Flaxseed symptoms and conditions

Have been taking Zocor for a month. I am about to give it up starting tomorrow. Calling my doctor. I rather try flax seed in my diet. Have had normal cholesterol for life, however the last couple of years it has been hovering around 230-260 esp. since menopause. So, the last check up the doc put me on 20mg, I don't like how I am feeling. Very tired. Low level of energy, and my skin tone appears to be changing yellowish color. Has anyone else experience the dis-coloring of their skin? I am nervous.

Guys - I just have to make a little follow up to my earlier post in January of this year. After giving it consideration and after reading all of your posts - I truly felt that I should stop this poison. And I did. Cold Turkey......

First day - mentally, I felt like I had been freed. Probably just a psychological thing, but nonetheless...
Second day - okay...my head felt clearer....my ear started to feel better...ah....my back...it's starting to feel less stiff...
Third day - no heating pad at night....I feel "lighter" (for lack of a better word)
Fourth day - my thighs don't hurt anymore.....I'm still tired.....very very tired...but the anxiety seems to be subsiding....I feel like I've come out of a strange fog....
Fifth day and on - my hubby says it took me a good two weeks to come around to "me" again.....now I'm still continuing my 2 TBS of flaxseed a day.....slowly losing a little weight - 5 pounds at this point.....15 more to go.....and thank God my chest doesn't hurt anymore. I don't feel like I'm dying (well, I still have anxiety attacks - but that's a separate thread - haha)....

My hubby just got diagnosed with cholesterol problems as well and he's on Simvastatin (sp?) which I believe is Zocor....and no problems. It's all in the makeup of a person, I'm convinced.

So everyone - if you feel like you're dying on this crap Vytorin, try to free yourself....even if it's just for a month....eat really well...take your flaxseed.....and see if you can get off of this horrible poison that OUR bodies don't accept...

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now....."-)

I'm crying reading these posts. I thought there was something wrong with me. I'm 41 years old - and my family has a health history of "making" cholesterol. Both parents were on statins. My total cholesterol was 267 a few months ago - LDLs were 171 and my HDLs were 42. I started taking flaxseed meal every day - and within a few months, my cholesterol dropped to 193, my LDLs were 117 and my HDLs were the same.
My doctor's didn't think it was the flaxseed - they had prescribed Vytorin which I reluctantly took for about a week. They attributed my lowering numbers to the statin, not the flaxseed - so I followed their advice and started taking the Vytorin about 3 weeks ago......
Now I don't know if it's coincidence, but I have developed a severe left ear problem....and have taken 2 separate antibiotics, but to no avail. I have also developed a severe pain in my left shoulder, the back of my left arm and sometimes it shoots into my chest.
I suffer from anxiety attacks, so of course, to me, this is a heart attack, but since I've been tested so many times and I'm a healthy woman, I know that's not it. I thought I'd log onto google today and search out what could possibly be causing these troubles. I read these posts and I literally have been crying for about 15 minutes. My doctors have told me that Vytorin is almost a "magic" pill. They said if someone could tell you that you could take this pill and it would reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by 50%, why wouldn't you take it? Given the history of your parents, it would be foolish to not.
I have also been given instructions to lose about 25 pounds (not bad), and I know that if I could just exercise, eat well and take my flaxseed as well as making sure I eat 2-3 meals of fish a week, then I have to be better, don 't you think?
Do you think statins are the only way to go? I'm so happy to know I'm not alone - I'm not going crazy - I'm not experiencing any heart attacks....my anxiety is ten-fold lately - I wake up after a full-night's sleep feeling exhausted. I have four wonderful children and a wonderful husband - I live for them - and I feel so sad and depressed lately.
Oh my gosh everyone - do you really think that the Vytorin would have such an incredible impact on all of our lives?????

Firstly, thanks to all who make this exchange possible.
Over the last year I have developed pains and problems but never contributed this to be related to Lipitor.
Basically it started relatively harmless and progressively got worse.
By now the most affected parts are neck, Knee, Hips, lower back.
Over the last 6 weeks it has become very pain full to do basic tasks such as walking and I have become less and less active.
4 weeks ago I stopped playing volleyball because my knee popped.
Several days ago I thought it was unreasonable that I degenerated from a healthy and active person only 1 year ago to a person riddled with problems.
This is when I linked this to Lipitor.
Reading everybody else’s problems, mirrors my experiences rather accurately.
So I came to the conclusion, that my change in lifestyle is causing me more harm, than Lipitor is doing good.
Yesterday I stopped taking this medicine, I will try and maintain a good diet and eat lots of flaxseed oat meal for breakfast.
I will monitor for improvements and discuss this with my doctor later.
Perhaps with exercise and diet I can either control it or possible go on a reduced dosage.

Again, thanks to all and good luck

Hi, I am still taking Prednisone. I have been trying to get off of it since September and am now down to 2.5 mg. a day. Yes, I agree with you it does NOT take massive quantities of Prednisone to do internal organ damage. I can no longer eat normally anymore since September 14th, 2007. (I can drink all the water I want, however) I am slowly starving to death, I think. IF I don't completely lose my brain functioning first?! If I eat anything like dairy or any carbs like pastas or breads of any kind or simple sugars, juices of any kind, or candies or cookies, crisps or the like, I go into massive withdrawals and brain fog!! Any holiday foods I must stay away from. I can no longer eat tomatoes or Mexican, Chinese, Italian, pies, ice cream, coffee, tea with sugar or milk, etc etc....The list of 'no no's are endless!! And this thing won't let me cheat! It knows if I eat the so-called 'wrong foods'. My Neuropathology doctor says I now have "Leaky Gut Syndrome"!! What the he** is THAT?!
I feel like my brain power is melting away to nothing and I am going through daily life in a haze. This is a very real and frightening feeling for me to experience!! I tried "jumping off" the 2.5 mg Prednisone on Tuesday the 11th and was in full horrible withdrawals by Thursday afternoon! I cannot even begin to tell you what horrible symptoms I experienced!! I had to reinstate the 2.5 and my Doctor said I just could. NOT 'COLD TURKEY what I had left, but must taper the final 2.5 over a period of the next several weeks!! I don't know whether I'll have a brain LEFT by that point or I may be a dithering, slobbering idiot by that time?! When I go to sleep and then wake up, I notice that I have MORE brain-fog than ever!!! Not to mention I have constant diarrhoea all day from drinking magnesium (Natural Calm) in the mornings to keep from pacing and being a nervous wreck?!
HELP ANYONE?! Am I ever going to get my brain back to normal?! And be able to eat normally again?!
Shaun

Happy New Year to all

Hi there i am officially one year and 2 months off yasmin and i can tell you all its hard and each day is hard as you go through each and every symptom and every anxiety attack and every pain that you think may be leading to a heart attack/stroke/blod clot etc, and i am still here 14months after finishing this damn pill but i can tell you ITS GETS BETTER. to the new ladies to recap i was on the pill for almost 3years and yes i went through every side effect and struggled each and every day to the point i thought i was losing it even having a heart attack and life was so hard with a job and three young children and i felt like i was going insane and then i stumbled on this site and found silke and all the girls.
the first three months were horrendosu and the symptoms were so severe and i struggled immensly but then as i approached month five it slowly began to get better each and every day and i had everything high blood pressure huge weight gain massive anxiety heart palps i had to quit my job i was not coping and yet every day i came to this site and after a long six months i was getting better and better, i just want you all to know to hang in there i took it day by day and i know thats so hard when you are going through it but guess what i have been there and its gonne be ok. I took magnesium, vitamin c, a good multi vitamin and flaxseed capsules and i think these helped immensly, I have just been diagnosed with low iron so am on an organic supplement and my liver is not working as good as what it should so my naturopath will give me something for that in late january and thats why he thinks i have massive weight gain so lets see if what he gives me helps.
take care all and remember all of us who have travelled the road and still are are here to help you to realise you are not going insane and that you are on the road to recovery even though you fell like its a battle you will never win
take care
LISA

Deanna - Sorry to hear of the agony you went through with Yasmin. I can totally relate. I am now 36 and do not want any more children. I just don't think I can ever take another BCP. Don't be alarmed if your side effects linger. The nausea I had with yasmin was worse than when I was pregnant. And, the pains in my lower legs was unreal! My anxiety peaked back in Dec. 2005 and my BP skyrocketed. I am slowly getting back to normal. I am going to see my doc next month and try to wean off of effexor and be totally prescription free. I take a multi vitamin, fish oil and flaxseed. These shakes are the worst.
Hang in there. Glad that you are yasmin free. keep us posted on your progress.

Hi everyone-
It has been a few months since I posted so I thought I would give you an update. I am YASMIN-FREE for 6 months now. My period is somewhat regular, 29-31 days, with it getting off to a very slow start then 2 days heavy and 1-2 days light. But, during my period (and often during ovulation as well) I have terrible trembling throughout my body sporatically during the 5-7 days it lasts. But, the brain-shocks have totally stopped, thank GOD!!! My Blood pressure is slowly coming down as well. No more 170/100 or 150/90 anymore. I also take fish oil and flaxseed which I think helps with the BP.
I have stopped taking the Xanax but I am still taking 37.5 (lowest possible) dose of Effexor once per day. I will be weaning off of it by Christmas accoriding to my doc.
This has been so hard for me and dealing with the side effects of Yasmin. I appreciate this forum in knowing that I am not alone, unfortunately. My husband and kids see such a difference in me now that I am off of that poison. It caused a total chemical imbalance and I am just starting to see the extreme side effects subsiding. It has taken 6 months. So, be patient ladies.
As always, I encourage all of you who had side effects (especially bad ones) to CALL Berlex and/or the FDA and REPORT IT! Their toll free number is on line.
Stay well ladies.
Hang in there and keep posting.
SILKE - how is everything? I am sorry that I lost touch for a few months!