Levothyroxine And Synthroid Are Both T4 Only Medications
So here is the primary problem:
Levothyroxine and Synthroid are both T4 only medications.
Most Doctors will prescribe T4 medication under the assumption that your body will have no problem converting T4 into T3.
And in a perfect world, a world without stress, inflammation or other hormonal imbalances – it would.
But that’s not the world we live in…
Nowadays it’s VERY uncommon if someone has their stress managed, has no issues with blood sugar/insulin/leptin, has a normal menstrual cycle, is not overweight, has never done yo-yo diets, or has normal adrenal function.
Do any of these symptoms or situations sound familiar?
Chances are high that you are dealing with 1 or more of them.
And in states such as these, your body will turn T4 into reverse T3 as a way to “put on the brakes” and slow down your metabolism and cause symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Will Statins Increase My Risk For Diabetes Or Complicate My Existing Diabetes
This risk is true to some extent, but its wildly exaggerated.In fact, there are good data to show that people who have problems with their blood sugar or who have diabetes benefit most from statins. Even though their blood sugar may go up slightly, the added risk is significantly offset by the reduction in heart disease risk that a statin can provide.If youre already at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, or if you have prediabetes, you may monitor your blood glucose more closely after starting a statin. But exercise and weight loss have been shown to lower the risk of developing diabetes in those with borderline blood glucose levels, regardless of statin use.
Pharmacist Tips For Gemfibrozil
Take gemfibrozil 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner everyday for best absoprtion.
If you are taking gemfibrozil , inform your provider before starting another medication due to possible drug interactions.
To get maximum response from this treatment, follow a diet low in fats, and eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Try to exercise 3 to 4 times a week, for 40 minutes each time. Ask your provider if you need help figuring out your diet or exercise plan.
If your cholesterol and triglyceride levels don’t improve in the first 3 months, gemfibrozil may not be the best medication for you.
Prices for gemfibrozil start at just $9.00 with a GoodRx coupon. Theyre fast, easy-to-use and free!
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Muscle Pain & Cramping
Achy muscles are the most commonly reported side effect of not only Lipitor, but of statin medications in general. The tenderness is typically bilateralwhich means you feel it on both sides of your bodyand shows up in your larger muscle groups, like arms, legs, back, and shoulders. Cramping, however, normally takes place on one side of the body, or unilaterally.
Sometimes muscle pain is due to an interaction with another medication youre taking, or a sign that your thyroid or vitamin D level needs to be checked, says Amy Pollak, M.D., cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Other times, its a sign that your body doesnt tolerate the medication and that youre having a more serious reaction, called rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscle tissue breaks down, releasing into the blood stream. It can cause kidney damage or failure, and even death.
Amelia Sattler, M.D., family medicine doctor at Stanford Health Care, says dark, tea-colored pee is one good indication that your muscles are deteriorating. Rhabdomyolysis, however, only occurs in one in 10,000 patients on statins, according to Thomas, and usually happens when there is too much statin in the bloodstream.
How Can You Lose Weight And Keep It Off
Losing weight is hard, but keeping it off is even harder. Changing the way you eat and maintaining a regular exercise program are the two key ingredients in any weight control formula.
Fortunately, when you limit fat and cholesterol in the diet, you also cut calories, promoting weight control and helping to lower your cholesterol levels. Further, people who are most likely to succeed in losing weight and keeping it off are people who exercise regularly.
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Side Effects And Interactions
Dr. Bruemmer cautions that pravastatin can cause side effects, including muscle pain called myalgia, as well as gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and an increase in liver enzymes. The potential muscular side effects occur in about 10 to 20 percent of people who take statins, but he says that “pravastatin is probably the statin with the least frequency of muscle-related side effects.”
Some people who take statins might experience an increase in blood sugar, which, over time, can lead to type 2 diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. But this side effect tends to occur more often in people who are already at a higher risk of diabetes.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, potential interactions can occur when taking pravastatin alongside the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine, the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine or certain antibiotics such as azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin and telithromycin, among others. Because of this, be sure your doctor is aware of all drugs you take, including any that have been prescribed by other physicians, if pravastatin is being considered.
It’s worth noting that it’s fine to drink moderate amounts of alcohol while taking pravastatin, but drinking in excess can increase the likelihood that you will experience the drug’s side effects, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What You Can Expect When You Start Thyroid Medication
Most people cannot expect extreme weight loss once they start thyroid hormone replacement medication. Again, this is because weight gain is often caused by other factors aside from an underactive thyroid. Generally, people begin to notice weight loss about three to six months after hitting a therapeutic dose of their medication.
People lose about five to ten pounds on thyroid medication or less than 10% of their body weight. The weight loss is usually caused by the body getting rid of an excess accumulation of water and salt . Most research does not show that thyroid medications like Synthroid help you lose adipose tissue.
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Ezetimibe May Cause Side Effects Tell Your Doctor If Any Of These Symptoms Are Severe Or Do Not Go Away:
- headache
- pale or fatty stools
- chest pain
Ezetimibe may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .
Mistake : Youre Not Exercising Enough
Diet alone is often not enough. It should be combined with exercise, says Michos. When it comes to exercise, the equation is pretty simple: Being sedentary equals lower levels of HDL, according to the AHA. You can lower both cholesterol and high blood pressure by doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, bicycling, swimming, or even doing yard work, each week.
Even more good news: A review published in November 2018 in the journal BioMed Research International found that both low- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise led to a significant reduction in total cholesterol, including LDL.
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Interactions Between Gemfibrozil And Other Medications
Gemfibrozil may interact with certain medications or supplements. Always let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other medications or supplements that you are currently taking. The list below does not include all possible drug interactions with gemfibrozil . Please note that only the generic name of each medication is listed below.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Ciprofibrate
Mistake : You Eat Whatever You Want
Taking statins doesnt mean you can ignore advice about a cholesterol-lowering diet, Michos stresses. Many people wrongly believe their medication will undo any cholesterol overload, regardless of what they eat.
Even if youre taking medication to lower your cholesterol, you still need to watch your calorie intake and reduce the amount of saturated fats and carbohydrates, which could be contributing to unhealthy cholesterol levels. Instead, eat cholesterol-lowering foods, such as beans, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.
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Truths About Statins And High Cholesterol
For every drop of scientific evidence that statins are safe and effective, there is a tidal wave of misinformation. Our patients are concerned about statin side effects theyve heard about from family or friends, or read about on the Internet.Statins are the gold-standard for high cholesterol treatment. Theyre a powerful medication, and theyve been proven to save the lives of many men and women living with or having a high risk of heart attack or stroke.But if statins are so effective, why are some people afraid to take them?As with any medication, there are risks associated with taking statins, but the benefits far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of high-risk patients.In an effort to put statin side effects into context and provide honest, scientific answers about statins and their use, weve put together a list of common questions our patients ask us:
Keeping Stress Levels Down
In addition to paying attention to diet, try to get a good nights sleepand battle stress proactively. Chronically high stress levels are linked toheart disease and Type 2 diabetes, but they can also trigger autoimmuneconditions such as alopecia areata, in which the hair falls out in chunks or altogether. Holistic methods for stressreduction such as meditation have been proven successful in countless studies.
Exercise, too, can boost levels of feel good hormones ,buffering the effects of stress.Dont work more than you need to, find the time toprepare healthy fresh meals, and exercise every day if you can.
Moreover, if your fatty fish intake is low, consider Omega-3supplementation, as well as boosting your B, C, D, and iron levels. Be aware ofthe way stress affects your physical and mental health, taking the steps you need to protect yourself against the bevy of chronic conditions a hecticlifestyle can bring on.
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Most People Dont Take Them Correctly
The American Heart Association considers failure to take medication a major threat to patients. Some people simply forget others skip or neglect medicines because they’re worried about costs or side effects.Research suggests that of people given a prescription, 12% don’t fill it, 12% fill it but don’t take it, and another 22% start taking it but then stop.
“If you look at the people who are given statins after a cardiac event, only half are still taking their medications within five years,” Dr. Gotto says.
Why Is This Medication Prescribed
Ezetimibe is used together with lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood. It may be used alone or in combination with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor . Ezetimibe is in a class of medications called cholesterol-lowering medications. It works by preventing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
In addition to taking a cholesterol-lowering medication, making certain changes in your daily habits can also lower your blood cholesterol levels. You should eat a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol exercise 30 minutes on most, if not all, days and lose weight if you are overweight.
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Dangers Of Statin Drugs: What You Havent Been Told About Popular Cholesterol
Hypercholesterolemia is the health issue of the 21st century. It is actually an invented disease, a problem that emerged when health professionals learned how to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. High cholesterol exhibits no outward signsunlike other conditions of the blood, such as diabetes or anemia, diseases that manifest telltale symptoms like thirst or weaknesshypercholesterolemia requires the services of a physician to detect its presence. Many people who feel perfectly healthy suffer from high cholesterolin fact, feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol!
Doctors who treat this new disease must first convince their patients that they are sick and need to take one or more expensive drugs for the rest of their lives, drugs that require regular checkups and blood tests. But such doctors do not work in a vacuumtheir efforts to convert healthy people into patients are bolstered by the full weight of the US government, the media and the medical establishment, agencies that have worked in concert to disseminate the cholesterol dogma and convince the population that high cholesterol is the forerunner of heart disease and possibly other diseases as well.
The drugs that doctors use to treat the new disease are called statinssold under a variety of names including Lipitor , Zocor , Mevacor and Pravachol .
If Youre Experiencing Forgetfulness Or Confusion Check Your Medicine Cabinet
by Dr. Armon B. Neel, Jr., February 9, 2016| 0
For a long time doctors dismissed forgetfulness and mental confusion as a normal part of aging. But scientists now know that memory loss as you get older is by no means inevitable. Indeed, the brain can grow new brain cells and reshape their connections throughout life.Most people are familiar with at least some of the things that can impair memory, including alcohol and drug abuse, heavy cigarette smoking, head injuries, stroke, sleep deprivation, severe stress, vitamin B12 deficiency, and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
But what many people don’t realize is that many commonly prescribed drugs also can interfere with memory. Here are 10 of the top types of offenders.
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How Are Doctors Sure That Statins Really Are Safe And Beneficial
Statins have been studied more than nearly any other drug that people take. In fact, more than 170,000 people who take statins have been studied in detail and for extended periods of time. We certainly know the benefits of statins.We also understand the risks of statins. In some instances, after doctors have prescribed a drug for 10 years or more, it is taken off the market because of unforeseen, adverse side effects. Weve been prescribing statins since the 1990s for patients at high risk for stroke and heart disease. With statins, the side effects actually are well known. But how can we put that in perspective?Any focus on statin side effects needs to be counterbalanced by the fact that statins reduce peoples risk of dying from heart attack, heart disease, or stroke. Data from the 2008 JUPITER Trial suggest a 54 percent heart attack risk reduction and a 48 percent stroke risk reduction in people at risk for heart disease who used statins as preventive medicine. The data are not speculative rather, they reflect statins real potential to save lives and avoid illness.There are many varieties of brand name and generic statins available. All statins work in more or less the same way to lower bad cholesterol in patients at high risk for cardiac events.Below are a few of the common brand names you may recognize, along with their generic counterparts:
- Lipitor
- Vytorin
Will My Statin Drug Cause Me To Gain Weight As A Side Effect
Maybein two surprising ways. First, taking pills such as atorvastatin, , lovastatin , or simvastatin may make you think you can eat as much as you like, new research suggests. Second, statins can cause muscle pain and weakness, which may make you less likely to exercise.
While the eating habits of people who didnt take statins stayed pretty much the same, those who did take the cholesterol-lowering drugs gradually consumed more and more over time, according to a 10-year dietary study of nearly 28,000 U.S. adults published online in JAMA Internal Medicine. Statin users consumed 9.6 percent more calories and 14 percent more fat in 2009-2010 than they did in 1999-2000, and gained an average of 6.6 to 11 pounds.
Statins appear to provide a false reassurance and a belief that the drugs can compensate for poor dietary choices, wrote Rita F. Redberg, M.D., professor and director of womens cardiovascular services at the University of California, San Francisco, and the journals editor.
Read more about treating high cholesterol with statins in our free Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs report.
Statins might also contribute to weight gain by causing muscle pain and weakness, which in turn can make you less physically active. Some experts estimate that as many as a third of people who take statins are affected. Other published materials suggest the number is closer to between 5 and 10 percent of people.
Teresa Carr
Editor’s Note:
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What If I Forget To Take It
If you occasionally forget to take a dose, take your next dose the next day at the usual time. Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take extra doses.
If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.
Are Statins Really Worth Taking For High Cholesterol
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Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. But some people are reluctant to take these life-saving drugs. They worry about taking medicine every day for the rest of their life or have heard that statins have undesirable side effects. What does science have to say about these concerns and others surrounding statins? We talked to UH interventional cardiologist Ian Neeland, MD, Director of the Center of Cardiovascular Prevention at University Hospitals, to learn more.
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