Statins and Side Effects for Susiepops

A familiar story!! 

Good post ET, my experience is similar with statins. Due to high cholesterol I too was given them-'Atorvastatin' within a fortnight my muscles & joints ached to such an extent the pain had me almost hobbling around, my grip lessened to such a degree I couldn't do any logging. At that point I stopped taking them. Within a month I was back to my usual level of mobility without issues. At a follow up appt at the Docs I had the dose reduced-same thing happened, that time as soon as I realised what was happening I stopped taking them. I have refused all entreaties to continue the use of Statins. A life of minimal movement is no life at all for me. I have reduced my weight & cut out a lot of the Cholesterol inducing foods that were in my diet. I feel better to be in control of my health without the Statins. I too know of folk who use Statins with no or little problems. I also know of folk who like me have refused them after health/mobility issues.

Just before that Christmas I had gone down to the local pub quiz with eldest daughter several times. Probably a quarter of a mile. Walking back I was stopping several times. 

The side effect with glucose levels and induced diabetes seems less known despite it being stated on NHS website. I had an episode a year ago where my vision blurred. I was admitted to a stroke ward overnight and various tests were done including a brain scan. I told the doctor in charge that I had, the day before had one of my BP tablets doubled and he said that doubling of that particular blood pressure tablet can cause the same effect. Within 12 hours my vision was normal. 

Because of this initial suspected TIA and my admission on the ward I was asked to attend the elderly clinic. That involved quarterly appointments, eye examinations, extended periods (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks) on a heart monitor, ultrasound of heart and arteries. 

When I was discharged I saw a junior colleague of the chap that I had been seeing. She wanted me to go on statins again even though my cholesterol level was not high - the lower the better was the stance. When I mentioned the effect of statins that I had been previously she was aware of the fatigue effects and others but had never heard of it causing increased sugar levels and diabetes. I told her that my pharmacist was well aware of it and perhaps she should start by reading the NHS website where it was listed as a common effect.

Common side effects
Although side effects can vary between different statins, common side effects (which affect up to 1 in 10 people) include:

nosebleeds
sore throat
a runny or blocked nose (non-allergic rhinitis) 
headache 
feeling sick
problems with the digestive system, such as constipation,diarrhoea, indigestion or flatulence
muscle and joint pain (see below)
increased blood sugar level (hyperglycaemia)
an increased risk of diabetes

Thanks Alan, very interesting.

I have yesterday posted on first page of Pitch Refunds (by mistake) about our statins problems 

I saw that late last night/this morning as we were out late. Thought I had best start a new thread JVB 

Just over a year ago at my annual blood tests at the surgery I was told that my cholesterol  was high (6) and because of my age (70) I should go onto statins. My problem is that I suffer from Osteoarthritis in my knees and have already had a hip replaced as a result of the same problem. When I started taking statins I was also convinced they were having an adverse effect on me. I discussed it with my doctor but he convinced me to carry on. A year later my cholesterol had fallen to 3.5 and I am not sure the statins are making any discomfort I have any worse. We are, of course, all different in the way our bodies function and react to drugs. Margaret has taken statins for years because of her diabetes. She did initially have a problem but a change of brand seemed to have sorted that out. I suppose at the end of the day none of us know whether our lives will be saved by all the medications we take? Despite taking statins it didn't prevent Margaret needing a quadruple bypass operation. I think my advice would be is that if you can tolerate them keep taking them. I suppose there is no point taking something that robs you of a quality of life but you have to balance that against the possible alternative.

David

Doctors seem to be far too quick to prescribe medication, rather than recommend changes in life style that would overcome the diagnosed problem. More exercise to overcome high cholesterol is a classic.

This may be because they think that the patient simply won't change their lifestyle, or in some extreme cases there might be a reason that the patient cannot change their lifestyle.

But a far more worrying reason is that GP's are rewarded for treating certain conditions and the trigger for that reward is that the threshold for prescribing certain types of medication is passed. Statins or one such medication.

I see many clients who are taking a whole range of medication and often they cannot even remember what it's for.

I believe that people should get a regular review of their medication and ditch any that are no longer essential or any that might be causing unpleasant side effects.

The trouble is that with multiple medications, it isn't always easy to see which is the one doing more harm than good, because of 'masking' effects and 'combining' effects.

Take the absolute minimum (better still, none) is my policy.

Certainly when I was put on statins it seemed to be 'High Blood pressure then take Statins as a preventative'. 

I've been taking statins for some years but have recently stopped because I was getting abdominal pains which, despite going for scans, were unexplained. Since stopping taking them the pains have almost completely gone. I'd like an appointment to discuss it with a GP but when I phoned the surgery I was told the next available appointment, even just over the phone, was three weeks away! 

But if it was an emergency I can phone at 8am any morning to get an appointment within a couple of days! Well, it's not an emergency and I'm well aware of the pressure GPs are under nowadays. So, what to do?