{"id":160,"date":"2017-10-26T09:30:36","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kweaver.org\/diabetes\/my-experience-with-statins-and-high-cholesterol\/"},"modified":"2017-10-26T09:30:36","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:30:36","slug":"my-experience-with-statins-and-high-cholesterol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kweaver.org\/diabetes\/my-experience-with-statins-and-high-cholesterol\/","title":{"rendered":"My Experience With Statins and High Cholesterol"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was sponsored by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. Personal opinions and thoughts are my own.<\/em><\/p>\n

 Long term readers of my blog will remember that my father and I were both diagnosed with diabetes when we were 42.  Shortly after his diabetes diagnosis, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  I have been lucky, because I remain heart healthy. I believe partly due to statin medications.<\/p>\n

 I have been on various forms of statins for the past twenty years. Before being put on a statin, my cholesterol numbers were high and nothing I did, including lose weight, helped. I was very concerned since high cholesterol is linked to heart disease.<\/p>\n

 Last year, I started having pain in my muscles and my medical team suspected it may be a side effect of my statin. Sure enough, after I stopped the statin, the pain was relieved. It eventually went away, but to my dismay, my cholesterol numbers rose again. The good news is that I am now on a different statin, at a lower dose.  The pain hasn\u2019t come back, and my numbers are back in a healthy range. If you are struggling with side effects from taking a statin, it is important to talk to your doctor as there may be other options available to you.<\/p>\n

 As a result of my experiences, I am proud to support a new educational campaign called Take Cholesterol to Heart <\/a>to help people understand their treatment options for high cholesterol and motivate them to speak up if they are thinking about stopping their statin. Take Cholesterol to Heart<\/em> provides great tools and strategies to help people \u201cmaster the cholesterol conversation\u201d with their doctor. As you may know, there are multiple statin medicines, so it\u2019s important to talk regularly with your doctor about your treatment plan, including a statin, that is right for you.<\/p>\n

 My experience shows that sometimes just a small change can make a difference.<\/p>\n

 Regis Philbin, TV legend and heart disease survivor, joined Take Cholesterol to Heart<\/em> to share his experience having a conversation with his doctor about high cholesterol and finding the right statin for him. Check out his story in this short video:<\/p>\n

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