Bad Side Effects Whilst Taking Statins

[Mandy D]

Hi

I'm Type 2, diagnosed November 2008. I inject insulin and take metformin and aspirin.

I'm struggling with the side effects of statins. Just started my fourth statin - pravastatin - GP says they have the least side effects and are the least effective. Doesn't fill me with too much confidence! 1st week felt pretty good, mild side effects. 2nd week, side effects - especially migraine/eye pain - more difficult to cope with - especially at work.

Do side effects normally lessen say after a month? Any alternatives to take?

Grateful for any advice.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Mandy, welcome to the forum🙂 I'm currently on simvastatin. I don't appear to have side effects now, but towards the end of last year when I was taking lots of other meds I was getting a lot of nausea - stopping the statin for a couple of weeks seemed to ease this problem. However, when I stopped the other meds and went back on the simvastatin I didn't have the nausea to the same degree, so it may have been the combination of drugs rather than the statins alone. If the current statin causes you bad side effects, it might be worth seeing if there are alternatives for your other medication to try in combination. Are you on a gradually increasing dose? I have found that I can tolerate some drugs up to a certain amount before side effects kick in.

Hope that you get used to them - I know what a demoralising feeling it is to take drugs that are supposed to keep you healthy but make you miserable!

 

[RachelT]

statins

Hi Mandy
You're running out of statins! There are only five in the book of drugs you can prescribe. However there are other things you can take to reduce cholesterol. I'm not sure what your doctor is allowed to prescribe or much about them, but you could ask your doctor about colestyramine or ezetimibe. The side effects of both of these are similar to statins, but they're different drugs, you might not get them. I'm currently trying to find out if Simvastatin gives me muscle cramp (it's possible, but it could be co-incidence).

Oh and are you taking your statins at night? Simvastatin works better at night and the side effects are less likely to be a problem (unless of course you get muscle cramp when you wake up...).

Hope this helps

Rachel

 

[Caroline Wilson]

One friend had bad side effects with statins. What she did was worked with the doctor and dietician to cut out certain types of meat and eat more of others, and more of certain types of fish. She also cut down on things like cream and butter. because of the tweaks in her diet she also became a healthier weight which puts less strain on her joints.

Then with the statins she took them for a week and had a week off. It seemed to work, but it is a case of working with doctors and people to find what works for you.

 

[Copepod]

Mandy - Is there any possibility that the migraine & eye pain are due to changes in screen / microscope etc use / change in light levels etc at work? Might not be relevant, as I've no idea what you do at work