When taking a statin drug like Lipitor or Crestor, are there supplements I should avoid or take?

The Berberine I take is added to other supplements, so it is not a lot. Time to talk to my Doctor. Great article.

I am one of those that 100% feels better taking CoQ10 with my statin. I was getting lethargic, sleeping in the afternoon, aches and pains. Took CoQ10, and feel much better.

I am 80. My cholesterol is 148, ldl 80 and hdl 52. So far so good. However my Ct Cardiac Calcium score is 818. The cardiologist said to go on statins. I went to an alternative cardiologist who said rectal chelation. I did that for a bit while supplementing with the prescribed minerals to supplement what was lost and stopped that when I became excruciatingly tired. It turns out that some of my teeth had demineralized and I got a number of cavities. I had also tried red yeast when I was younger and had ill effects from that. I can't find studies showing statin decrease Ct Calcium Cardiac score. The only advice other than statins seems to be diet and exercise. Does any have experience lowering their Ct Calcium Cardiac score? Thanks.

Please add to this list Colchicine. Some people are given both. Don't be a lab rat. It's not worth the risk.
Colchicine is a long-used drug with heart benefits. Stay tuned. Be informed. Be safe with it.

Hi, While this article is very interesting it has no mention of Pitavastatin (Livalo, brand name)a statin with significant advantages over ALL the other statins as well as a very unique metabolic pathway. I think that this omission should be corrected in short order and does not reflect accurately the superb quality of most of your other reviews/updates. Thank you.

I've been taking HPF for the ladt 4 years and am very happy with my LDL numbers. However, I am wondering if there could be any negative to taking it with nattokinase.

Statins impede the synthesis of vitamin K2. Supplementing Vitamin K may be beneficial when taking statins.

Is the only concern with Berberine that it may increase blood levels of certain statins? Could you give more background or info on that? My research has shown that staying under 1,500mg per day is OK with statins, and that it's best to take it hours apart from the statin. My cardiologist has approved that, and we wonder if that has been the reason why my LDL is lower than expected on the lowest possible dose of rosuvastatin. If that's the case, then - with one's doctor's approval - wouldn't berberine be considered beneficial to take with a lower dose of statin?

I had a heart attack at 2012 and got one stent. Of course the cardiologist subscribed me statins. I started taking lipitor, had weakness problems, switching to a different statin did nothing. I stopped taking all medications all together when I switched my diet to a whole food plant base diet. No oil, no sugar, minimal salt, no precessed food. Since then, my cholesterol, high blood pressure and all the other numbers are steady low. Taking very few supplement like b12 and iodine, and feel great. I'm 76.

Would taking a Curcumin supplement at bedtime along with 5 mg Crestor be okay?

There are no sources referenced as to why Berberine should not be taken with atorvastatin. Please explain why and cite your sources, if possible.

I've begun berberine and don't see research answer for if you forget to take it 30 minutes and take it with a meal, is it wasted? Also, I dont eat lunch, but just take the berberine and wondered if this is ok. I cant find writings on this anywhere. thank you, anyone for input

The is one sorely needed article. Most conventional MDs are not very interested in conventional drug interactions with supplements. This is eye-opening & more exploration along these lines could be highly valuable. Hampton Howell, Ph.D.

I'm diabetic and have been taking Berberine for years to help control my glucose levels. 500mg/day berberine in the morning with breakfast. I also use insulin and have to be careful because pure, finely ground berberine is a powerful herb in many areas of human health.
This article is interesting because I have a friend who uses berberine but is also on the script, Metoprolol. Not recommended; so I have alerted her. Thank you to whomever pointed out the enzyme interferences that may be caused by berberine.

Although many natural products are available for consumers, it is troubling that those with pharmaceutical contents, often potentially toxic, are available to purchase anywhere. Given the wild variability of both active ingredients (lovastatin) and toxins (citrinin) in commercially distributed red yeast rice, it makes no sense at all that this product should be on the market. There is a simple way to get cholesterol-lowering medication. Ask your doctor. In addition to a prescription for an FDA regulated drug, the content of which is under strict control, the doctor will follow up with you about the benefit or lack thereof associated with the medication. It is probably covered by your insurance, which red yeast rice is not. Do not be fooled by the "natural product" buzz that lulls you into the delusion that it is somehow safer than prescription. Lab tests for efficacy do not come with purchase either.
Further, I cannot agree with the comment that people who are intolerant of lovastatin could be fine with red yeast rice in which the active component is lovastatin. It must be that they just needed a lower dose than standard tablets afford.

Michael Gross, M.D.
CL member

When one is taking statins and Vitamin C, how does Vitamin C affect statins? Thanks.

Could you explain why you wrote "Berberine should be avoided or used with caution when taking certain statin drugs"? I understand that both lower cholesterol and the effect might be additive. Is the concern that cholesterol might be lowered too much? Or something else? The Berberine article does not clarify.

My husband is taking 5mg Rosuvastatin to control his cholesterol. About a month and half ago him and I are taking reishi mushroom pills, hoping to lower both of our blood sugar level, he is very high and I am at boarder line. Just had a blood test last week, the doctor is happy with our result, and ask that we keep on the same diet (we haven't changed our diet). This is encouraging, he plans on continue to take the reishi pills. My question is can he take reishi mushroom pill while he is on Rosuvastatin?

I had a heart attack in the 60's. My MD's put me on meds. In the 80's I was told to take statin drugs. In 2015 I started to notice I was hurting. Loss of strength in my legs, and arms, etc., thinking slower, and pretty soon I began talking with my MD. about statins. He moved me from one statin to the next. Some were worst than others. Finally we realized, this was a situation of "quality of life". I was a very active person in my youth, now couldn't even walk a mile, so we tried a bunch of fish oils to control my triglycerides. The $500 prescription fish oils were ridiculously expensive and may have worked, but Big Pharma and I don't get along. I recently found a 3 x strength fish oil on the market and started taking that. Right now, since coming off statins in 2016, I feel a heck of a lot better. Be careful for long term side effects of Statins. The results for me were devastating.

7 years ago I began taking simvastatin for high cholesterol. 10 years ago I had had a bilateral mastectomy and my oncologist did not like the fact that my liver enzymes were above normal.
My oncologist wanted me to stop taking the statin but my primary care physician did not like that idea.

I found out the taking omega 3-6-9 might help lower my cholesterol. I purchased it from Amazon and a year later during my annual physical my annual physical my good cholesterol was out standing & my bad cholesterol was almost non existent.
My PCP told me to stop taking the Staten drug. My oncologist is now pleased with my liver enzyme test.

As long as my blood work looks this good I'll stick to omega 3, 6 and 9, which does not use Fish oil.

Currently taking Pravastatin 40 mg and added nicotinamide riboside 250 mg daily to the regimen. Is this amount of this form of niacin (NR) safe to take concurrently with statins?

Is it safe to eat grapefruit if taking livalo? Thank you.

Your Brain Needs Cholesterol My Mum lived to 100 year and she had High Blood pressure
died of the Flesh eating disease do to a Fall.

What regimen a person follows is a very individual thing. When I stopped my statin drug after reading how bad it was in general, even though I have had no side effects from it, and switched to red yeast rice, my cholesterol shot up to 300. When I went back on it, it dropped significantly. Since I have always had a high HDL (over 70), and now also take baby aspirin, this seems to be the best protocol for me. One size does not fit all! My doctor and I work together to figure out the best program for me.

If statins were created to reduce the rate of heart attack deaths, is there any evidence to prove they have been effective at that (I think not). What is the true number needed to treat (NNT) for Lipitor or any other statin? How did the Lipitor folks derive their claim of 36% reduction? I think you will be shocked.

Disclosure: I am the author of the book, A (Patented) Heart Disease Cure that Works (Amazon) and have been off statins for ten years -- but their side effects are still with me.

Dave Leake

Can you give me the reason why with Berberine used with Mevacor or Crestor? Specific pathway concerns?
Thank you,
Claudia Ayon, R.N.

Can Berberine be taken with Crestor
Claudia

Which forms of magnesium should not be taken when also taking red rice yeast? I am taking NatureMade magnesium oxide in the AM along with red rice yeast. In the evening I plan to take two out of three caps of Magtein (Magnesium L-Threonate. What do you think?
Thanks,
Herb Walcoe

I wanted to thank Consumer Lab for being so honest in your answers to questions. I appreciate all the information you have on your website and how comprehensive it is.

The scientific evidence against statins is accumulating rapidly not only with respect to the lack of positive evidence that they lower the incidence of CHD but, more importantly, with respect to the hard evidence that they produce many negative side effects.

In turn, the statin equation rests on growing evidence that chasing HDL-C and LDL-C, as a strategy for reducing CHD, also lacks scientific evidence -- and has for more than a decade.

There *is* scientific evidence linking triglycerides and cholesterol particle counts to CHD in an intermediate causal chain but they are downstream to more fundamental causes, such as inflammation. In other words, most if not all facets of cholesterol metrics are not linked to causing CHD unless certain pre-conditions exist.

My recommendation would be to discuss thoroughly with your physician the scientific rationale for recommending that you take statins.

I take simvastatin for cholesterol which appears to be genetically based. Simvastatin does increase my blood sugar above 100. I tested it by stopping simvastatin for 1 month and my blood sugar dropped below 100. My blood sugar went up when I resumed taking simvastatin. I did this under my doctor's supervision and she felt it was more important to take simvastatin. At the last testing my A1C was .1 over what is considered ok.

If a low dosage of Crestor is taken at about 9 P.M.in the evening,
can a quarter of a cup of fresh grapefruit juice be negative to
have at 7 in the A.M.?
Thank You