Statins please share your experience/knowledge

I think the evidence is sound enough when so many people are experiencing the side effects

grow stuff, I didn't have a slight rise in blood sugar...I had type 2....and I had blood tests every year for years.before that...and my blood sugar was never raised .

exactly Biscuitmuncher, don't need much more evidence than that..when I started taking them gp's wanted cholesterol levels below 6...then it was changed to below 5....that would eventually include more and more people taking them....I tried different statins for years and I can tell you, I took a long time for the side effects to go away completely....

But, no, I don't have a commercial interest in statins. I'm just very concerned about scare-mongering not based on sound evidence. It seems like some followers of an evangelical religion.

fancythat

growstuff do you yourself have a vested interest in statins?

I was on another forum once, and a poster kept pushing for something[non medical]/ I knew something was up, as it wouldnt have been her normal responses.
Turned out, her son worked in the industry of what we were all talking about. She was essentially backing up his work!

Yes, of course I do. I've been T2 diabetic for nearly 30 years and I've had a heart attack. I don't particularly like taking drugs and I ignored the warning signs of highish cholesterol for years (until I had a heart attack). After the heart attack, I was prescribed statins and read many research papers and other articles about statins because I knew I was being advised to take them for life (including the authors which people on here have mentioned).

My conclusion was (and still is) that statins are beneficial. I have aches and pains caused by peripheral neuropathy, but I had those long before I started statins. I have had no other side effects which are definitely caused by statins. Why on earth shouldn't I take something which doesn't trouble me and probably lowers my risk of another heart attack?

PS. It's interesting that nearly all the statin "denier" experts have their own commercial diets or health plans to push.

pably15

strange how gp's prescribe statins in order to ward off heart attacks and strokes, but the very same statins can cause type 2 diabetes ,which can cause heart attacks and strokes..

It has been shown by many studies that statins will only cause diabetes in those who were already borderline. A slight rise in blood sugar is less damaging than the protective effect of statins in lowering cholesterol.

strange how gp's prescribe statins in order to ward off heart attacks and strokes, but the very same statins can cause type 2 diabetes ,which can cause heart attacks and strokes..

growstuff do you yourself have a vested interest in statins?

I was on another forum once, and a poster kept pushing for something[non medical]/ I knew something was up, as it wouldnt have been her normal responses.
Turned out, her son worked in the industry of what we were all talking about. She was essentially backing up his work!

Farmor15

Interesting results from above research showed that people "felt" better when taking neither real pill or placebo! Many people on clinical trials experience side effects when on a placebo. It makes it very difficult to distinguish real effect of drugs.

I always think placebos have to contain something, by definiton.
They are not scotch mist.

I asked our friendly pharmacist about this and he explained that GPs are PAID by drug companies to get patients on them whether they need them or not. I don’t take them. I don’t need them.

Surely there must be a definitive answer on this?

I guess people in the medical profession are stopped from speaking out.

growstuff well her symptoms started when she started taking statins and stopped when she stopped taking them

pably15

I bet not half as much big pharma makes

You reckon? As an individual, I bet he makes much more - and all for no investment or risk.

I have been on statins for years with no apparent ill effects. I sometimes wonder if I should have tried harder to modify my diet and bring down my levels that way.
I am intrigued about the MOT. My surgery does not offer this. About ten years ago, I rang up to enquire about this and was told I had to wait to be invited (just as well I am not holding my breath). Our next door neighbour who is 91 tells me he has not been offered one for about 30 years. He is registered at the same practice. Is this yet another example of the NHS postcode lottery?

Interesting results from above research showed that people "felt" better when taking neither real pill or placebo! Many people on clinical trials experience side effects when on a placebo. It makes it very difficult to distinguish real effect of drugs.

www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2020/november/no-difference-in-side-effects-with-a-statin-or-dummy-pill#:~:text=Researchers%20at%20Imperial%20College%20London,as%20they%20were%20with%20statins.

I bet not half as much big pharma makes

I expect Dr Le Fanu made quite a bit of money from selling his books.

There's too much respected research for some random GP/journalist to change my mind.

growstuff if you read Dr James Le Fanu's book, Too Many Pills, you might change your mind. Big Pharma successfully persuaded doctors to lower the previously 'safe' upper limit for cholesterol from 6mmol to 5mmol in order to get a lot more people onto statins. GPs are paid to prescribe them. Ostensibly, it's in the name of preventative medicine.

Reading through all this, I sometimes wonder what we all think we will eventually die of?

Thinking of two men I know, 93 and nearly 95.

One in a care home, just being transferred for the second time in a few days to hospital as he seems to have a ‘blockage’ and hasn’t ‘been’ for days. The other in hospital after an infection, and eating practically anything makes him choke, he exists on protein drinks.

I’ve no idea what their risk of heart attacks or strokes is, but their overall quality of life is not great. For one in particular, it’s just existing.

Living to a really old age is certainly not ‘for cissies’ in many cases, to quote Bette Davies.

growstuff It’s not worth bothering. Falling on stony ground I’m afraid.

MissAdventure

I'm not usually the slightest bit bothered about scare stories, but there is a lot of anecdotal tales of people almost losing their mobility due go statins.
I do take them, but I'm not at all happy about it.

MissA
Having just read that I’m sending you a PM.

Biscuitmuncher

My mum had to take them, they made her so poorly. Watching her walk was like Watching someone walk through quick sand and she had awful nightmares

You can't know whether it was statins which caused that.

My mum had to take them, they made her so poorly. Watching her walk was like Watching someone walk through quick sand and she had awful nightmares

pably15

Growstuff...there's a lot of truth talked about statins ,if you don't have diabetes but have high cholesterol...take the statin..it might give you diabetes...but hey ho..it will lower the cholesterol.....seems to be all that matters. and you don't have to be overweight to have high cholesterol

That isn't how it works. Research has shown that blood sugar might be increased for some people. Those who were already borderline might become diabetic. The relative risks should be balanced.

Why is there such a fuss about statins and not other drugs?

I take an oestrogen blocker because I've had breast cancer. I know it's causing side effects, such as hair loss, difficulty in controlling my weight and possibly osteoporosis. It's been shown that it reduces risk of the cancer returning by a couple of a percent. What should I do? Tolerate the side effects or increase my risk of the cancer returning?

All medicines involve risk of side effects. If the side effects are intolerable, people just have to accept that their risk of something else can't be reduced, so I don't understand why people make such a big fuss, apart from those who make a lot of money from being contrarian.