I was reading the paper this morning and came across an article about people who were taking statins and became infected with seasonal flu and had to be hospitalized where twice as likely to survive than those who weren’t on them.  The article gave a shoutout to Lipitor and Zocor.  The CDC and Prevention were behind this study.  I could very well believe that coming from the government regulated CDC, but Prevention?  Hmmm, Merck and Pfizer in their back pocket?

Oh wait, it gets better.  Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University doctor said, “There are relatively few downsides to trying statins, which are cheap, relatively safe and already among the most widely used medicines in the world.”

Trying statins?  Cheap?  Safe?  Widely use?  I just about shit my fucking pants when I read that.  Let me tell you something about Lipitor. 

Trying statins?  Like it’s fucking weed or something.  “Here, smoke this….”  You go first, you moron.  What a fucking ignorant statement.

It is not cheap.  A three month supply was costing me $191 AFTER my insurance paid.  Cut your pills in half.  Take them every other day.  Get your bloodwork done and see what falls out of the tree.  That’s what I did.

The side effects where horrible and it took me a couple of years to realize it was the Lipitor.  I complained to my cardiologist that it was making me tired.  He said there was nothing in it to make me tired.  I said I didn’t feel like this before I was taking it.  I asked how long I have to be on it.  He said for the rest of your life.  BULL FUCKING SHIT TO BOTH!!!!

Go get yourself some red yeast rice. Do the research. It’s got the same damn active ingredient that lovastatin has. But because it’s the same shit, make sure you continue with your blood work to make sure it’s not fucking up your liver.

I couldn’t stay awake on Lipitor.  I’d get up at 6:30 for work and I’d be back in bed by 11:00, literally drained of all physical and mental energy.  Luckily I worked at home.  I’d have to sleep for 2-3 hours.  Then at night, I’d fall asleep without a problem because I was so exhausted, but then wake up at 1:00 a.m. and wouldn’t fall asleep again until 4:30 a.m.

Like I said, I started cutting my pills in half and then taking it every other day.  Soon I realized that on the nights I took the pill, I had insomnia.  A big fucking lightbulb moment that was, let me tell you. 

After I stopped taking it my cholesterol was fine and still is years later.  Once my pipes were cleaned up there was no reason to stay on it.  I stopped eating deep fried shrimp 3-4 times a week and the problem magically went away on its own.  I didn’t even tell my doctor about it.  I just kept going for the blood work every 6 months.  As long as it was fine, I just kept stuffing those Rx’s in my purse. 

And about the “most widely used medicine” bullshit.  I think that should be most widely misused medicine.  Hey, patients are fucking fat and lively unhealthy lifestyles, but it’s pure drug abused by the doctors who Rx this shit like it was candy and then telling you it’s for the rest of your life.  Big pharma has them, too.  All of them – fuckers.  Get the shovel.