recently was prescribed simvastatin. Pharmacist advised that 50%...

I would encourage you to take 200mg of CoQ10 (ubiquinone) three times daily with meals or 300mg ubiquinol CoQ10. Please see the following article: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/feb2008_Alleviating-Congestive-Heart-Failure-With-Coenzyme-Q10_01.htm
"All statin drugs block the biosynthesis of both cholesterol and CoQ10, which explains statins’ common side effects of fatigue, muscle pain and muscle weakness, and a worsening of heart failure."

As I think that many people don´t read messages earlier on I enclose one that I wrote on August 3d, 2008.

Hope it will be useful.

When it comes to stopping medications - it`s always good to reduce the dosage little by little.

There is a suggestion at "Stopped our statins".

I think everyone should know why they they take a certain medication and why they stop!
------------------------
Message from Aug. 3d, 2008

I have never experienced the side effects of statins myself. I have never taken any - nor would I if my numbers should be too high.

I have had the opportunity - or rather was forced to - to "educate" myself on the cholesterol issue as i had 3 relatives suffering from side effects.

They were all over 70 and had taken Simvastatin (Zocor) for years.

In 2003, when I had just got an Internet connection, I started to look for information and was surprised to find these sites:

******

I also found "Stopped our statins" (google for those words) where there is a lot of information.

Under print articles you will find a very informative article from The Weston Price Foundation about the different statin studies over the years and also about the side effects.

Are you sure that a high cholesterol will cause heart problems - or is it just propaganda from the pharmaceutical and health industry?

After having visited some of these webb sites and read some of the books you might have changed your mind - like I did.

Your cholesterol is very important for your body and essential for your brain among other things.

Why should you live better and longer if you use medications to lower it?

It`s just to read all these patient stories - what quality of life is this?

I would suggest that you also read the messages for the other statins such as Lipitor, Zocor (=Simvastatin) etc.

All statins have similar side effects.

Here are some books that you might find interesting. Some about the cholesterol issue.

The Great Cholesterol Con (Antony Colpo)

The Cholesterol Myths (Uffe Ravnskov)

Lipitor - thief of memory (Duane Graveline

Malignant Medical Myths (Joel F. Kauffman)

--------

Overdosed America (John Abramson)

The Truth about the Drug Companies (Marcia Angell)

-------

Bitter Pills (Stephen Fried)
about quinolone antibiotics such as Cipro, Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin etc.

-------

The Antidepressant Fact Book
Your Drug May Be Your Problem
Toxic Psychiatry
Medicine Madness
(Peter R. Breggin - all books about psychotropic drugs)
____

What if medicine disappeared?
(Gerald E. Markle and Francis B. McCrea)

How doctors think
(Jerome Groopman?)

you are lucky i was'nt told this ..i have been taking it for 2 1/2 yrs ...i am 52 and thought it was 'age' catching up with me true it brought down my cholestrol but i have now stopped taking them as i felt so bad ..... be careful