Crestor is a statin (rosuvastatin calcium) only, Vytorin is a statin (Simvastatin) with Zetia (ezetimibe). Statins work by controlling the production of cholesterol in your liver while Zetia works by preventing cholesterol to be absorbed in your digestive system.
Of the two, Crestor is the stronger of the two. In addition, recent trials have shown that adding Zetia does not improve the performance of Vytorin over Simvastatin alone.
I took niacin for 20 yrs. I am now 67 and have tried two different popular statins( lipitor and crestor which did lower LDL about 50 pts but also lowered HDL). I could not tolerate either statin because of personality changes ie: anger and irritability all the time and severe cognitive issues with memory, reasoning and being able to focus. After stopping each statin, it has taken me longer to get back to normal mentally.
I just got off of zetia and welchol. I could not take statins. I tried them all. Used to take Niaspan and fenofibrate but they took me off cause both cause problems in some and had not 'reduced the incidence of cardiac events'. I think they have concluded that neither do Zetia, except when used with a statin, so it is the statin doing the work. I also think Welchol has been shown to not reduce cardiac events too. not sure. I am on Repatha. Third bi weekly shot.
AST on upper end of normal at 40. The doctor said to stop the Lipitor...but stay on the Zetia...... and retest in 1-1/2 weeks which he did this past Sept. 30th. His ALP came down to normal at 91, his ALT stayed the same at 79, his AST stayed relatively the same at 42, but his GGTP went quite high at 240. The doctor's office called and told him to come in next week.
My understanding is that the statins with the greatest LDL reducing effect are Crestor, Lipitor, Zocor, and Pravachol, in that order. I don’t mention Leschol and Mevacor since they appear to be rarely used since recently due to the aforementioned being more powerful. Do we have any available solid data on the effects of the various individual statins other than LDL reduction? For example, do we know which ones raise HDL the most? What about effects on particle size or Lp(a), etc.
t find the right medicine...Lipitor caused severe muscle weakness, Zetia caused all kind of digestive problems and Pravachol zapped my energy...my count actually went up 30 points while taking WelChol! My doctor is telling me that I have no other choices of medicine to lower my count (total 285, HDL 106 VLDL 21, LDL 188, Triglycerids 106.) My sister is having the same problem so I guess this problem is a family thing. I am really troubled by my doctor's lack of concern.
My (74 year old) father currently is taking these medications together Pravastatin Sodium 80mg, Zetia 10 mg, Isosorbide Mnonitrate 30 mg, Metoprolol tartrate 50 mg, Plavix 75 mg, Amlodipine Besylate 10 mg, Aspirin (nsaid) 81 mg low dose
The doctor told him his liver count is up 66 and the lower range is 64. Would any of these drugs or combination of these drugs make liver count increase?
The Doctor said that was not caused by the new meds, it was Zetia and I was on that when I went into the hospital and for a 7 months. I asked the liver specialist if that could have caused my liver cirrhosis. Was told " oh you watch those TV ads?" I said seen them but was wondering, was told that it is as plain answer "NO WAY"
Anyone been told that thier's was caused by statins?
I am 48 year old female, have had high cholestrol for which I have been on Zetia & Tricor for several years, now is almost normal. I had a bad reaction to the statins- ended up in the hospital with very high liver enzymes. Recently, I have been getting very lightheaded and experiencing pain in my upper arms. My doctor refered me to a cardiologist who performed the heart ultrasound and the holter which came back normal.
Although there have been reports of liver failure and hepatitis associated with statins and elevated liver enzymes, these occurrences are rare. Current studies have not been able to establish a definite link between statin use and liver disease. If for some reason your liver enzymes do become elevated, they are restored back to normal once the statin is stopped.
You are on one of the more powerful statins so you can ask your doctor about Vytorin which is simple Simvastatin and Zetia which works both in the liver and in the digestive tract. Simvastatin is usually better tolerated than Lipitor. It would help to know what your LDL and HDL levels are as well, we could possibly give you a better answer.
High cholesterol runs in my family so even with diet and exercise my numbers are still a little high. I started getting heart palpitations a few years ago and after a lot of testing was told they were harmless PVC's/PAC's. Well, I stoped taking my Tricor and Zocor for a few months and my heart palps were gone. The problem is that my cholesterol numbers went back up. I started back on the statins and low and behold the palps returned.
Ever since I started taking Zetia and Fenofibrate together as recommended by my DR, I have put on pounds, am more bloated around the belly,a nd have persistent chest pains. I noticed this has occurred ever since I have been on cholesterol lowering meds, but is more noticeable in the past year with the new combination of drugs. I mentioned this to my DR and he said I need the drugs because of my High Cholesterol. What do you think?
I finally went to a specialist in Baltimore who read my history which showed all the meds I was taking and he noticed that I was taking Zetia and told me that he believed Zetia caused chronic coughing in some people; so he looked it up on his computer and sure enough, that was one of the warnings. I stopped the Zetia and the coughing disappeared completely within a couple of weeks. The point here is that medicines, while helping one problem, frequently can cause another.
did tell me there are other reasons for heart disease that they are not fully aware of. I do take Lipitor and Zetia. My cholesterol for the last year and 1/2 has been normal. I take Plavix, Propropanal, Lisinipril/Hcg,Imdur, Lipitor and Zetia. I started taking a multi-vitamin but found it made me ill. There must be an ingredient that I cannot tolerate.
I will take Vitamin C as you suggested. I also am an anxious person. I have always been an active person that liked to work out.
Hepatitis C patients with liver cirrhosis were significantly less likely to progress to decompensated disease and less likely to die if they used statins to control blood cholesterol, according to an analysis of U.S. veterans presented at the Digestive Disease Week meeting this week in Washington, DC, and at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna.
However I have also suffered from bad muscle spasms in my legs in the evening and at night. I decided to stop the statins and the spasms have gone immediately thank goodness ! I will never take this statin again but I know I have to still control my cholesterol. Does anyone know of a statin that will not give me leg spasms ?
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