai seeds, Brazilian nuts, bell peppers, apples, bananas, blueberries, kale, spinach, collard greens, onions, etc.

The goal is to get my LDL level down along with having a high a Lp-a level. My LDL is at 98, which isn’t bad but for someone with a high Lp-a level it’s not good. That’s why they want to put me on a statin. I already eat healthy, exercise and eat lots of fiber.

So now I have to make a decision out of what is presented. It’s bad either way. No I don’t want to take a statin but I don’t want to have a heart event either. My grandfather died at 52 from a heart attack. I’m trying to make the best decision I can.

Of course your decision to make @Noblewarrior2 and we are here to support you in whatever you decide, just know in advance that there are risks and be careful.

@Noblewarrior2 All I can say is, having been taught about this at medical school, having that high Lpa is not something to sneeze at. And having the family history of myocardial infarction at 52 is also big.

I think I would potentially view it this way:

Statins could make withdrawal worse. But withdrawal is also unlikely to kill you in and of itself. You can always stop statins, and withdrawal recovery is possible. There is no recovery from a fatal heart attack, and what would withdrawal feel like after a further brain injury from a stroke?

@LostinCanada @Chippy @Sminismoni @Fullhealing

I have done research about it and I believe that they are not good:

https://open.substack.com/pub/amidwesterndoctor/p/the-great-cholesterol-scam-and-the?r=4kmxbp&utm_medium=ios

But what is my alternative? I have to make the best worst decision. Like what Sminismoni said, a high Lp-a is nothing to sneeze at.

9 minutes ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

they are not good:

I know there are natural bile salts that you can get at the health food store.

I had gallstones years ago and of course I was told surgery. Interestingly I went to a gastroenterologist who told me removal of the gall bladder is linked with pancreatic cancer. He put me on ursodiol and it dissolved the stones though it was a longer treatment. It can also be used for high cholesterol. I do not know how that would affect withdrawal BUT the bile salts (ox bile) at the health food store are similar. It might be worth researching.

Again I took the treatment before withdrawal.

9 minutes ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

@LostinCanada @Chippy @Sminismoni @Fullhealing

I have done research about it and I believe that they are not good:

https://open.substack.com/pub/amidwesterndoctor/p/the-great-cholesterol-scam-and-the?r=4kmxbp&utm_medium=ios

But what is my alternative? I have to make the best worst decision. Like what Sminismoni said, a high Lp-a is nothing to sneeze at.

@Noblewarrior2 I wouldn't play with that given your background, especially since you mentioned that you take really good care of yourself so If I were you, I would try with great caution and see the reaction, you can always stop if issues arise, just my opinion.

8 hours ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

But what is my alternative? I have to make the best worst decision. Like what Sminismoni said, a high Lp-a is nothing to sneeze at.

I don’t have any more knowledge on alternatives. Personally I would look into every option there is that’s non drug related before adding in something that is. If I was to go the statin route I’d also consider waiting till my nervous system had calmed down before trying. A difficult call. You can only do your research and trust your own judgement.

12 hours ago, Chippy said:

would look into every option there is that’s non drug related

Any drug that has a black box warning gives me pause. ADs aren't the only drugs causing iatrogenic injury unfortunately. ❤️🙏

1 minute ago, LostinCanada said:

Any drug that has a black box warning gives me pause. ADs aren't the only drugs causing iatrogenic injury unfortunately. ❤️🙏

Exactly 100%

@Chippy @Fullhealing

Just an update, I’ve been reducing by about 1% every week and feel like that is a good pace for me. Circumstances in my life allow me to be more generous with the reductions but still in a safe way. What are your thoughts on making a reduction of 1% at day 5 instead of 7? I usually feel fine towards day 5,6, and 7.

Also, what do you think is the most I could reduce in a week, while not be too much? I was thinking of trying to reduce by 0.08mg or .10 every week and see how that goes. I currently reduce by 0.06mg every week.

35 minutes ago, Noblewarrior2 said:

@Chippy @Fullhealing

Just an update, I’ve been reducing by about 1% every week and feel like that is a good pace for me. Circumstances in my life allow me to be more generous with the reductions but still in a safe way. What are your thoughts on making a reduction of 1% at day 5 instead of 7? I usually feel fine towards day 5,6, and 7.

Also, what do you think is the most I could reduce in a week, while not be too much? I was thinking of trying to reduce by 0.08mg or .10 every week and see how that goes. I currently reduce by 0.06mg every week.

Thanks for the update.

Id not reduce any more than once every 7 days.

You are basically doing a 4% reduction per month. I think at this dose that’s reasonably quick so personally I wouldn’t push it any more.

I’d base your reduction on the end of the last month rather than a set milligram. So keep taking smaller bites each time. I know it seems tedious but it’s much better to be stable and tapering then rush off.

@Noblewarrior2 Just to add you may wish to consider including a hold here and there. You are essentially doing the brass monkey slide atm, BM slide suggests a 2 week hold at the end of every 4 weeks of tapering to let the WD symptoms dissipate. :)