Side effects of statins.

My husband has heart failure and takes amazing cocktails of medications, but I'm puzzled by the statins as he actually had low cholesterol before he started taking them. I've heard lots of older people moan about the side effects but, like people on here, they go on taking them because of the suggested risks if they don't.

mumofmadboys

As a retired GP I find it insulting to read ' most GPs are clueless about side effects from the array of drugs they prescribe'. GPs may have to look things up sometimes which is perfectly acceptable as there is too much to remember. We learn a lot about drugs , their interactions and side effects.

DH's doctors in the cardiac department and at the GP surgery take a lot of trouble to check his blood out when they change a dose or add a medication and I certainly don't think it's fair to say that they are clueless.
However I wish they would let us know that they have reviewed his medication from time to time as they always seem to be adding rather than subtracting.

//The main problem with statins is that they inhibit two important enzyme systems. Firstly Coenzyme Q 10… Statins also inhibit formation of selenium based proteins such as glutathione peroxidase. This is one of the most important antioxidants in the blood… It is a combination of the above two factors which explains the devastating effect statins have on some people with muscle metabolism. People get obvious muscle soreness, stiffness, weakness and fatiguability. Heart muscle is little different from normal muscle so it is no wonder that the heart is also affected and theoretically this could result in heart failure.

Because statins interfere with antioxidant defences and energy supply they may be contributing to the epidemic of Alzheimer's disease we are now seeing.//

www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Cholesterol_-_the_whys_and_wherefores#The_Problem_with_Statins

Skye17
Thank you for that. I had the experience of sitting in with my friend when she saw her consultant cardiologist.
She was put on them after 2 heart attacks. Previous to that her cholesterol levels were perfect.
Long story short, she had come off them when she got to the stage where she couldn’t walk.
The consultant told her to stay off them.
My own GP is not a fan, either.

Stella14

Something that is rarely noted is that there is no evidence of benefit for statins in women! All of the research has been done on men and due to hormonal differences etc, you can’t simply extrapolate the results to women.

I am glad you posted that. I had read the same some time ago.

I had a neighbour in her Early 70s who was as fit as a fiddle. Cared for all her half acre garden herself, did all her decorating, walked, cycled etc. she lived alone.

She was put on statins for high cholesterol and she was terribly ill. GP swapped them and these made her equally ill but in a different way, third swap failed too. In the end she said I would rather not be on them and feel fine and able to do everything than be on them and need someone to care for me.

That must be 15 years ago and she is fine, no heart attacks, no strokes and no statins.

Primrose
My cholesterol has been over 9 for over 10 years.
When I was first told told the Dr, no, I’m not taking them.
After a discussion I agreed to go on a very strict low fat diet for 3 months. It came down 2 points.

I think I'll just stick with my lovely porridge (as a preventative) as plant sterols have side effects too:

rdcu.be/degOG

Please, please, PLEASE - statins do a vanishingly small amount of possible good to a very few people, for the rest they are often harmful and a great big pharmaceutical con. Listen to cadiologist Aseem Malhotra on the subject, he's available on Youtube

Like with all medications, not everyone suffers side effects. I've been on Simvastatin for 20 years now and have suffered no side effects. I too have suffered tiredness recently but following blood tests and a visit to a doctor, I was told, my salt levels were low.. The Dr suggested it may be because of omeprazole but since I've been taking it for years it was unlikely. The tiredness seems to have resolved for now so apart from my increased food intake and no change in my medication I am feeling better. I hope you too feel better soon.

The doctor suggested leaving the statins off for a while to see if the side effects subside ?!?!?! This isn’t good advice. As I understand it, you shouldn’t just stop taking them.

Some 15-20 years ago I was told by my GP that I needed to go on statins. I had read about side effects and wasn't keen to take them, and as I worked at the local hospital at the time I managed to get a short consultation with a specialist. He told me he wasn't convinced that I needed them, and that if I started them I would have to be on them for life, so that was it, I refused them, and so far I have been fine.

undines

Please, please, PLEASE - statins do a vanishingly small amount of possible good to a very few people, for the rest they are often harmful and a great big pharmaceutical con. Listen to cadiologist Aseem Malhotra on the subject, he's available on Youtube

I’ve stated on here many times that I believe it’s the biggest con ever perpetrated by big pharma on the world population.

As the OP I should say my GPwhen telling me to leave them off for 2 months said that time would have no detrimental effect for this short time.
My cholesterol level was 4.3.

Statins are awful drugs. I do not need them but would refuse them if my GP suggested prescribing them. I am ticking along nicely on a low carb/ketogenic way of eating, now in my mid 70’s with no medications. Why did your doc prescribe statins? If it was for high cholesterol, then there are huge changes of opinions on this, not the danger it was thought to be, in fact the body needs it.

I’ve only been on statins since January (Atorvastatin) for Familial hypercholesterolemia. I was very worried about side effects but luckily have had none. My blood was checked recently and cholesterol has gone down from 8 to 4. I can see no reason to stop taking them as they are doing a great job!

My two great-grandmothers and my two granmas lived to their 100s with higher cholesterol without any medications.. I don't know if you know but the upper range for cholesterol was relatively recently decreased from 6 to 5, and this was from what I've heard, apparently to boost statin sales. I've heard this from a nurse who spent her working life doing blood tests, so it could be her interpretation but at the same time worth considering all aspects..

I was prescribed a 10 mg statin about a year ago now, and since then I have suffered with aching legs and pins and needles and general joint pain, as I have had Covid twice with no actual symptoms I was putting it down to maybe long Covid, but on speaking to my doctor, he said to come off the statin, only been off for a week. No change yet, but he did say it could take a couple of months..

I have auto immune conditions. Inflammatory arthritis and atrial fib, cholesterol 5.9 which my consultant said ok for ordinary people but not you.
Cholesterol now ‘perfect’. No side effects from the statins so I’ll carry on
If I’d not taken the RA meds because of potentially awful side effects, I’d possibly be wheelchair bound

Primrose53

Stella14

Something that is rarely noted is that there is no evidence of benefit for statins in women! All of the research has been done on men and due to hormonal differences etc, you can’t simply extrapolate the results to women.

I am glad you posted that. I had read the same some time ago.

But it's not true!

“if you are a woman, no matter what your level of risk, statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day.”

“If you are a man without heart disease, statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day.”

Dr Malcolm Kendrick, The Great Cholesterol Con.

Primrose53

“if you are a woman, no matter what your level of risk, statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day.”

“If you are a man without heart disease, statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day.”

Dr Malcolm Kendrick, The Great Cholesterol Con.

openheart.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001900

growstuff

Primrose53

Stella14

Something that is rarely noted is that there is no evidence of benefit for statins in women! All of the research has been done on men and due to hormonal differences etc, you can’t simply extrapolate the results to women.

I am glad you posted that. I had read the same some time ago.

But it's not true!

Of course it’s not true! Do you really believe that any research would only be carried out on one sex? Researchers always try to find as wide a cross section of people as possible.

www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2015/january/statins-and-women#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20statins&text=They%20reduce%20the%20levels%20of,a%20heart%20attack%20or%20stroke.

Shinamae

I was prescribed a 10 mg statin about a year ago now, and since then I have suffered with aching legs and pins and needles and general joint pain, as I have had Covid twice with no actual symptoms I was putting it down to maybe long Covid, but on speaking to my doctor, he said to come off the statin, only been off for a week. No change yet, but he did say it could take a couple of months..

Forgot to say, I also get burning feet. All the symptoms are far worse when I am in bed and lying down, particularly early morning..