HbA1c & Statins.

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pherbie said:
Hi, I'm Type 2, insulin/metformin. I am prescribed statins & have never had a problem.
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That's good to know, thanks. I'm being switched to the slow release Metformin, and if that goes well, I guess I'll give them a try in the new year...
 
I've been on Statins for 4 years. Cholesterol has dropped to less than 3 from nearly 6 at diagnosis. History of strokes in the family (my Nan and a couple of her sisters suffered heart attacks and strokes despite being fit and healthy) so I am happy to do anything to reduce the risk.

I am aware that there are some people on here who have suffered side effects though.
 
I took Atorvastatin and Metformin for 5 weeks and was lucky to survive.
I thought I was becoming demented and several times considered suicide.
I got a shock when I did the Christmas shopping twice and found the first lot in the back of the car, after wandering around trying to find where I'd parked it.
It took over a year to fully recover my wits and rediscover so many things, and I think that I will not regain all the muscle power in my legs again - but at least I have relearned all the songs I forgot. Still can't play guitar though.
It was a severe reaction - but I wish I'd been warned about what could happen - though I would never have taken them if the GP had said - oh, in two weeks time you might be suffering from incontinence, really nasty aches and pains particularly in your legs, your memory will be shot and you'll feel as though life is not worth living. I mean it is obvious why he said nothing at all about side effects - who would want to risk it?
 
Drummer said:
I took Atorvastatin and Metformin for 5 weeks and was lucky to survive.
I thought I was becoming demented and several times considered suicide.
I got a shock when I did the Christmas shopping twice and found the first lot in the back of the car, after wandering around trying to find where I'd parked it.
It took over a year to fully recover my wits and rediscover so many things, and I think that I will not regain all the muscle power in my legs again - but at least I have relearned all the songs I forgot. Still can't play guitar though.
It was a severe reaction - but I wish I'd been warned about what could happen - though I would never have taken them if the GP had said - oh, in two weeks time you might be suffering from incontinence, really nasty aches and pains particularly in your legs, your memory will be shot and you'll feel as though life is not worth living. I mean it is obvious why he said nothing at all about side effects - who would want to risk it?
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Christ! Can I ask how long this all took, I mean if I had issues, can you just stop and they go away?
 
Ivostas66 said:
I've been on Statins for 4 years. Cholesterol has dropped to less than 3 from nearly 6 at diagnosis. History of strokes in the family (my Nan and a couple of her sisters suffered heart attacks and strokes despite being fit and healthy) so I am happy to do anything to reduce the risk.

I am aware that there are some people on here who have suffered side effects though.
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My type two appears to be following the male side of my mother's family, most of whom are dead, having had type two and then fatal heart attacks. I am very mindful of this...
 
Simon112 said:
My type two appears to be following the male side of my mother's family, most of whom are dead, having had type two and then fatal heart attacks. I am very mindful of this...
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I think it’s a question of weighing up the pros and cons at a personal level.
My husband takes statins, he had a warning sign of furred up arteries, and a family history of heart disease, so it was a no-brainer. He hasn’t had any side effects.
I took them for a while, got horrible pains in my arms and legs, have absolutely no family history of heart problems (it’s other bits that finally wore out, some time in the 90s for most of them) so I decided to stop.
 
Simon112 said:
This is interesting, and I am now really confused.
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Depends on if you buy her book or not?
No matter what mainstream guidelines are, there will always be someone telling you a conspiracy theory.
 
Simon112 said:
My type two appears to be following the male side of my mother's family, most of whom are dead, having had type two and then fatal heart attacks. I am very mindful of this...
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Given your family history, perhaps the best option is to try the statins and see how you get on? Side effects are quite rare according to the official stats. There are lots of data from clinical trials that show you can reduce your relative risk by impressively large percentages with a statin. To properly understand that I like to get a feel for my absolute risk. Your Dr can run a QRisk3 score which should give you a percentage risk of a heart-related event within the next 10 years. Above 10% risk of an event is deemed to be pretty dicey, and taking a statin might reduce that to 8% or less depending on the trial you pick (Hope3 suggested a 20-25% reduction in risk even for those only at intermediate risk of a CV event, other trials show much more significant benefits especially if your risk and/or cholesterol levels are higher to start with).

I think you can run QRisk yourself, not sure of it’s a simpler version for non-Docs.

Lots of members here take statins with no ill effects, and some tried one that they didn’t get on with, but another was fine.

As you can see, we also have members who reacted very severely, and others who decided not to take them, or to stop taking for their own reasons.

The clinical trial results show that severe reactions are rare.

Maybe have an open and frank conversation with your Dr, and express your worries, and ask about your individual risk?
 
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Have regular blood texts.
My blood sugars rose whist taking statins and dropped back when I stopped taking them
 
Was taking statin & experienced no side effects, didn't think I would as most people dont, statins have to be one of the most researched drugs in the world & are considered safe & effective.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Given your family history, perhaps the best option is to try the statins and see how you get on? Side effects are quite rare according to the official stats. There are lots of data from clinical trials that show you can reduce your relative risk by impressively large percentages with a statin. To properly understand that I like to get a feel for my absolute risk. Your Dr can run a QRisk3 score which should give you a percentage risk of a heart-related event within the next 10 years. 10% risk of an event is deemed to be pretty dicey, and taking a statin might reduce that to 8% or so depending on the trial you pick. I think you can run QRisk yourself, not sure of it’s a simpler version for non-Docs.

Lots of members here take statins with no ill effects, and some tried one that they didn’t get on with, but another was fine.

As you can see, we also have members who reacted very severely, and others who decided not to take them, or to stop taking for their own reasons.

The clinical trial results show that severe reactions are rare.

Maybe have an open and frank conversation with your Dr, and express your worries, and ask about your individual risk?
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Thanks for the reply. My QRisk is 13.8%. I think a conversation needs to be had. All the doctors gave me was a return slip, very much like a school trip, tick yes or no and return.
 
Simon112 said:
Thanks for the reply. My QRisk is 13.8%. I think a conversation needs to be had. All the doctors gave me was a return slip, very much like a school trip, tick yes or no and return.
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Do have the conversation. The CV risk-reduction benefits of statins are more studied and better established than just about anything else in medicine.

For every 1.0 mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol, avg risk of a major CV event over a given period reduces by 20%, no matter what the starting point - this has been demonstrated in many, many studies, all over the world. And depending on dosage, a statin can reduce your LDL by 50%+ - generally a lot more than you get from lifestyle changes.
 
Simon112 said:
Christ! Can I ask how long this all took, I mean if I had issues, can you just stop and they go away?
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I was feeling better within a few days - and I have managed to get back to normal, mostly.
I still find that I have forgotten things, and doing some things is still an effort due to loss of muscle, and my attention wanders. I used to have a very good memory, not so much now, but still better than most. The problems would have been less if I'd teen told to stop taking the tablets if there were problems.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
10% risk of an event is deemed to be pretty dicey, and taking a statin might reduce that to 8% or so depending on the trial you pick.
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This is misleading and you should delete or correct it. The vast weight of evidence points to 20% risk reduction per 1.0 mmol/L LDL reduction (or a corresponding reduction in apoB).

You might go 10% => 8% with a 1.0 mmol/L LDL reduction, but of course the LDL reduction would typically be greater than that (and the baseline risk very often much greater than 10%).
 
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