Statins?

Statins are effective at lowering cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular disease; however, according to the study conducted by Ohio State University suggested that they may actually increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Source - www.myhealthyclick.com/cholesterol-drugs-may-double-the-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/

My risk factor is quite high - I have to tick the boxes on AF and migraines which I guess doesn't help. My cholesterol was over 7, in spite of no red meat, eggs, butter, alcohol, cheese etc. for decades. So I do take the statins at a small dose but am not really happy with it. But a 10 year risk of 34% is not brilliant, and it dropped to 25% as my cholesterol went down. So I guess I will just have to keep taking them.

I am also on an anticoagulant. I have only had two major episodes of AF and it feels like a bit of a sledge hammer, but consultant keen I should take them. I cannot take the beta-blockers as prevention of AF, as they rapidly trigger depression.

It is very hard to know what to do with so much conflicting information. But, as they say, life is a fatal disease.

I suppose what gets me down is that I would like to do is to cram in lots of great activities while I am relatively well - but I am a carer and I am just stuck at home watching life pass me by.

After several years on statins with no side effects I had an (unrelated) hospital admission 6 months ago. I was taken off statins then and gp agreed. I've been unwell since the summer and checkups have shown that BP was higher than it has ever been, but decreased a bit over a few months (from 140 to 130 when previously it had never been higher than 120.)
Coincidentally I recently did some family history research and discovered that strokes were recorded on the death certificates of both grandmothers. G'dad died of aortic aneurysm and father of myocardial infarction.
I feel I now have more information than I did before and plan to see gp with a view to going back on statins.

<i was prescribed Atorvastatin and during the year that followed I developed all kinds of immunosystem skin disfunctions: Excema, acne rosacea, dermatitis and sebhorric dermatitis. Also, an old operation suture which had been in my foot for thirteen years, unknown to anyone, infected and bled for nine months before working its way out of my skin.

I put this all down to statins and the dermatological hospital blamed these for overworking my liver and breaking down my immune system.

I have to say my MD is in total disagreement but she now prescribes me Armolipid Plus, which is an integrator containing barberis, fermented red rice and folic acid among other things,

Too early yet to say if it has had an effect on my cholesterol levels..

Am still being cured for thrush/psoriasis combined and it is over six months since I stopped statin intake.

Of course, I combine medication with an appropriate diet, which has brought down my trigliceride level, and the good side is that I've lost 8 kilos!

EllanVannin I have checked with my husband and his was definitely 4.5 which the doctor wasn’t happy with for a 75 year old. We looked on line and the guidelines from the BDA say diabetics should aim for a total cholesterol level below 4. This does seem low but he is due another blood test at the end of this month so we will what it is after his efforts to bring it down.

Although his weight loss and low carb diet has brought his glucose levels into the normal range he has developed a problem of autophony in one ear. He saw the consultant today and he said this is associated with extreme weight loss. I think he is too thin and because of the cholesterol problem he isn’t eating foods high in fat which might increase his weight but also might raise his cholesterol level. It is a dilemma.

I had significant pain and discomfort in my major muscle groups Beammeupscotitie - thighs and across my back and neck in particular. Felt so grim I stopped taking them. Yes, they brought my cholesterol down but it was 5.7. My mother's was 8.9 and she lived well to 87 when she had a major stroke. I'm not being frivolous but honestly, that wasn't the worst way to leave this world (love you mum) x

I also had a pain in one of my calves that frightened me. These tabs are not nice for me.

4.5 isn't high Jane, it's normal. Mine's been 4 for ages, no doubt with the help of statins but it's still acceptable. Mine used to be 7.9 before statins.

Thank you for that Beam. Mine are Atorvastatin and the only thing they do to me after I've taken them is make my belly rumble loudly----which is why I take them at night.

I think age plays a part in whether a GP will prescribe statins. My DH’s cholesterol was 4.5 five months ago and our GP said because he is 75 she would recommend putting him on statins, if he was younger she wouldn’t worry about it. We both found this difficult to understand but she is a very good GP. He decided to ask her to let him try and bring the reading down through diet as he had successfully controlled his Type 2 diabetes through diet. He will have his blood test at the end of this month and we are hoping it has come down. We have done a lot of research on statins and opinions seem divided but we do try to avoid medication where possible, however if his reading hasn’t come down he will take our GP’s advice.

Pravastatin Sodium l0m. One at night.
I feel permanently" fluey".

Can I ask what brand of statins you were taking Beam ?

I was put on Statins before Christmas but started to feel ill (tired, aching muscles and spasm-like cramps). I thought to trial myself by coming off them for a week and then restarting. When off them I felt fine; back on them and the tiredness and aching muscles return. Can barely walk. They are going in the bin.

Why would you even think of coming off them Henetha? They have proved their worth.

In my case taking them would have made little or no difference to my risk level, so why bother taking them?

I think you are right, EllanVannin. I'm also too scared to stop taking statins now.. and maybe our strokes would have been a lot worse without them. I'm on Clopidogrel now and just hope for the best.

Unfortunately parmacuticals are BIG business and doctors are also involved in payoffs so tablets and medicines are pushed on patients who still see doctors as all knowing

I wouldn’t touch statins with a barge pole or most other drugs that suddenly come into vogue either
I remember when practically every child in a class was put on inhalers
My mum had the best diet anyone could have VERY low fat no salt, hardly any sugar, most veg home grown, one glass of wine occasionally, non smoker her cholesterol was always over 7 she lived to be 90
I don’t want to be part of a money making, fear inducing industry

I get told my blood pressure is a bit high, it’s around 4.5 6 or 7. Not that I go to the doctor normally but I had had pneumonia and was advised to go a week after being in hospital. The doctor said she follows the guidelines, when I questioned her she admitted that since I don’t eat meat, hardly drink (a glass of wine about once every three months), hardly ever eat eggs and I don’t normally eat anything dairy. The chances of me having problems are very, very low so why suggest something like that for someone who doesn’t need it. It makes me wonder how much money they get for prescribing drugs to their patients.

Best make hay then OPgrndtr

In addition to my post above. My DF died of Alzheimers not caused by statins. Alzheimers runs in his family line also for at least three generations we know.

DO NOT ACCEPT THE US ARTICLE AS FACT. DR HYMAN Does not even write like a US expert. I found some things in his article to be contrary to what my DR. and my Mum's(84) Cardiologist say. I have never had high Cholesterol myself, but it is hereditary in DF family line. Since my GP was DF same GP for over 20 years he did treat DF for high Cholesterol. DF never developed diabetes or heart disease. He died at 88 of Alzheimers. I have been on the lowest statin for almost 20 years and have had perfect Cholesterol, no diabetes and no hint of heart problems, only because of heredity. I am 63 post-menopausal and have no problems in my blood tests.
Don't believe everything you see or hear.

One of the other things that worried me, is that statins can raise blood sugar.
The cardiologists were clear, no point in women of our age unless we have already had a stroke/heart attack then take them

Statins gave me terrible pains in my calves followed by weakness.

Yes EllanVannin that's what they used to say. Now they try to get people's bp so low that apparently that's one of the reasons why falls are common in older people. If I had your bp I would be ecstatic!

I have high cholesterol, it’s 7+, been that way all my life. Now stat8ns, uff, I took these cholesterol came down, didn’t notice any difference, stopped went back up.

So, for me, rhubarb, why take them at all, plus and doctors don’t tell you this, but a side effect of statins is STROKE, VERY SCARY.

Me I leave well alone, 75 now, still go7ng strong.

I think this setting of arbitrary levels for anything is ridiculous. Some time ago I was told that my kidney function had fallen to a level that meant it needed monitoring. My GP then said, mind you if you had come to see me last week, it wouldn't have been a problem. They changed to this higher warning level on Monday. A couple of years later monitoring stopped because my kidney function level had improved. No treatment, no symptoms, just normal variation and the system is too inflexible to cope with that.

Many of these prescriptions are not the result of the doctor's considered opinion. They are the results of arbitrary targets set by NICE and financially incentivised by the government.

When I was training the top figure was 100 plus your age. The figure at the bottom was the important one which should ideally be at 86 as that's the amount of " pressure " used at pushing the blood around the body. At 90, it's struggling a bit but still nothing to get excited about unless it stays like that.