Statins

[muddlethru]

I've been on Simvastatin for years without any ill effect. My doctor decided to put me on Atrovastatin about 6 weeks ago and I feel like a doddery old woman. My memory is terrible and my skin itches I feel knackered . I'm usually on the ball and with it. Has anyone else had this type of effect from this statin. I think I will have to book up and see if I can go back on the old statin. Don't know why she changed it. If it aint broken why fix it.

 

[Pine Marten]

I had the opposite problem, I took Simvastatin for years and then all of a sudden had terrible joint aches and pains. I was switched to Atorvastatin and the aches and pains disappeared. Of course, this disregards the question of whether statins are good for us at all.....

 

[Dave W]

I was on Simvastatin for about 8 months after being diagnosed with PAD and my GP changed me onto Atorvastatin - said it was a better drug. Suited me fine as I was taking the Simvastatin in the evening and other meds in the morning and I now take the Atorvastatin in mornings along with the other meds so am less likely to forget.

 

[trophywench]

As others say - side effects do generally tend to be more pronounced with Sim rather than Ator - but the ones you mention are common to all and any statin so far invented so you just happen to be prone to the ones in Ator, but there again it could have quite easily happened now anyway if you've been on them a while and had continued on the Sim.

Do you still need em at all though? - LDL chol usually reduces if you reduce the carbs you eat with no need of drugs.

I'm not 100% certain we ever need them anyway - and a number of well publicised cardiologists and other researchers agree with my opinion - but that's a slightly different subject than getting the very very common side effects of ALL statins - which you definitely have - so for God's sake get off em PDQ and 'Yellow Card' them - Google 'MHRA Yellow Card' for that.

 

[muddlethru]

I've made an appointment to see Doctor but have to wait three weeks. Will definitely have a good chat to her about coming off them. I was put on simvastatin 12 yrs ago after I had 5 stents put in . I've been fine upto the change of statin. Pity I have to wait three weeks to see Dr but unfortunately that's the way it goes these days. Feeling thoroughly fed up.

 

[trophywench]

Well if it's 3 weeks - when I decided to stop taking my statin, because my memory was absolutely awful (eg utterly forgetting my sister's name in mid conversation with her, when I'd had her for 57 years at the time and only had the one, which was devastating and that type of memory loss was getting more and more frequent) - I actually saw improvements within about 8 days, but didn't say anything until I was sure, which WAS around 3 weeks. Never looked back since as it were.

One thing I've always been fond of, is doing crosswords, so I've always got a few books around to occupy me - and I was having to look up things like 'River that runs through Shrewsbury' when I've known all my life it is the Severn, having favourite relatives (my Godmother, dad's cousin, and family) my sis lived in and around Bewdley for over 20 years, no 1 husband used to coarse fish it, my best friend still lives there and I lived in Kidderminster just up the road from both B and Stourport for nearly 30 years - it's not very likely I could forget, is it? Thought I was getting Alzheimer's and it was blooming scary.

I know what I'd do and why - but you have to make your own mind up mate!

 

[Ljc]

I was wondering if you could get a telephone appointment more quickly .

 

[trophywench]

Lol - at ours there's about the same delay as a physical one !!!

 

[Bloden]

I’ve been taking Ator since Nov 14 last year and no problems at all, @muddlethru.

Three weeks for an appointment?!😱

@trophywench - cutting down on carb lowers LDL? I had no idea. How low do I have to go?

 

[trophywench]

Like any 'low carb' regime - depends entirely on your body!

How out of balance are the three components of your Total chol?

Personally because I have yet to be completely convinced slightly raised LDL is going to kill anyone especially if we're post menopausal ladies, although older men seem to do better a bit higher too, may die of other stuff but appears to be less incidence of CVD than peers with lower chol - despite the fact I have PAD - which I choose to 'blame' on 50 years of smoking and hence can't be cured - as I have to die of something and statins cause me mental side effects and I'd rather die with me marbles than without em - I won't take em and that's that.

 

[Bloden]

@trophywench, my LDL is high while everything else is comfortably within range. The consultant put it down to genetics cos I’m skinny, eat healthily and exercise.

 

[Shropshire Lass]

As others say - side effects do generally tend to be more pronounced with Sim rather than Ator - but the ones you mention are common to all and any statin so far invented so you just happen to be prone to the ones in Ator, but there again it could have quite easily happened now anyway if you've been on them a while and had continued on the Sim.

Do you still need em at all though? - LDL chol usually reduces if you reduce the carbs you eat with no need of drugs.

I'm not 100% certain we ever need them anyway - and a number of well publicised cardiologists and other researchers agree with my opinion - but that's a slightly different subject than getting the very very common side effects of ALL statins - which you definitely have - so for God's sake get off em PDQ and 'Yellow Card' them - Google 'MHRA Yellow Card' for that.

Hi, am being pressured to go on Statins and have been for about ten years, now they say because you are Diabetic you are more at risk, its a battle every time I visit the Docs,
I read this article written by a leading surgeon in Dorset written in 2014 and published in the GMT 23rd March in the Telegraph. Anyone out there not sure about Statins
read this article it explains everything, in short it says don't even go there his other doctor friends were asked would they take them and they said "no way" so does this answer your questions on Statins if doctors wouldn't take them and prescribe to their family's why should they expect us to take them. There is no proof that they reduce you having a stroke or heart attack, they will take your blood fat down at times to a very low level, why starve your self of fat your body needs a certain amount, I can go on and on, just read this article, title, Why I've ditched statins for good. Maybe we should all re-think Statins.

 

[trophywench]

Hear Hear @Shropshire Lass ! - but sadly the NHS fat-free Mafia (a phrase nicked unashamedly from a member of DSF this morning LOL) do not agree with us sensible people ......

 

[Mark Parrott]

LDL can also be split into two types. The harmful Dense LDL & the harmless 'Large Particle' or 'Fluffy' LDL. Your average blood test can not show these results. Also, and this just what I've read from what I believe to be a reliable source if there is such a thing, research in America shows no correlation between high cholesterol levels & heart disease. True or not? 'Spose we have to make our own minds up over that.

 

[Shropshire Lass]

I agree, but if the national average cholesterol levels in the UK are between 5 - 7 why oh why do the doctors still insist you take Statins for a level of 5.9 (me) They are even talking about putting children on them now, wouldn't sorting their diets out be better advice.

 

[Shropshire Lass]

I agree, but if the national average cholesterol levels in the UK are between 5 - 7 why oh why do the doctors still insist you take Statins for a level of 5.9 (me) They are even talking about putting children on them now, wouldn't sorting their diets out be better advice.

Well done on your results, you must be so pleased.

 

[mikeyB]

I note the article Shropshire Lass mentions was written by a surgeon. Nuff said.

 

[trophywench]

It was an article by a GP that made me go Whaaat! originally Mikey. A few people were already mentioning odds and ends against them but it's exceedingly hard to suddenly grasp that there really is a conspiracy - even though I already knew about Ancel Keys. Anyway this GP was having such mental side effects, he'd already told the other partners he was no longer safe to deal with patients and was having time off to consider what to do where to go next when someone in daytime TV mentioned having to change some tablets cos they'd started having side effects to the ones they'd been on years - and he thought 'I wonder!' and took himself off em whilst he was off work, and a fortnight later was completely recovered.

How he described the mental effects was EXACTLY what I was experiencing.

 

[Bloden]

Like any 'low carb' regime - depends entirely on your body!

Sorry to keep hijacking your thread @muddlethru!

Can you be more specific plz @trophywench, or point me in the direction of some reading material? 🙂 The only input I’ve had so far re: dealing with my high LDL is “take these statins and cut down on sat fat”.