Does Statin use inhibit the benefits rapamycin? Dr Green indicated he did not want me taking statins, but red yeast rice of OK.
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I would ask that question of Dr Green. It doesn’t make sense to me. A statin might increase the Rapamycin blood level but I don’t think that would be a problem the way we take Rapamycin.
Red yeast rice, depending on its source, either does nothing, or acts as a statin because it contains a statin in which case you’re better off taking a statin so you know what you’re getting.
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I use Bempedoic Acid and Ezetemibe. It seems to be just as effective.
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Dr. Green thinks statins (at least high dose) raises blood sugar levels too much. Particularly if trying to drive LDL below 100. See https://rapamycintherapy.com/ and search the page for statins.
" **IN ORDER TO NOTICE REQUIRES THE FOLLOWING Sequence of EVENTS:
**I SEE the PATIENT AND THEY HAVE EXCELLENT INSULIN SENSITIVITY.
AFTER I SEE PATIENT, THEY SEE ANOTHER PHYSICIAN WHO STARTS them ON HIGH DOSE STATIN.
A FEW MONTHS LATER, I GET A FOLLOW-UP INSULIN. I NOTICE THERE HAS BEEN A SHARP RISE IN FASTING INSULIN, IN A FEW MONTHS, THEY HAVE GONE FROM HEALTHY TO UNHEALTHY, WITH INSULIN RESISTANCE.
IATROGENIC DISEASES ARE NOT ON THE LIST OF PROPER DIAGNOSES.
My awareness of this very dangerous risk is new; hence the WARNING."
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We are talking about an average rise of 0.1 HbA1c points (at least according to the JUPITER trial). It makes sense that if you take both rapamycin and a statin to add acarbose and/or empagliflozin. Also, statins have good evidence for preventing cardiovascular disease while rapamycin may not even work at doses currently used by humans.
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I am familiar with the rationale you are pointing out. You can see Dr. Green’s thinking at his website. https://rapamycintherapy.com/ (I have no idea if his alarming concern about statins is warranted)
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His rationale is most likely that both rapamycin and statins can raise blood sugar so if you take both you are at risk of diabetes. My counterargument is that dyslipidemia which can also be induced by rapamycin can kill you decades before you reach your theoretical lifespan maximum and if blood sugar levels are such a problem, they can be mitigated by adding a third agent.
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I am enlightened - thank you!
(His rationale, as reported on his website is the following:
"WARNING: LIVER DAMAGE DUE TO STATINS;
IN MY OBSERVATION, THE MEDICAL LITERATURE UNDERESTIMATES THE RISK OF STATIN LIVER DISEASE BY ABOUT 100 FOLD.
The risk is dose related. It results in Insulin Resistance. At this time, not clear if liver damage is irreversible or slowly improves. I appear to be the only physician aware of this serious danger.
(I am reporting - not advocating. If he appears to be the only physician aware of the danger - perhaps that is all that is needed to be said.
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I almost never feel anything from any drug or supplement. The side effects from a very low dose statin was slow to emerge but once I quit I felt like I did years before the statin.
I am angry that the side effect issue was sold to me as nocebo. I believed the experts and denied to myself that the side effects were from the statin for a year. I was willing to accept a bit of muscle ache but I now believe the statin was injuring my mitochondria across my body.
There are many better solutions available now. Bempedoic acid only reduces cholesterol production in liver vs statin’s affect on entire body. I will continue to use the new tools if i can get them.
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So, if Dr Green actually recommends red yeast rice, does he not know that red yeast rice contains Lovastatin?
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It’s really weird that rosuvastatin at 10mg caused me side effects but atorvastatin at 40mg doesn’t at all other than feeling a bit sleepier in the evening when I take it.
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@Virilius it is interesting that the effects can vary so much between types of statins…fat vs water soluble. I started in atorvastatin 10mg and immediately felt muscle aches after lifting. I switch to rosuvastatin 5mg which I thought solved it. But then I started feeling it again after lifting so I stoped taking it on my lifting days, and I doubled up on the non lifting days. That worked for a while until the symptoms crept back. Then I dropped to 5mg only on non lifting days. Again, it worked for a while. All the while my power on my bike was dropping. I thought it was weird but didn’t know what the cause was. I thought: metformin (or which I know from my past is a RPE multiplier). With metformin out of the way I thought rapamycin. I took a month off with no improvement. Then I heard about GG. Bingo. My power started coming back. Then I thought why not stop the statin and use a better tool. Goodbye statins. Good riddance.
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Thank you for posting this!
Have you considered bempedoic acid? I am thinking of introducing an intermittent dose (every other day) and measuring its effect.
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There is still controversy about lipid levels despite what @Anuser says.
The studies of centenarians I have previously posted indicate very low lipid levels do not increase longevity. It may be the case where it is beneficial to have low lipid levels in youth but not in old age.
Like you, I didn’t know that statins were affecting my subjective well-being until I stopped taking statins. My lipid markers look good just using ezetimibe and bempedoic acid.
I am scheduled to take new tests in July and will post the results.
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Low lipid levels will prevent heart disease and strokes but not cancer nor alzheimers nor any of the other age-related diseases. Moderate or high lipid levels in old age haven’t shown to mitigate those issues either and atorvastatin basically had no effect on the ITP mice one way or another.
Even assuming that we get medication for cancer and alzheimers that work as well as those that address diabetes and cardiovascular disease, something else will kill most people before they cross the age of 110-120. There is just something at this barrier that kills you even if you’ve managed to ward off all damage.
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Yes. I’m on Bempedoic acid now. I had to import it but just yesterday my doc sent in a prescription. We’ll see if insurance will pay. I’m not holding my breath.
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There might be controversy, but it’s wrong.
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Based on the studies few centenarians have low cholesterol levels.
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Except in Japan I guess.
The frequency of hypobeta-lipoproteinemia (apoB < 60 mg/dl) in centenarians was almost ten times as high as in controls.
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