Did Statin Cause Liver Disease?

March 10, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 71-year-old female and have had coronary artery disease for 20 years. Over the years I have had numerous angioplasties, had stent placement and have been taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs since being diagnosed.

Now I have been told I have biliary cirrhosis. My doctor told me it was likely due to the statins.

DEAR READER:
Statins are well known for the side effect of liver damage. That is why doctors should check cholesterol and liver enzyme levels at least once a year on individuals taking these powerful medications. However, I can find nothing indicating that statins lead to biliary cirrhosis. This is not to say it is not caused by the medication, but there is a chance your biliary cirrhosis is completely unrelated. [Read more...]

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Just What Is A Total Cholesterol Count?

March 5, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m an 85-year-old woman in good health. I take no medication of any kind, but am on over-the-counter red yeast rice capsules and policosanol. My only problem is my cholesterol level. I recently had a blood test that revealed an HDL of 78, LDL of 16 and triglycerides of 81. My total cholesterol was slightly elevated at 243. I can’t understand why that would be, since my other readings were in the normal range.

DEAR READER:
You are in the majority when you think you can add your HDL, LDL and triglycerides to come up with a total cholesterol count. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Total cholesterol is a combination of high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). [Read more...]

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Is It Really Restless Legs Syndrome?

February 25, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I read your article about statin drugs and their effect. My question is what, if any, drugs can cause restless leg syndrome? I’m currently taking a cholesterol-lowering medication and wonder if that is the reason for my discomfort.

Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

DEAR READER:
As I have indicated numerous times in the past, almost every drug, even over-the-counter aspirin, carries side effects for some individuals. You don’t indicate what medications, other than your cholesterol-lowering drug, you may be on. Most major brands of cholesterol lowering medications can cause serious muscle pain and/or leg cramps.

Now we can approach the next issue. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is characterized as an uneasiness, fatiguing, twitching, and itching deep in the muscles of the lower part of the leg. [Read more...]

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Cinnamon For Angina?

February 18, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am writing to you about the benefits of taking cinnamon supplements daily. I first saw an article in your column sent by a man who lowered his cholesterol by 30 points after taking cinnamon for a year. After taking cinnamon tablets for a year and changing nothing else, my cholesterol went from 230 to 170.

I later told one of my friends (a nurse) who said that her husband (a physician) had high cholesterol but he didn’t want to take statins because of the side effects. They discussed the cinnamon and decided to try it as he had nothing to lose. At the time he was also having terrible bouts of angina and ate nitro pills by the handful. The pain was so severe that his wife also had to give him injections of pain killers just to relieve the pain. Both the nitro and pain medication were prescribed by their primary care physician. [Read more...]

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Patient Needs Statin Alternative

February 16, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am 80 years old and a few years ago, I was diagnosed as having congestive heart failure. My primary care doctor referred me to a cardiologist (a college friend of his) who put me through every kind of test known to man. He then prescribed three medicines for me, including Lipitor because my cholesterol was 275.

Shortly after starting them I began having muscle pain in my legs and had heard warnings about statins, including those from your column. I was already taking co-enzyme Q10 so knew it wasn’t due to a depletion. I asked my cardiologist about a cholesterol lowering medication without statins but he said they weren’t any good and switched me to Crestor instead. It was still a statin and despite my concerns, I took it like a good patient. The pain returned so I stopped it and started watching my diet more closely. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

January 29, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am an active 71-year-old woman with a cholesterol reading of 258, which I know is high. I do not want to go on medication and my doctor seems to feel that since I am not heavy, exercise regularly and my HDL is excellent, I shouldn’t be concerned.

I don’t eat meat or fats and watch what I do eat. I also read that taking flaxseed is good for lowering cholesterol levels, so I take a tablespoon of flaxseed meal each morning.

Is my doctor correct in advising me that I shouldn’t be concerned? Is there anything else I should be doing to lower the numbers since I really do not want to take statins?

I would appreciate hearing your opinion on this. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

December 30, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I was recently put on Lipitor for high cholesterol. I developed awful leg cramps. My doctor reduced the dose, so I take one pill every other day. My pain has decreased in frequency but hasn‘t disappeared. Would you associate the pain with the medication? The leg pain was tied to my sciatic nerve.

DEAR READER:
Lipitor has been connected with severe leg cramps and pain that can appear anywhere in the body, but most commonly in the calf muscles that are used so often.

Co-Q10 is a naturally occurring enzyme in the body. Reports have revealed a deficiency of more than 50% in less than a month by those patients on Lipitor. The deficiency causes pain. Therefore, I recommend you purchase [Read more...]

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Are Meds Causing Hair Growth?

December 28, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m a 34-year-old female in fairly good health except I have diabetes and am overweight. I’m currently taking Avandamet for diabetes and Lipitor for cholesterol.

My first problem is that I have hair growing in places where hair should not be on women. Do you have any suggestions what I can do for this and why I have it?

My second problem is that I have very bad dry skin on my forehead and nothing has helped. What is worse is that my 5-month-old daughter has dry skin on her forehead and the back of her head. I have taken her to the pediatrician and have been told to use hydrocortisone on it. All that does is cover it up. Do you have any suggestions for this?

DEAR READER:
While not your first concern, I would be very interested to know the progression of your diabetes, high cholesterol and weight gain. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

December 10, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am 72 years old and have prostate cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides and diabetes.

In October, my local paper had an article that wrote there was an increased risk of prostate cancer in men who ate flax seeds. It recommended that men eat fish or omega oils instead. It also said that we could completely stay away from flaxseed oil and flaxseed oil pills.

For the past seven years I have been using flaxseed oil and flaxseed oil pills. I consume 2000 mg daily. My doctors have never told me there was a problem with my usage of the supplement. My PSA has varied from 4.9 to 6.9. I would like to know your opinion of this.

DEAR READER:
This is a complex issue. Not many studies have been done to determine the benefits of flaxseed. [Read more...]

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Sunday Column

November 30, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
For the past two years I have experience a skipped heart beat. Sometimes it gets so bad that I will get a headache. I underwent an ultrasound after an EKG showed the defect, but the results were negative for any substantial blockage of arteries and valves.

The doctor said it could be some damaged tissue. A nurse told me it could be stress.

Right now I am 6’5” tall, weigh 400 pounds, 40 years old and haven‘t had a cigarette in three years. My vision is blurred during the time my heart skips. I’m on Clonidine, Verapamil and Simvastatin to control my blood pressure and my (sometimes) escalated heart rate.

DEAR READER:
I can only interpret you are referring to palpitations, irregular beats of the heart. [Read more...]

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