Anyone hear of Statins for calcification??

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Lorimacm

Lorimacm

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
146
Location
California
Was wondering if anyone has heard of taking statins - like Crestor - for valve calcification? My cholesterol is good but my doc put me on Crestor and his reason was it has been found to help the calcification in the valves. My pharmacist had never heard of such a thing so I really don't know what to think of it.

Lori
 
Just read it.....looks like since my cholesterol is not elevated then I shouldn't really be taking this. If I continue, does anyone know what the effects are when you don't need it for cholesterol? Interesting that my doc prescribed it I think.
 
I'm also taking a statin for this exact purpose. I'm taking Lipitor and I have never had high cholesterol. I take a very small dose. I split a 10mg. caplet in half and take 5mg. daily. My cardio originally had me on 10mg. but I was having some gastro issues with it and told him I was cutting it in half. I've been on it now for about 4 years. He said he wanted me to take it because my aortic valve was showing some calcification. My mitral valve is the one that's been replaced. LINDA
 
I have not heart about this, but who knows...there are new discoveries every day. It might be worth trying it and see if it has any effect.

My humble opinion on calcification which my GP explained to me is that calcification is caused from deposits of calcium not fat and it does not affect healthy valves. Only leaky or stenotic valves get calcified because of their unhealthy state.!!
 
It doesn't work. They've tried two very substantial studies (one with Lipitor) and it...does...not...work. At all.

Ruthless and morally bankrupt people were trying to sell more statins by creating word-of-mouth prescribing from doctors with this, and the science has proven repeatedly that it's not of any value for valve calcification whatsoever, either for the original or a tissue replacement.

Apatite formation on valves is not related to the formation of semicalcific arterial lesions. Many people who have badly calcified valves (particularly bicuspids) are found to have extraordinarily clear arteries.

However, you can still enjoy the side effects from statins, if you choose to use them when you don't need them. If you don't have extra cholesterol, it can sequester some of the cholesterol you need to create memories and perform other necessary bodily chemical functions. Cholesterols have many uses within the body, and are not just bad things that gather in your arteries.

This is NOT an FDA approved indication (use) of ANY statin, and there is NO evidence of efficacy whatsoever, including from the huge studies funded by the statin manufacturers themselves.

Statins are not vitamins. They're highly reactive, potentially dangerous chemicals that can be useful for their purpose, but only under the right circumstances. This is not a case of, "well, it couldn't hurt and maybe it will help..." It could hurt.

Best wishes,
 
You should be having testing to make sure your liver is OK because they can affect your liver. I take Simvastatin for higher cholesterol than my doctor wanted. It helped in an impressive way. But I do have testing every 6 months. So far, so good, it hasn't affected anything.
 
I do have my liver enzymes checked but am going to talk with my cardiologist at my next appointment in Aug. about getting off Lipitor. Of course, it's such a small dose that it's probably not doing much of anything, good or bad. LINDA
 
Thanks all! I think I need more discovery but will continue in the meantime. I am looking for a new cardiologist right now - I have many questions for him/her including this one.
 
Discussion of the two studies mentioned are in the archives of the site, and links to them are likely still valid there as well. They were major blows to the statin companies.

This is not to say that statins are not good for the right purpose in the right patients, those who have excessive cholesterol and tolerate the compound. At least one statin has been proven to reduce heart problems by a percentage, if taken by patients with a certain risk profile.

Just a reminder that using any drug outside its indications is a judgment call. The indication (use) is not allowed to be listed or marketed by the company when there is lack of proof that it works for that purpose (efficacy) or when the patient risks posed by that chemical are greater than the benefits as presented to the FDA. Doctors are allowed to prescribe virtually anything for virtually any reason, based on their belief in the prescribed product's benefits.

Despite expensive studies, statin manufacturers have not been able to provide any evidence of benefit for this purpose, yet the buzz still goes around in medical circles that it "might work." My cardiologist tried to prescribe it for me, until I showed him the study results.

I have no idea how that continues, other than the fact that I'm sure cardiologists wish that they could do something about calcification. I can only think that it's a very sheltered community in some areas, and that allows information to be shaped for their consumption.

Best wishes,
 
My surgeon put me on Lipitor post-surgery to prevent any "gunk", as his nurse called it, from getting into my annuloplasty ring. My cardio didn't think I needed to continue on it once I switched back to his care about 8 wks post. I talked with the surgeon and he stated evidence for using Lipitor was weak so he didn't have a problem with me stopping. So I did.
 
I take crestor and zetia. It was prescribed in part because i have a slight calcification of the mitral valve, and since the other two were replaced, it was for prevention. I dont think its that unusual , but i am no doctor.
 
I'm afraid that the makers of statins have tried to sell 'em as the aspirin of the early twenty-first century. While I owe my very life to 'em (I have genetically preposterous levels of cholesterol), I don't recommend taking them for anything BUT that. The side effects of most modern drugs are potentially as lethal as the conditions for which they're taken, and even though I'm dependent on some of them, they're not panaceas. Better life-way choices, such as exercise and diet, are far better solutions to most of what ails us. Bottom line: don't take any drug you don't have to; most times there are better ways of dealing with whatever the situation is.
 
I have very little tolerance for these statins, but can stand just a wee dose........ so I take half of a Crestor twice a week, not to prevent calcification, but because they cleaned out a small bit of atherosclerotic tissue when they replaced my valve. They're hoping to prevent problems down the road. Otherwise my cholesterol number are fine- just lucky genes, I think.
 
Lori,

Sounds like you and I may be in the same boat. I am recently diagnosed as having a Bicuspid Aortic Valve and mild regurgitation. The bloodtests came back with really good numbers, my good cholesterol was low however. The cardio still wanted to put me on simvastatin, just in case. I'm wondering if there is some indication there is some stenosis he didn't share.

BTW, I am in the market for a new cardio that won't dismiss my edema and heart rate issues.

Tass
 
My surgeon put me on Lipitor after AVR for the exact same reason. Even though I didn't have elevated cholesterol. At 5 weeks post op I developed a severe muscle pain reaction to the drug. My PCP and cardiologist both agreed that I shouldn't be on the drug and that there was no proof that it actually benefited the new valve. I'm now over 4 months post op and doing just fine. Jane
 
My vote goes for over prescribing too. I left the hospital after my AVR with a bottle of Simvastatin 40 mg. I took them until my first cardio check at 3 weeks and then asked him why I was taking them since I don't have a cholesterol problem and my cath came back showing no blockages. He simply replied, "Well, just stop taking them. I don't think you need them." So I stopped and no problems.

I'm not one for putting a lot of unnecessary medicines into my body so I want to know why I need a specific drug. I think hospitals have a check-out list for the procedures they do and just write prescriptions according to their list. Your cardio sees you alot more often and also is privy to other medical conditions you have so has a better view of you as a whole.

My PCP gave me Albuterol for breathing, my pulmonary doc said it could make my heart race and my cardio said don't use it unless it's doing you alot of good, which is wasn't. As we all know on this site, questions, questions, questions provide the best answers.

Midge
 
Tobagotwo,
Can you tell how to see the study you read and showed your cardiologist?
 
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