Coenzyme Q10, Muscle Pain and Statins, Are They Related?

Millions of Americans are taking medicine to lower their blood levels of cholesterol. Every day you see news stories, magazine articles, and television advertising that speak of the dangers of high LDL (bad) cholesterol and the importance of getting these levels as low as possible. In fact, the world's best selling medicine is the cholesterol lowering medication, Lipitor. Other drugs in the same class of "statins" designed to lower cholesterol include Zocor, Vytorin, Crestor, Pravachol, Lescol and Mevacor, the latter also available as the generic, lovastatin.

One of the side effects many people have heard about is the muscles aches and weakness that sometimes occur with the "statin" class of drugs. If you experience muscle aches or weakness that are not a result of overuse, you should notify your doctor immediately so he or she can rule out more a serious, but very rare condition such as rhabdomyolysis. This condition causes the muscles to leak so much protein that it damages the kidneys leading to kidney failure. The vast majority of the patients with muscle aches and weakness in my practice do not have any indications of rhabdomyolysis. In fact, it is so rare that I have never personally seen a case caused by statin drugs in 25 years as a doctor. When a patient discontinues their "statin", the muscle aches quickly disappear.

There is ample evidence to suggest that many of the muscle related side effects of the statin class could be a result of a statin-induced deficiency in Coenzyme Q10. When you inhibit the production of cholesterol, you also inhibit the production of Coenzyme Q 10. Because CoQ-10 is found in every cell in your body, including muscles like your heart, it is a critical ingredient in the production of energy in your cells. It is what is called an "essential nutrient". If you have a deficiency of CoQ-10, you are threatening your overall health, and more specifically, your cardiovascular health.

Supplements of Coenzyme Q10 have been shown to reduce or prevent many of the muscle related side effects of the statins or other drugs. CoQ-10 supplements have also shown to benefit one's health when combined with many different treatment regimens for conditions like congestive heart failure, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, gum disease, and even before surgery to improve healing and recovery.

Your doctor can run blood tests for your levels of CoQ-10, such as those offered by Spectracell Laboratories. Alternatively, due to the benefits shown in many different studies, you can find a good quality CoQ-10 supplement to add to your treatment regimen for hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes. Since statins and other drugs used to lower cholesterol may have other potential nutritional side effects, consider a supplement that was specifically designed to replace those nutrients that are impacted by specific medications.

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Common Medications Used for Controlling Blood Cholesterol Levels

Persons confronted with abnormally high cholesterol levels that can't be regulated only with the aid of diet and regular physical exercise can opt for cholesterol-lowering drugs to achieve and maintain balanced cholesterol levels. There are many different types of cholesterol-lowering medications at present, each medication having a distinctive action. Although many of today's cholesterol-lowering medications are efficient in reducing LDL (the so called "bad cholesterol" - the substance responsible for causing arteriosclerosis and heart disease), they also have many side-effects and thus it is very important to only use doctor-prescribed medications. In order to minimize side-effects and to maximize the benefic action of cholesterol-lowering drugs, you should respect the exact doctor's indications when following treatments with such medications.

At present, the most popular cholesterol-lowering medications are statins. Statins are very efficient in reducing blood cholesterol, as they inhibit the production of the enzyme which stimulates the secretion of cholesterol at the level of the liver. Prescribed in the right dose, statins can normalize the production of cholesterol inside the body, thus reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis and, consequently, heart attack and stroke. For the fact that statins are efficient both in preventing and reversing the undesirable effects of cholesterol inside the organism, they are prescribed to many different categories of patients with cholesterol problems.

The most frequently prescribed statin medications include: Pravastatin (Pravachol), Simvastatin (Zocor), Lovastatin (Mevacor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Rosuvastatin (Crestor). All these mentioned medications produce similar effects and can successfully reduce cholesterol levels when prescribed in the appropriate dose. Statin medications usually have mild side-effects such as nausea, abdominal bloating and vomiting, which disappear as soon as the treatment is interrupted. In very rare cases, statins can cause muscular problems, liver and kidney failure.

Resins are another commonly prescribed type of cholesterol-lowering medications. Unlike statins, which reduce cholesterol levels by limiting the production of the substance inside the liver, resins stimulate the excretion of the substance from the body. Resins are considered to be very safe and rarely interact with other types of cholesterol-lowering medications. Due to this fact, they are sometimes associated with statins or other similar drugs. The most commonly prescribed resins include: Cholestyramine (Questran), Colesevelam (WelChol) and Colestipol (Colestid).

Other popular medications used for controlling cholesterol levels are nicotinic acid-based drugs. Nicotinic acid, also known as niacin, is actually a vitamin from the B-vitamin complex. Corroborated with other cholesterol-lowering medications, niacin is very efficient in reducing cholesterol levels.

All the mentioned cholesterol-lowering medications are effective in normalizing and controlling blood cholesterol levels. However, it is very important to ask for advice from your doctor before deciding to use such medications. In order to minimize side-effects and to increase the benefic effects of these medications, it is advisable to respect the doctor's orders.

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The Best Way To Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

Diet recommendation

If you suffer from a high cholesterol level what you should try to do is lower the intake of bad cholesterol also known as LDL cholesterol, yet maintain or even raise the intake of good cholesterol also known as HDL cholesterol. You can try to reduce the intake of hydrogenated oils usually found in refined and processed foods. Also, you could try reducing the amount of trans fats found in margarines and spreads.

If you really need to use cooking oil, avoid oils saturated in fat, but try to use extra virgin olive oil and garlic. It is known, that unlike normal olive oil, the extra virgin olive oil has shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Garlic has been studied for a long time now, and has also been proven to both lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol levels.

Very important to your diet are Omega 3 essential fatty acids and you should do whatever you can to get them in your foods. A very good source for these fatty acids is flax seed oil. An even better source perhaps is fish oil, which contains two very important and essential acids DHA and EPA which have been shown to increase heart health. When trying to promote general health and well-being, these fatty acids are extremely helpful.

Maintaining cholesterol levels

Besides the factors we talked about, genetics can be another factor for high cholesterol levels. Remember that cholesterol is a very common problem that affects millions of people all over the world. To lower LDL levels in the body, many doctors jump to prescribing cholesterol medications called statins. But, it is also known that there are problems with these certain medications.

First of all, they have serious side effects such as muscle pains and liver damage. One such medication was taken off the market. Baycol was provoking serious damage and even deaths as a result of its usage.

Second of all, Coenzyme Q10 reserves are mainly depleted by these medications. Coenzyme Q10 is a nutrient found naturally in the body that among other properties it strengthens the heart muscle.

Cholesterol lowering medications alternatives

Well, if you do not want to use cholesterol lowering medications, you can always try to lower your cholesterol naturally with the help of lowering nutrients, herbs and minerals. It's much safer and better for you to lower your cholesterol naturally because:

You can avoid the many side effects of Lipitor, Pravachol and similar drugs, and still lower your cholesterol.

It is important, when you try to lower your cholesterol levels, to increase the good cholesterol levels (HDL) levels, and with natural ingredients you can actually do that. Cholesterol lowering medications do not help with HDL levels

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in partcular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Be sure to check out our cholesterol product of choice, it is the natural supplement we use and recommend to friends and family, and have done for over 3 years.

Cholesterol Lowering Medications

Diet and lifestyle changes are the first two things you should do if you are concerned about preventing or treating unhealthy cholesterol levels, whether or not your doctor prescribes a cholesterol medication. If those two changes alone won't do well enough for your cholesterol levels then your doctor may want to consider cholesterol lowering medications.

At the same time as you're starting to make lifestyle changes, depending on your bad cholesterol level and other risk factors you may have, your doctor may decide that you need to start drug therapy. Blood cholesterol levels can be lowered by various medications. They can be prescribed alone or in combination with other drugs. Gemfibrozil, clofibrate, reisins and nicotinic acid are some common types of cholesterol lowering drugs.

Clofibrate is a cholesterol lowering medication that lowers the triglyceride levels and also it raises the HDL cholesterol levels.

Gemfibrozil is a drug that raises HDL cholesterol levels.

Nicotinic acid - a cholesterol lowering medication that works in the liver by lowering the production of blood fats. It helps lower the LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and also raise the HDL cholesterol level.

Resins - Cholesterol lowering medication that is also called bile acid-binding drugs. They help lower the cholesterol level by working in the intestines and promoting the disposal of cholesterol. In this class there are three known kinds of medications: Cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite, Lo-Cholest), Colesevelam (WelChol), Colestipol (Colestid).

Statins - Cholesterol lowering medication which has a really effective effect in lowering the LDL (or the bad) cholesterol levels and but also known of having some immediate short-term side effects. These can range from damaged livers, muscle aches and even impotency. Generally prescribed statins include the following: Fluvastatin (Lescol), Rosuvastatin Calcium (Crestor), Pravastatin (Pravachol), Simvastatin (Zocor), Atorvastatin (Lipitor).

The only problem with the above is that can cause side effects, an dalthough they may treat the symptoms of a cholesterol, more often than not, they will not help to fight against the inner root of the problem.

In form of a "dietary supplement" comes another cholesterol lowering medication called niacin or nicotinic acid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not regulated niacin as a dietary supplement.

Its amount of niacin is variable from none to much more than the label states. The factor on which this amount varies is usually not a medical one, but a brand's choice. It is imperative that you do not use dietary supplement niacin as a substitute for the prescription one. It shows potentially very serious side effects and it should not be used for lowering cholesterol levels.

If by any chance you are under any cholesterol lowering medications discussed here, it is important to discuss with your doctor before stopping any treatment.

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in partcular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Is the Most Popular Hypercholesterolemia Cure Worse than the Disease?

Millions of Americans have high cholesterol levels, and the class of drugs most often prescribed by doctors to lower cholesterol is statins. Lipitor is the most common but others of note include such drugs as Pravachol, Zocor, Mevacor, and Lescol. These medications come with dangerous side effects and are very often not even necessary since there are many ways people can lower cholesterol naturally such as simply a change of diet and an increase in daily exercise. However, most people want a quick fix and are eager for a fast, easy way to lower cholesterol so they never think twice about heading for the local drugstore and filling their statin prescriptions.

Most physicians seek to convince patients that the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks. Unfortunately, studies seem to indicate the opposite to be true, as they appear to do more harm than good, and the wise consumer will want to be aware of the myriad potential side effects.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs work by inhibiting the enzyme needed to manufacture cholesterol in the liver. Unfortunately, they also block CoQ10, an important enzyme needed by the body for cardiovascular health, and it has also been shown to help maintain cognitive function. Other possible side effects include but are not limited to heart disease, cognitive impairment, severe muscle pain and weakness (a condition called rhabdomyolysis), myositis, peripheral neuropathy, abdominal pain, headaches, fatigue, potential risk of increase in liver enzymes with liver damage, pancreatitis, depression, nausea, and diarrhea. Some reports show that studies with rodents have shown statins to cause cancer.

Another problem is that some of the drugs - Lipitor for example - are often dosed higher than needed for the individual patient. This is evidently for the convenience of the physicians when making the prescription.

A much better alternative than these potentially harmful medications is a change in lifestyle to include a healthier diet and a good, high-quality fish oil which will reduce your risk of heart disease, one of the problems associated with high cholesterol. You can also try an all-natural cholesterol-lowering dietary supplement such as Cholestasys. And don't forget daily cardiovascular exercise for optimum health.

The bottom line is statins are potentially very dangerous to a person's health and although they can and do often lower cholesterol levels, they do not in any way treat the underlying cause of the problem. They are simply a quick fix which in the end may eventually cause other more serious and possibly life-threatening problems.

Terrie Bryan is an advocate for healthy alternatives and supplements. If you would like to learn more about high cholesterol and Cholestasys, please click on http://www.cholestasys-review.com

Our Guide To Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

Statins may be your best hope for avoiding a heart attack if you have high cholesterol that you cannot lower through simple diet and exercise. Lovastatin (Mevacor), simvastatin (Zocor), fluvastatin (Lescol), paravastatin (Pravachol) and Atorvastatin (Lipitor) are some examples of statin drugs used to lower your cholesterol levels. These medications help lower your LDL (or "bad") cholesterol level by about 30 to 50 percent.

A patient at several different stages along the road to a heart attack can really be helped by statins. For patients who already suffer from coronary heart disease, this drug is actually even more valuable. A recent study has shown that fatal heart attacks can be reduced by more than 40 percent by simply taking simvastatin under careful prescription.

Who should be taking statins?

Anyone with an HDL level of 40 or above and an LDL level less than 100 milligrams per deciliter is considered to be a healthy person, from this point of view. However, many people, fall out of line and it gets even worse if other heart attack risks are involved - like for example if the person is a smoker or simply has high blood pressure. Other risks can involve a family history of heart disease, or if you're over 50 years old. In this case you should probably test your cholesterol blood levels as soon as possible to see if the LDL and HDL are at optimal levels. Actually, if you have different and multiple risk factors or you have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, you should do anything possible to keep your LDL cholesterol level under 100 mg / dL even if you need drugs to get there.

Are there any other cholesterol lowering drugs?

Cholesterol can be improved not only by statins. For example, if you have a low HDL ("good") cholesterol level, your doctor may prescribe niacin instead of or in addition to a statin. Niacin will give your HDL level a bigger boost than that of statins, which can usually just slightly elevate your HDL. Likewise, you might need Gemfibrozil which is a fibrate drug that is prescribed whenever your triglyceride (another type of fat in the blood) level is too high. Statins tend to cause less side effects than niacin and Gemfibrozil, and this is why it is highly recommended to ask your doctor about any side effects that might appear.

Although statins may be useful in severe cases of high cholesterol levels, we advise people to look in to the natural ways of improving and balancing out their cholesterol levels. Doing so could potentially avoid nasty side effects while at the same time getting your health to optimal levels naturally.

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in particular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Be sure to check out our cholesterol product of choice, it is the natural supplement we use and recommend to friends and family, and have done for over 3 years.

What You Need to Know About Cholesterol

We keep hearing about cholesterol every day, especially when we talk about diets, but do we really know what it is and what its health significance is? Furthermore, can dietary supplements such as ProFibe really help in reducing cholesterol levels?

Found in our blood plasma and body tissues, cholesterol is fatty lipid that is only scantily soluble in water. It is found in the spinal cord, the brain, and the liver (the body's most notable cholesterol biosynthesis site). Cholesterol can also be found in the reproductive organs and the adrenal glands.

Via a number of enzymatic reactions, it serves as a precursor for the production of different steroid hormones, sex hormones, and Vitamin D3 after it is synthesized from acetic acid. It is excreted as bile from the liver and in some cases form as gall stones in the gall bladder when it crystallizes.

When plaques of cholesterol and lipids deposit and build up on the interior of major blood vessels, mainly due to cholesterol's water insolubility, atherosclerosis occurs. This condition is generally linked to coronary artery disease, of which nearly 1,000,000 die each year.

Researchers believe that the profusion of some protein complexes known as lipoproteins may be responsible for the buildup of cholesterol in our blood vessels. Lipoproteins attach to cholesterol and are of two types: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

The former transports cholesterol out of our bloodstream to be excreted, while the latter brings it back to the system to be used by different cells. ProFibe, a flavorless supplement made from citrus pectin and guar gum, lowers the levels of LDLs (so-called "bad" cholesterol) and reduces soft plaque in the arteries by as much as 30% or more.

Although one of the risk factors of heart disease is heredity, which of course, we can't do anything about, there are also risk factors over which we have control - exercise, stress, smoking, and diet. By purposefully observing healthy living, deaths due to heart disease can be reduced by as much as 80%.

ProFibe is a wonderful adjunct to the prescription drugs currently being taken by patients with high cholesterol levels. Some examples of these are "statins", the known HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (Atorvastatin and lovastatin). ProFibe can safely be taken with other medications, such as Pravachol, Zocor, Mevacor, or questran, as ProFibe functions differently.

It is important to remember that you must continue to take your prescription medications even as a further lowering of cholesterol is noted after the consumption of ProFibe. If you feel that you can do away with these drugs because of a significant decrease in LDLs caused by ProFibe, always consult your physician first.

Suzi Parsell writes about natural health remedies. If you have high cholesterol levels, you run the risk of having heart problems. To learn more about Profibe, a water-soluble fiber supplement derived from grapefruit rinds, and how it can help in lowering cholesterol levels, visit ProfibeInsider.com.

Grapefruit Fiber and Cholesterol