Dumped the statin (Crestor(R)) and man, what a difference!
10-02-14 | 03:16 PM
#101
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 4,073
Likes: 16
From: Minnesota/Arizona and between
Bikes: Bike Friday All-Day (ebike), Terry Classic, Serotta FIerte, Trek Cali carbon hardtail, 1969 Schwinn Collegiate, Kona Explosif hardtail, Catrike VIllager
This comment made me laugh out loud. I thought it was a reference to the Phillip K. Dick 1969 novel called Ubik, which was about a product, as near as I can remember, that was good for everything. Or maybe not. I need to re-read that one. Then I noticed the link to some actual product, which I find both humorous and disturbing. I looked at the linked page. I could not discern why the product is helpful.
Personally, I think the physician/pharmacology collaboration is a bigger scam than the military/industrial complex about which Eisenhower warned us. We have as a culture swallowed the idea that the solution to our problems lies at the bottom of a pill bottle. Maybe it does for some of us/you. I don't believe it. I think the last good legal drug invented was penicillin, and before that, aspirin. I take half an aspirin every day unless I have a headache, in which case I take a whole aspirin and drink some coffee. I eat lots of salt, but do not have high blood pressure. The prescriptions you folks have discussed here leave me scratching my head, which does not itch. A year or two ago, I had my testosterone level checked because the man on tv said it might be low. He was wrong. However, the PA at my family doctor suggested it was time (long overdue, he said) I have a full physical, colonoscopy, etc., and I refused. When I told him I categorically rejected all his treatments for whatever the test results might be, he seemed to be genuinely offended. I don't know about my cholesterol levels or PSA score. I don't care.
My hands go numb when I lean on them in the same position on the handlebars for 15-25 minutes. When that happens, I sit up and move that arm slowly in a circle, windmill style. Numbness goes away. Truth is, I haven't gotten a decent pair of padded riding gloves yet and the handlebar tape isn't very comfy. That will probably be my next upgrade.
Generally, I believe that the life is in the blood, and that exercise is the greatest life prolonging act I can do. If you are already on a lifetime prescription of something or other which you consider essential, then you may be right. I hope it works for you. Personally, I prefer not to travel that road. You may ask, "What about aspirin? Why do you take that?" (1) I have noticed that aspirin isn't generally prescribed except for the exorbitantly priced enteric coated low dose variety; I don't think you would be served an aspirin in any hospital in the country today and probably not for the last 40 years. It's too cheap; there is no money in it for the hospital or the pharmacy industry.
(2) My mom (before she passed on) suggested that it wouldn't hurt me to take half an aspirin a day, so I do. Besides, sometimes my girlfriend gives me a headache. I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments against aspirin these days. I simply don't believe them. Until recently, I am given to understand that something called coumadin was commonly prescribed as a blood thinner. The active ingredient in this is the same ingredient as in rat poison, and I have a philosophical objection to ingesting poison when a non-poisonous substance (aspirin) is readily available and does much the same thing.
I believe that in general, the effectiveness % of many of the drugs prescribed for folks these days is unacceptably low, but patients take them because they go to the doctor expecting a prescription. Side effects are rampant and people accept them, often getting another prescription to counter the side effects.
Your results and mileage may vary. Good luck to all with your own approach to health.
I may die from a heart attack or be run over by a truck this afternoon. If so, it is a good day to die. Meanwhile, I'm going riding.
Personally, I think the physician/pharmacology collaboration is a bigger scam than the military/industrial complex about which Eisenhower warned us. We have as a culture swallowed the idea that the solution to our problems lies at the bottom of a pill bottle. Maybe it does for some of us/you. I don't believe it. I think the last good legal drug invented was penicillin, and before that, aspirin. I take half an aspirin every day unless I have a headache, in which case I take a whole aspirin and drink some coffee. I eat lots of salt, but do not have high blood pressure. The prescriptions you folks have discussed here leave me scratching my head, which does not itch. A year or two ago, I had my testosterone level checked because the man on tv said it might be low. He was wrong. However, the PA at my family doctor suggested it was time (long overdue, he said) I have a full physical, colonoscopy, etc., and I refused. When I told him I categorically rejected all his treatments for whatever the test results might be, he seemed to be genuinely offended. I don't know about my cholesterol levels or PSA score. I don't care.
My hands go numb when I lean on them in the same position on the handlebars for 15-25 minutes. When that happens, I sit up and move that arm slowly in a circle, windmill style. Numbness goes away. Truth is, I haven't gotten a decent pair of padded riding gloves yet and the handlebar tape isn't very comfy. That will probably be my next upgrade.
Generally, I believe that the life is in the blood, and that exercise is the greatest life prolonging act I can do. If you are already on a lifetime prescription of something or other which you consider essential, then you may be right. I hope it works for you. Personally, I prefer not to travel that road. You may ask, "What about aspirin? Why do you take that?" (1) I have noticed that aspirin isn't generally prescribed except for the exorbitantly priced enteric coated low dose variety; I don't think you would be served an aspirin in any hospital in the country today and probably not for the last 40 years. It's too cheap; there is no money in it for the hospital or the pharmacy industry.
(2) My mom (before she passed on) suggested that it wouldn't hurt me to take half an aspirin a day, so I do. Besides, sometimes my girlfriend gives me a headache. I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments against aspirin these days. I simply don't believe them. Until recently, I am given to understand that something called coumadin was commonly prescribed as a blood thinner. The active ingredient in this is the same ingredient as in rat poison, and I have a philosophical objection to ingesting poison when a non-poisonous substance (aspirin) is readily available and does much the same thing.
I believe that in general, the effectiveness % of many of the drugs prescribed for folks these days is unacceptably low, but patients take them because they go to the doctor expecting a prescription. Side effects are rampant and people accept them, often getting another prescription to counter the side effects.
Your results and mileage may vary. Good luck to all with your own approach to health.
I may die from a heart attack or be run over by a truck this afternoon. If so, it is a good day to die. Meanwhile, I'm going riding.
I am not so dismissive of drugs because I need certain drugs. My BP is sky high without them. I am the perfect candidate for statins, with a family history of everyone having a heart attack before the age 55. I also take the bit of aspirin.
I have such a bad case of restless leg syndrome that I cannot sleep unless exhaustion finally forces sleep in the wee hours or I take a pill. I prefer the pill. Of all the pills I take, this one has dramatically improved my day to day quality of life. Better living through chemistry.
10-02-14 | 03:33 PM
#102
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 157
Likes: 1
From: Memphis
Bikes: 2014 Felt Z100, 1987 Schwinn Sierra
Anecdotal evidence quits being anecdotal when it's about three or more people I knew. I'll never trust a statin.
I don't trust the FDA, either. Way too many drugs have received rush approvals, then were removed from the market after killing enough people. I don't approve of the genetic engineering of our food supply, either, but now that we have an ex-Monsanto VP as our food czar, I'm sure it'll be okay.
In the 70s our government recommended the low-fat, high-carb, heart-healthy diet that has caused the obesity epidemic we have today. Forgive me for being suspicious whenever a politician claims that science is on their side. Politicians used to claim that God was on their side when they really needed to win an argument.
How can we trust either politician when their motivation is always power? Something tells me that neither are correct.
I don't vote anymore.
I don't trust the FDA, either. Way too many drugs have received rush approvals, then were removed from the market after killing enough people. I don't approve of the genetic engineering of our food supply, either, but now that we have an ex-Monsanto VP as our food czar, I'm sure it'll be okay.
In the 70s our government recommended the low-fat, high-carb, heart-healthy diet that has caused the obesity epidemic we have today. Forgive me for being suspicious whenever a politician claims that science is on their side. Politicians used to claim that God was on their side when they really needed to win an argument.
How can we trust either politician when their motivation is always power? Something tells me that neither are correct.
I don't vote anymore.
10-02-14 | 03:59 PM
#103
Señor Blues
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,598
Likes: 6
From: upstate NY
Bikes: Cannondale CAAD 10, Breezer Venturi Custom Build, IRO Singlespeed
This comment made me laugh out loud. I thought it was a reference to the Phillip K. Dick 1969 novel called Ubik, which was about a product, as near as I can remember, that was good for everything. Or maybe not. I need to re-read that one. Then I noticed the link to some actual product, which I find both humorous and disturbing. I looked at the linked page. I could not discern why the product is helpful.
Personally, I think the physician/pharmacology collaboration is a bigger scam than the military/industrial complex about which Eisenhower warned us. We have as a culture swallowed the idea that the solution to our problems lies at the bottom of a pill bottle. Maybe it does for some of us/you. I don't believe it. I think the last good legal drug invented was penicillin, and before that, aspirin. I take half an aspirin every day unless I have a headache, in which case I take a whole aspirin and drink some coffee. I eat lots of salt, but do not have high blood pressure. The prescriptions you folks have discussed here leave me scratching my head, which does not itch. A year or two ago, I had my testosterone level checked because the man on tv said it might be low. He was wrong. However, the PA at my family doctor suggested it was time (long overdue, he said) I have a full physical, colonoscopy, etc., and I refused. When I told him I categorically rejected all his treatments for whatever the test results might be, he seemed to be genuinely offended. I don't know about my cholesterol levels or PSA score. I don't care.
My hands go numb when I lean on them in the same position on the handlebars for 15-25 minutes. When that happens, I sit up and move that arm slowly in a circle, windmill style. Numbness goes away. Truth is, I haven't gotten a decent pair of padded riding gloves yet and the handlebar tape isn't very comfy. That will probably be my next upgrade.
Generally, I believe that the life is in the blood, and that exercise is the greatest life prolonging act I can do. If you are already on a lifetime prescription of something or other which you consider essential, then you may be right. I hope it works for you. Personally, I prefer not to travel that road. You may ask, "What about aspirin? Why do you take that?" (1) I have noticed that aspirin isn't generally prescribed except for the exorbitantly priced enteric coated low dose variety; I don't think you would be served an aspirin in any hospital in the country today and probably not for the last 40 years. It's too cheap; there is no money in it for the hospital or the pharmacy industry.
(2) My mom (before she passed on) suggested that it wouldn't hurt me to take half an aspirin a day, so I do. Besides, sometimes my girlfriend gives me a headache. I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments against aspirin these days. I simply don't believe them. Until recently, I am given to understand that something called coumadin was commonly prescribed as a blood thinner. The active ingredient in this is the same ingredient as in rat poison, and I have a philosophical objection to ingesting poison when a non-poisonous substance (aspirin) is readily available and does much the same thing.
I believe that in general, the effectiveness % of many of the drugs prescribed for folks these days is unacceptably low, but patients take them because they go to the doctor expecting a prescription. Side effects are rampant and people accept them, often getting another prescription to counter the side effects.
Your results and mileage may vary. Good luck to all with your own approach to health.
I may die from a heart attack or be run over by a truck this afternoon. If so, it is a good day to die. Meanwhile, I'm going riding.
Personally, I think the physician/pharmacology collaboration is a bigger scam than the military/industrial complex about which Eisenhower warned us. We have as a culture swallowed the idea that the solution to our problems lies at the bottom of a pill bottle. Maybe it does for some of us/you. I don't believe it. I think the last good legal drug invented was penicillin, and before that, aspirin. I take half an aspirin every day unless I have a headache, in which case I take a whole aspirin and drink some coffee. I eat lots of salt, but do not have high blood pressure. The prescriptions you folks have discussed here leave me scratching my head, which does not itch. A year or two ago, I had my testosterone level checked because the man on tv said it might be low. He was wrong. However, the PA at my family doctor suggested it was time (long overdue, he said) I have a full physical, colonoscopy, etc., and I refused. When I told him I categorically rejected all his treatments for whatever the test results might be, he seemed to be genuinely offended. I don't know about my cholesterol levels or PSA score. I don't care.
My hands go numb when I lean on them in the same position on the handlebars for 15-25 minutes. When that happens, I sit up and move that arm slowly in a circle, windmill style. Numbness goes away. Truth is, I haven't gotten a decent pair of padded riding gloves yet and the handlebar tape isn't very comfy. That will probably be my next upgrade.
Generally, I believe that the life is in the blood, and that exercise is the greatest life prolonging act I can do. If you are already on a lifetime prescription of something or other which you consider essential, then you may be right. I hope it works for you. Personally, I prefer not to travel that road. You may ask, "What about aspirin? Why do you take that?" (1) I have noticed that aspirin isn't generally prescribed except for the exorbitantly priced enteric coated low dose variety; I don't think you would be served an aspirin in any hospital in the country today and probably not for the last 40 years. It's too cheap; there is no money in it for the hospital or the pharmacy industry.
(2) My mom (before she passed on) suggested that it wouldn't hurt me to take half an aspirin a day, so I do. Besides, sometimes my girlfriend gives me a headache. I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments against aspirin these days. I simply don't believe them. Until recently, I am given to understand that something called coumadin was commonly prescribed as a blood thinner. The active ingredient in this is the same ingredient as in rat poison, and I have a philosophical objection to ingesting poison when a non-poisonous substance (aspirin) is readily available and does much the same thing.
I believe that in general, the effectiveness % of many of the drugs prescribed for folks these days is unacceptably low, but patients take them because they go to the doctor expecting a prescription. Side effects are rampant and people accept them, often getting another prescription to counter the side effects.
Your results and mileage may vary. Good luck to all with your own approach to health.
I may die from a heart attack or be run over by a truck this afternoon. If so, it is a good day to die. Meanwhile, I'm going riding.
10-02-14 | 05:52 PM
#104
Senior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,528
Likes: 152
From: midwest
Bikes: 2018 Roubaix Expert Di2, 2016 Diverge Expert X1
Did you really mean to say taking beta blockers improved your performance or stopping taking them did. They are terrible. They limit my heart rate and I can't get enough oxygen etc. to the muscles.
10-02-14 | 05:52 PM
#105
Not quite dead.
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 473
From: Carolina
Bikes: ICE Sprint X Tour FS 26 trike
You will love rat poison when it saves your life. Rat poison is only a super blood thinner. Great if you have a bunch of clots floating around.
I am not so dismissive of drugs because I need certain drugs. My BP is sky high without them. I am the perfect candidate for statins, with a family history of everyone having a heart attack before the age 55. I also take the bit of aspirin.
I have such a bad case of restless leg syndrome that I cannot sleep unless exhaustion finally forces sleep in the wee hours or I take a pill. I prefer the pill. Of all the pills I take, this one has dramatically improved my day to day quality of life. Better living through chemistry.
I am not so dismissive of drugs because I need certain drugs. My BP is sky high without them. I am the perfect candidate for statins, with a family history of everyone having a heart attack before the age 55. I also take the bit of aspirin.
I have such a bad case of restless leg syndrome that I cannot sleep unless exhaustion finally forces sleep in the wee hours or I take a pill. I prefer the pill. Of all the pills I take, this one has dramatically improved my day to day quality of life. Better living through chemistry.
10-02-14 | 07:42 PM
#106
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,114
Likes: 3
From: Garner, NC 27529
Bikes: Built up DT, 2007 Fuji tourer (donor bike, RIP), 1995 1220 Trek
Doct said they can do that in some people.
Might be that I was off so far that driven towards normal was better then default.
10-02-14 | 07:45 PM
#107
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,114
Likes: 3
From: Garner, NC 27529
Bikes: Built up DT, 2007 Fuji tourer (donor bike, RIP), 1995 1220 Trek
Don't be so sure about conflicts and incentives. I think of the Swiss government report finding homeopathy works. Which is absolutely impossible (dilution of effective ingredients to nothing) and inconsistent with the results from high quality clinical trials. The Swiss analysis is frequently cited by the altmed crowd but is filled with flaws and clear bias.
Remember, the placebo effect is real. In many cases it accounts for much or all of the effectiveness of our drugs.
But the swiss also have a huge pharmo co industry and health care insurance system similar to ours.
UK, France, Germany, Canada... nothing like ours, people paying for health care there save money with good results, not make money from poor but defensible results.
10-02-14 | 09:00 PM
#108
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,929
Likes: 1
From: On the bridge with Picard
Bikes: Specialized Allez, Specialized Sirrus
Please keep posts on topic. If this starts to become a healthcare reform thread, it will get moved to P&R.
10-10-14 | 08:52 PM
#109
Banned.
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 964
Likes: 2
I am 61 active and a diabetic, I was on 2 medicines for the sugar, high blood pressure medicine, and the doctor tried to put me on statins which I refused. I just purposely lost 17 pounds, and will lose another 10 putting me at 145 lbs and am 5 9. I am off all the meds, my sugar varies between 110 and 180 which is better than when I was 172 lbs and on meds. When I get to 145 and will restrict my calories to maintain that weight, I think my sugar will be even better. 145 is kinda thin, but if it keeps me of the meds,,thats where I will stay,
I ride about 120 miles a week on a fixed gear bike.
I ride about 120 miles a week on a fixed gear bike.
10-11-14 | 03:01 PM
#110
Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,604
Likes: 3
From: Rural Minnesota
I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments against aspirin these days. I simply don't believe them. Until recently, I am given to understand that something called coumadin was commonly prescribed as a blood thinner. The active ingredient in this is the same ingredient as in rat poison, and I have a philosophical objection to ingesting poison when a non-poisonous substance (aspirin) is readily available and does much the same thing.
Toxicity for both Warfarin (Coumadin) and aspirin is dose dependent for rats and humans. Both can be beneficial in the right dose or lethal in an overdose.
Last edited by GravelMN; 10-11-14 at 03:04 PM.
10-11-14 | 03:36 PM
#111
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 409
Likes: 45
From: Port Saint Lucie, FL
Bikes: 2013 Specialized CrossTrail Disc,2004 Giant OCR3,1999 Trek Mountain Track Sport 800
Anecdotal evidence quits being anecdotal when it's about three or more people I knew. I'll never trust a statin.
I don't trust the FDA, either. Way too many drugs have received rush approvals, then were removed from the market after killing enough people. I don't approve of the genetic engineering of our food supply, either, but now that we have an ex-Monsanto VP as our food czar, I'm sure it'll be okay.
In the 70s our government recommended the low-fat, high-carb, heart-healthy diet that has caused the obesity epidemic we have today. Forgive me for being suspicious whenever a politician claims that science is on their side. Politicians used to claim that God was on their side when they really needed to win an argument.
How can we trust either politician when their motivation is always power? Something tells me that neither are correct.
I don't vote anymore.
I don't trust the FDA, either. Way too many drugs have received rush approvals, then were removed from the market after killing enough people. I don't approve of the genetic engineering of our food supply, either, but now that we have an ex-Monsanto VP as our food czar, I'm sure it'll be okay.
In the 70s our government recommended the low-fat, high-carb, heart-healthy diet that has caused the obesity epidemic we have today. Forgive me for being suspicious whenever a politician claims that science is on their side. Politicians used to claim that God was on their side when they really needed to win an argument.
How can we trust either politician when their motivation is always power? Something tells me that neither are correct.
I don't vote anymore.
Tell me folks...why is it that big pharma spends millions in advertisements of what are prescription drugs...to me...on my home TV set?...is it because they are so concerned about my health and quality of life? LOL!
Ever wonder why the medical community adopted those two snakes wrapped around a staff as their official symbol?.....this....
or?...where it came from and what it was about?....
The caduceus (☤; /kəˈduːsiːəs/ or /kəˈdjuːʃəs/; from Greek κηρύκειον kērukeion "herald's staff"[SUP][2][/SUP] ) is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was often depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods, guide of the dead and protector of merchants, shepherds, gamblers, liars, and thieves
Nice huh?....btw...has anyone noticed that our nation "Currently Has No Appointed Surgeon General"?
I mean who would want the job?...here there's a surgeon generals warning on every tobacco product known to man yet...Uncle Sam wants his cut of the extremely lucrative Medical Marijuana biz? LOL! Tough conflict of interests there huh? LOL!...I wonder if they'll add "Flame ******ant Chemicals" to the FDA Approved "FIRE SAFE" Doobies they sell? LOL!
Now...what were we discussing here?...oh yeah....better living through drugs?....Statins and a Big Mac?....Diet Pepsi and a Snickers Bar?...I'm going au natural'e...cause chances are we're all going to get run over by some young chick texting how she just scored while trying to pack a bowl....of medicine? LOL!
10-11-14 | 05:02 PM
#112
Not quite dead.
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 473
From: Carolina
Bikes: ICE Sprint X Tour FS 26 trike
Aspirin's LD50 (lethal dose for 50% of the test subjects) for oral administration to rats is about 200 mg/kg. 500 grams (about a pound) is a big rat, so one 325mg aspirin tablet is more than enough to kill two large rats.
Toxicity for both Warfarin (Coumadin) and aspirin is dose dependent for rats and humans. Both can be beneficial in the right dose or lethal in an overdose.
Toxicity for both Warfarin (Coumadin) and aspirin is dose dependent for rats and humans. Both can be beneficial in the right dose or lethal in an overdose.
10-11-14 | 06:30 PM
#113
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 139
Likes: 1
From: Fort Worth TX
Bikes: Trek Madone4.5, Fuji Newest, DaVinci Joint Venture, Pacific Dually, Kuota K Factor Thruster
Here is another vote for calling your cardiologist and asking for a different statin. When I had my heart attack, I told my cardiologist that I had tried Crestor and Lipitor (from primary care doc) and could not tolerate either so I quit taking them. Cardiologist said "No problem. We'll keep trying different ones until we get one that doesn't cause the pain." Second try was Pravacol which works for me. Lots of exercise, careful diet and I've got decent numbers now. Everybody is happy except my primary care who wants me on Crestor. That's not going to happen.
10-11-14 | 06:42 PM
#114
Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,604
Likes: 3
From: Rural Minnesota
I believe if you check, you will find there is a lethal dose of water for humans. Please, if you find value in going to a doctor for prescriptions and then going again to get other prescriptions to counteract the side effects of the first round of scripts, then do so. In posting here, I was originally agreeing with the OP who found life's quality (and bike riding) to be better without his prescription. Your results may vary, and I already said that, also. I am sorry I interrupted the discussion of ailments and prescriptions for same, for those who may enjoy that discussion.
