Experimenting With Drugs

I’ve been experimenting with drugs for a few years now having been prescribed statins to control my cholesterol level since 2012. I’ve also had to stop or take breaks for several weeks because I experienced muscle pains when I take the medications. There are more and more reports of this happening to other people too.

 The first statin prescribed to me was Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 40 mg. daily. It worked very well because my total cholesterol level went from 229 to 139 in a couple of months.  I took it for a few more months then started to get thigh injuries when I went running. I thought it was because my thigh muscles were compensating for my ankle tendon injuries, but apparently I was mistaken. I reported this to my doctor who stopped the medications, but in a few months, my cholesterol level started to climb back up. Without notifying my doctor, I started splitting the pill in half (20 mg.) and took them every other day. This was enough to keep my cholesterol level in check but the muscle pain resumed. I further reduced the dose to 10 mg. three times a week which still controlled my cholesterol at about 179 and at the same time kept the muscle pains to a minimum as long as I didn’t push the pace when I was running. By this time, I already told my doctor what I was doing.

After changing jobs and medical insurance companies, I told my new doctor about the muscle pains, so she switched me to Pravastatin (Pravachol) 20 mg. daily. The pain intensified again so the doctor discontinued it. She prescribed fish oil instead: Omega 3-6-9 complex, 1 capsule twice a day. I took it for a year and when my cholesterol level was checked, it had risen to its highest level ever to 255. So the fish oil didn’t work and in addition, I was eating a lot of cheese and German sausages at that time.

The doctor then prescribed Rosuvastatin (Crestor) 20 mg. daily and my cholesterol level did a correction and went down to 179 after only 3 months. However, the muscle pains started again so the doctor discontinued the Crestor and said I can never take statins again because of the side effects.

I took a six week break from the Crestor and without notifying my doctor, I started splitting the 20 mg. pill and took 10 mg. three times a week. This seemed to keep the muscle pain under control so I kept on taking them. I still have a bunch of pills that are going to last me at least a year.

After my recent job loss, I had to buy my own insurance through Obamacare and found a new doctor. I told him what I did and he hasn’t changed anything so far. After having blood tests done, my cholesterol level has gone down to 156. Of course, not eating German sausages and drastic cut down on cheese helped. As long as the muscle pain stays at a minimum or non-existent, I think I shall continue with my self-prescribed treatment plan. I’ve also switched to brisk walking instead of running.

I know I’m only mentioning total cholesterol, but my HDL/LDL ratio has always been good regardless of what my total cholesterol is and my triglycerides has never been an issue.