FYI for those on statins

[sh1973]

As most members on here know I’ve always did better on very low dose once weekly injections. I take no other meds with trt. About 10 months ago I started a low dose statin 5mg eod. I have no perceivable side effects from the statin. Long story short, after about two months I started feeling really bad almost how I did before trt. We ram labs and I found my testosterone levels had dropped to 496ng and they had been in the 650-700ng range for years at 60mg per week. We finally put two and two together and figured out lowering my cholesterol which transports sex hormones and all other hormones had lowered my t level. Anyhow I am now doing 80mg per week and feel great again. My last reading was 623ng. So if anyone gets on statins and noticed they start feeling low T symptoms, it is definitely something to watch out for because it surely happened to me.

 

[Vince]

Do statins lower testosterone and does it matter? - PMC

Drugs are two-sided swords and statins are no exception. Schooling et al. demonstrate that, on average, statins produce small, but statistically significant, decreases in testosterone. They appropriately emphasize that the clinical significance of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[sh1973]

Do statins lower testosterone and does it matter? - PMC

Drugs are two-sided swords and statins are no exception. Schooling et al. demonstrate that, on average, statins produce small, but statistically significant, decreases in testosterone. They appropriately emphasize that the clinical significance of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

That is an interesting article and makes me think twice about continuing to take the Statin. I have no history of heart disease,my total cholesterol hovers both tween 240 and 260 and has for many years. I’ve never smoked. I do drink on occasion and exercise religiously as well as eating healthy so I wonder if I’m doing more harm than good by even taking them. My sister gets debilitating pain when she takes them, and I cannot tolerate any more than a minimum dose every other day of Crestor.

 

[Vince]

That is an interesting article and makes me think twice about continuing to take the Statin. I have no history of heart disease,my total cholesterol hovers both tween 240 and 260 and has for many years. I’ve never smoked. I do drink on occasion and exercise religiously as well as eating healthy so I wonder if I’m doing more harm than good by even taking them. My sister gets debilitating pain when she takes them, and I cannot tolerate any more than a minimum dose every other day of Crestor.

I do believe statin lower your CoQ10 levels. I would recommend to your sister to start supplementing with CoQ10.

I would recommend that you get a heart scan to see if you have any artery plaque. If you don't, there's really no need to take a statin.

Coenzyme Q10 and Statin-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction - PMC

Coenzyme Q10 is an important factor in mitochondrial respiration. Primary and secondary deficiencies of coenzyme Q10 result in a number of neurologic and myopathic syndromes. Hydroxyl-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors or statins ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[sh1973]

I do believe statin lower your CoQ10 levels. I would recommend to your sister to start supplementing with CoQ10.

I would recommend that you get a heart scan to see if you have any artery plaque. If you don't, there's really no need to take a statin.

Coenzyme Q10 and Statin-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction - PMC

Coenzyme Q10 is an important factor in mitochondrial respiration. Primary and secondary deficiencies of coenzyme Q10 result in a number of neurologic and myopathic syndromes. Hydroxyl-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors or statins ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I did the scans thru lifeline screening and everything was good. From what I remember you take 10mg of Lipitor. What were your levels prior to that?

 

[Vince]

I did the scans thru lifeline screening and everything was good. From what I remember you take 10mg of Lipitor. What were your levels prior to that?

I take a statin because I do have some artery plaque. I would have to check at home what I actually take. I take two small statins. I reply back later.

 

[sh1973]

I take a statin because I do have some artery plaque. I would have to check at home what I actually take. I take two small statins. I reply back later.

I don't really notice any real side effects on EOD but get bad insomnia with every day. I do 5mg of Crestor. Do you have any side effects?

 

[Vince]

I don't really notice any real side effects on EOD but get bad insomnia with every day. I do 5mg of Crestor. Do you have any side effects?

No, I haven't noticed any side effects.

 

[Vince]

I take a statin because I do have some artery plaque. I would have to check at home what I actually take. I take two small statins. I reply back later.

I take five mg of ezetimibe tab and 5 mg of rosuvastatin tab daily.

 

[sh1973]

I take five mg of ezetimibe tab and 5 mg of rosuvastatin tab daily.

Yeah the rosuvastatin is what I take generic crestor

 

[sh1973]

I take five mg of ezetimibe tab and 5 mg of rosuvastatin tab daily.

So did you have a cardiac event or are you just doing this for keeping from having one?

 

[Vince]

So did you have a cardiac event or are you just doing this for keeping from having one?

I've never had an event. Family members have both my parents and my older sister.

 

[Cataceous]

It appears statins tend to lower SHBG.[R] If this applies in your case then the reduction in total testosterone may not be reflected in free testosterone. It's not obvious how statins could otherwise reduce testosterone in someone on TRT. The implication is that they would be increasing the underlying metabolic rate, which seems like a stretch.

 

[Vince]

It appears statins tend to lower SHBG.[R] If this applies in your case then the reduction in total testosterone may not be reflected in free testosterone. It's not obvious how statins could otherwise reduce testosterone in someone on TRT. The implication is that they would be increasing the underlying metabolic rate, which seems like a stretch.

Interesting. It looks like you may be right, also lowers DHEA.

Association Between Statin Use and Sex Hormone in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Cohort - PubMed

Statin users have lower levels of SHBG and DHEA. This is especially relevant owing to the increasing use of statin therapy.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[sh1973]

It appears statins tend to lower SHBG.[R] If this applies in your case then the reduction in total testosterone may not be reflected in free testosterone. It's not obvious how statins could otherwise reduce testosterone in someone on TRT. The implication is that they would be increasing the underlying metabolic rate, which seems like a stretch.

I’ve always had sorta high shbg in the 50-70 range which is most likely why I’ve always did well on very low doses. I feel exactly the same now on 80 mg as I did on 60 mg.

 

[Vince]

I’ve always had sorta high shbg in the 50-70 range which is most likely why I’ve always did well on very low doses. I feel exactly the same now on 80 mg as I did on 60 mg.

I'm just the opposite. I always like higher levels of testosterone. My current protocol is 16 mg of testosterone daily and 500 iu of HCG twice a week. And of course no AI.

 

[sh1973]

I'm just the opposite. I always like higher levels of testosterone. My current protocol is 16 mg of testosterone daily and 500 iu of HCG twice a week. And of course no AI.

All these little things with taking a statin make me second guess it. Like I said I've never smoked, at an ideal weight, exercise 7 days a week, no family history of heart disease but do a a few drinks thru the week. It does affect my sleep and ive noticed my glucose has went up by a few points as well. Perhaps I'm overthinking things but the long term effects sorta worry me with statins.

 

[Flyers74]

Hi All,

wanted to revive this thread, since I'm currently going through an experience with Crestor (rosuvastatin). I'm 49, in shape, 6'2, 185lbs, and workout regulary 4-5x per week, and have been doing it since 19 yrs old.

High cholesterol runs in my family, and sadly I have it, and back around 2022 my doc and I decided (after proving out dietary changes have no effect), we'd go on crestor, 10mg daily. When I did stop statin for 3 mos (as described below), everything in my lipid panel stayed unchanged, except for LDL only, it shot right back up to where it was before statin, and I was NOT eating anything bad to cause that..

(this pretty much proved to me my body just makes high amounts of LDL..)

After about being on it for approx. 9mos, it gave me great cholesterol numbers (as you'll see below), but I was noticing changes in my mood, and out of the blue i started having Sexual dysfunction (ED, incomplete ejacualations, delayed ejaculations, etc).

I'm married, but our libidos are not the same, LOL, as kinda common between men and women with kids, so I normally take care of myself 2-3x per week, and then maybe 1 or 2x per month we have sex together. But that all started to happen after these 9mos, and I freaked out, so I immediately stopped statin altogether for about 3 months, but also made the mistake of immediately picking up and taking these 3 products while off the statin (thinking I needed to try another cholesterol fighting method). I took these products up until I went back on statin (as I explain below).

1) citrus bergamot (1000mg)
2) Nature Made Cholestoff
3) powdered oat bran

I prob. should have stopped everything, taken no supplements at all, so I could not mess with cholesterol production/sex hormone production, but at the time I didnt know anything about statins and cholesterol and sex hormones, nor had I found this forum yet, so I was flying blind.

And of course my doc and urologist both 'think' this shouldn't have happened, but of course cant prove it, and funny, my doc wanted to just write me a script for erection pills.


My erections were starting slowly to work again during these 3 months off statin, but in that time I went and saw a urologist.


Prior to statin:
------------------
Total Cholesterol: 220 (varied from 210-220 ish range)
Triglycerides: 175
HDL: 42 (varied in this range 38-46)
LDL: 150 (varied in this range 130-150)
Personal status: felt great, no mood issues at this time, sexual function has been normal for my entire life!)



9 mos on statin:
------------------
Total Cholesterol: 152
Triglycerides: 112
HDL: 49
LDL: 83
Personal status: feeling more down, more depressed, felt more dull at gym/working out, sexual issues, erection issues, ejaculation issues


I had a hormone panel run during this 3 mons off, and prior to seeing the urologist I asked my primary to check my Prostate and testosterone, results from both:



--- blood work via my primary dr ---
TST Total: 284
TST free: ??? (he didn't order it)
Psag: 0.7

--- blood work via urologist ----
TST Total: 233
TST Free: 7.7
PSag: 0.7
Estradiol: 11.1
Prolactin: 11.0
Fsh: 0.7
LH: ??? (unknown, he didn't order this)
SHBG: ??? (unknown, he didn't order this)
Tsh: 1.370
T4: 1.20
Phosph: 2.5


My urologist just said "I doubt your statin caused this, I think you should go back on it", and he wrote me for a script for 100mg 1x weekly of Xyosted injections. He wrote up my diagnosis as 'hypogonadism', and told me to start the xyosted and come see him again in Jan 2024.

So I finally started xyosted and statin together at start of this past Sept. Erections in the last two 1/2 months (back on statin) were really not much better, sometimes just can't get them at all, or I could get them mostly, but not full, and what's really been odd since all this started, as even with porn it doesn't help at all! When I'm with the wife usually that is enough stimuation from her and visually of course, that I can get 90% there, but even she would notice it's not all the way there...

and even once after starting sex, like 1 minute in, I totally lost it completely and went totally limp, never had that happen in my life, and was so insanely embarassing and humiliating.

So now at mid november, since I was noticing I was getting moody, irritable, and depressed again, and erection problems are totally back....I have to work really really hard to just get it going, and it can quickly just go limp the second I stop. Nothing anywhere near like it used to be back before all this crap started. Early mornings I still get wake up erections that are good, but later in the morning/day it goes away and really can't get it back.


The TST injections were starting to make me feel like I was 'in heat', no joke, and as of a few weeks ago I got an acne rash all over my right butt check, same type of nodular acne like I had back in college, which I had so bad on my face, neck, and back, I had to do accutaine for 1 yr to clear up.

And even with all this extra TST, it didn't help the erections, I just made me insanely too horny, like crazy.

So I stopped everything last week, and already feel better off the statin. I stopped the TST as well.

Went in this weekend to get a blood draw, since I had another script for the same urologist hormone panel, we'll see where my numbers are, curious how much it pushed up my TST



But no idea what my SHBG or LH ever was or is, as he didn't put it on any scripts, and my FSH was very very low???? maybe that all points back to what the statin did to my sex hormone production?


I'm waiting to see my blood results this week...but in the mean time, I will see how the next few months go just being OFF EVERYTHING... hoping my body will start making Testosterone again?? as I'd only take 9 injections of TST so far.. I have 3 more in this 90-day supply, but I'm done for now..

I will post back when I get my blood results.. but wanted to just revive this thread, as I am very very suspicious of this STATIN and what damage it did to my body's sexual function???



any thoughts or ideas??? other blood work I should ask to be ordered?

I know my doc is gonna be annoyed I stopped statin again, but I really really don't like what was happening to me mood wise, and sexually...


I wish I had known my base TST levels before any of this ever happened, but seems most docs just never order any hormone tests at all unless you ask?? and I never knew to ask in the past...

 

[sammmy]

You need to reduce your triglycerides - probably you eat too many carbs.

Try substituting carbs with cheese and retest. In my case that increases HDL, does not change LDL, and reduces triglycerides, which are a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.

Eating more vegetables and less butter may decrease LDL and then you would not need any statin.

 

[Flyers74]

You need to reduce your triglycerides - probably you eat too many carbs.

Try substituting carbs with cheese and retest. In my case that increases HDL, does not change LDL, and reduces triglycerides, which are a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.

Eating more vegetables and less butter may decrease LDL and then you would not need any statin.

Yes, I 100% agree..

my triglycerides have always been a problem, I need to focus on them and find something that works..


I'm already very regimented with my eating habits, I only only eat 3 meals a day during the week, and I never snack. on weekends I try to just eat breakfast and dinner, I skip lunch unless I'm doing rigorous activity outside and I need more calories.

I honestly hate cheese (exept occasional pizza, but that's not even 1x per month), so eating cheese prob. is gonna be tough..I eat whole grain oatmeal with chopped up fruit every day for breakfast...

but yeah, my meals are high in carbs.. I don't eat junk food, but also don't eat enough veggies or other things like fish.

I prob. need to try eating fish 1-2x per week? and somehow try to replace carbs with other filling things?


biggest prob. has always been, my metabolism is real high, and since I workout 4-5x per week, I'm very active, I need calories!!!


but yes, need to attack the triglycerides problem...without statins, that stuff really wrecked me...