Statins

Good luck DD, after reading these post I too am going to demand a review. 20 years on atorvastatin without a review?

TF

At my annual asthma review (I'm 71 btw)  I mentioned that I would like a cholesterol check as most of my peers seem to have had theirs done as a precautionary measure. The nurse practitioner said I would have to make an app't with my doctor. Upon leaving I asked the receptionist for an app't and she said there was no need unless I was getting symptoms of high cholesterol. When I got home I Googled the symptoms which were Angina, Heart attack, Stroke and Sudden death. I still haven't had it done but it seems to me that the health centre has a very irresponsible and ill-informed receptionist! 

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OH was invited to take part in the trial of the new drug, evolocumab, but the invitation was declined. One reason for this was that the drug would not be available after the trial period, even if the trial was successful, until NICE approved it which could take years. Another reason was that the trial was short term so it is impossible to know of any long term problems.  

OH takes the other drug used in the trial, ezetimibe, without problems. It doesn't lower cholesterol as effectively as statins but that's a small price to pay in our view.

NICE approved Repatha (evolocumab) in June /July 16.  However, your local CCG can still decide not to pay for it which is my problem (postcode lottery).  

Unfortunately I'm also intollerant to ezetimibe.  

That's good news on the approval but bad news on the funding. So much for a National Health Service.

I hope it works for you and you can continue being prescribed Repatha one way or another, DD.

Wow!  Thanks to EasyT and everyone who has contributed to this thread, we just may have found the reason for OH's (thus far unexplained) tingling and numbness in his feet and lower legs.

He has been suffering from this since early October.  He has had lots of blood tests with nothing unusual found, so is now waiting to see a neurologist.  He has been taking statins for years!!

Wow!  Thanks to EasyT and everyone who has contributed to this thread, 

I thought it important enough to write about Lynn and you are very welcome.

 

Alan

Good luck DD, after reading these post I too am going to demand a review. 20 years on atorvastatin without a review?

TF

...When on drugs you have a review every year? ,our GP practice will stop issueing repeats if one is not done  

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DD .. No, he hasn't been taking the same statin for years.  He was changed from Simvastatin to Atorvastatin last year.

 

I'm no experts but based on my experience if he has been taking the same statin at the same dose for years then I doubt if it's the problem.  If there has been a change then I would be very suspicious.  

On the other hand if it unexplained it could do. My OH had been taking statins for well over 10 years with no significant problem and then she too started with aching legs etc, after she stopped the problem slowly wentand she was able to walk further and further

He describes the sensation much as EasyT did.  Not numbness as such, but an altered sensation.  He can feel his socks and trousers against his skin.

He has had blood tests for just about eveything, including Lyme disease (as he had a couple of tick bites when we were in Scotland in September) but all negative.