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Dr -- 1. I Am 49 Years Old With Heart
Question: Dr --
1. I am 49 years old with heart disease in my family -- my father had a heart attack at age 50 -- but he is doing better now with medication
2. my recent heart scans have been normal - and recently My HDL was tested at 45 & my LDL was 130 -- and I was walking daily about 2 miles a day -- and my other blood work was normal
3. but I was placed upon a small dose of rosuvastatin by my cardiologist -- 2.5 mg/day -- to help lower my LDL
4. about 2 months later my LDL went down to 95
5. but i started to experience cramps in the back of my left leg -- behind the left knee -- I was not sure of the cause -- so out of caution I stopped the rosuvastatin -- I have not told my cardiologist yet about this
6. now I have doubled my weekly walking to see if I can get my LDL & HDL into a normal/healthy range -- with more exercise
7 . do yo think this is a good plan ? or should I resume the rosuvastatin ?
Thank you for your advice,
1. I am 49 years old with heart disease in my family -- my father had a heart attack at age 50 -- but he is doing better now with medication
2. my recent heart scans have been normal - and recently My HDL was tested at 45 & my LDL was 130 -- and I was walking daily about 2 miles a day -- and my other blood work was normal
3. but I was placed upon a small dose of rosuvastatin by my cardiologist -- 2.5 mg/day -- to help lower my LDL
4. about 2 months later my LDL went down to 95
5. but i started to experience cramps in the back of my left leg -- behind the left knee -- I was not sure of the cause -- so out of caution I stopped the rosuvastatin -- I have not told my cardiologist yet about this
6. now I have doubled my weekly walking to see if I can get my LDL & HDL into a normal/healthy range -- with more exercise
7 . do yo think this is a good plan ? or should I resume the rosuvastatin ?
Thank you for your advice,
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome on - Ask a Doctor - service!
I understand your concern and would like to explain that you are on the right way to modify your cardiovascular risk factors.
Following a healthy life - style, with a balanced Mediterranean diet, frequent physical activity, and lipid lowering strategy promote a good health and minimized the potential future cardiac events.
Regarding Rosuvastatin, I would explain that it is true it may exert possible adverse effects affecting mainly the musculoskeletal system (with myalgia, arthralgia in up to 10% of patients).
Anyways, it is necessary to confirm whether your left leg clamps are related to Rosuvastatin.
Dosing muscle enzymes (like CPK, LDH, AST, ALT) when the symptoms are present, could help to differentiate Rosuvastatin as a potential cause, providing exact evidence that no concomitant muscle inflammation, trauma or alternative issues are present.
From the other side, when statin (like Rosuvastatin) therapy is newly resumed not rarely the previous adverse effects (like myalgia) may subside.
Coming to this point, I would recommend continuing your healthy life - style (diet and physical activity) and checking again your blood lipid profile.
If your lipids remain high, then a new trial with a statin (even an alternative like Atorvastatin) should be done.
You should discuss with your prescribing doctor on the above mentioned issues.
Hope to have been helpful to you!
In case of any further questions, feel free to ask me again.
Kind regards,
Dr. Ilir Sharka
cardiologist
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome on - Ask a Doctor - service!
I understand your concern and would like to explain that you are on the right way to modify your cardiovascular risk factors.
Following a healthy life - style, with a balanced Mediterranean diet, frequent physical activity, and lipid lowering strategy promote a good health and minimized the potential future cardiac events.
Regarding Rosuvastatin, I would explain that it is true it may exert possible adverse effects affecting mainly the musculoskeletal system (with myalgia, arthralgia in up to 10% of patients).
Anyways, it is necessary to confirm whether your left leg clamps are related to Rosuvastatin.
Dosing muscle enzymes (like CPK, LDH, AST, ALT) when the symptoms are present, could help to differentiate Rosuvastatin as a potential cause, providing exact evidence that no concomitant muscle inflammation, trauma or alternative issues are present.
From the other side, when statin (like Rosuvastatin) therapy is newly resumed not rarely the previous adverse effects (like myalgia) may subside.
Coming to this point, I would recommend continuing your healthy life - style (diet and physical activity) and checking again your blood lipid profile.
If your lipids remain high, then a new trial with a statin (even an alternative like Atorvastatin) should be done.
You should discuss with your prescribing doctor on the above mentioned issues.
Hope to have been helpful to you!
In case of any further questions, feel free to ask me again.
Kind regards,
Dr. Ilir Sharka
cardiologist
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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