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Problems with statins and metformin

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O

olly

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I wonder if anybody has the same problems I am experiencing or advice?

I have been taking 1 metformin a day for a month now (first diagnosed with 10.2 in April 2015) and after testing myself 6 or 7 times my levels are between 4 and 8 on the whole ( had a couple of 9's scores out of over 50 tests taken) so that is good. I am also making notes on everything I eat so know what effect my levels.

However I also have high cholesterol at 7.2 so was put on Simvastatin but after 5 days had terrible side effects so was taken off this and a week later told to take a low dosage of atorvastatin 10mg per day but unfortunately had very similar side effects.

I am due to go back to my GP on Friday and not sure what the next step will be. I have been off work now for 4 weeks as I am feeling extremely fatigued and most of the time feel unsafe to drive for fear of falling asleep! Although my employer has been very understanding I cannot give them a definite assurance on when I will be able to return so this is a worry for me.

Before diagnoses I went to the GP as I was extremely tired all the time and felt generally rubbish. I am still feeling the same after a month of taking the metformin and am wondering if the cause is something else in addition to my diabetes?

Any advice greatly appreciated as I have found this site very helpful
 
Hi Olly, sorry to hear this. Many people get side-effects with statins, myself included - have you actually stopped taking them altogether now? I don't think the tiredness will be caused by the statins though, their side effects tend to be different - muscle pain/cramp, nausea. Given your excellent BG levels, I wouldn't have thought the tiredness is due to high levels. Are you on medication for anything else?

Have you had your thyroid function tested? Also, I believe metformin can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, so it might be worth enquiring about that. It is still very early days for you, and it may be that your body is still adjusting to the change in your diet.

Hope you can get it sorted! 🙂
 
Olly, your blood glucose levels sound within range, so that's encouraging. It's unlikely that your GP will want to increase metformin dose at this time, although you may need more at a later time.

What about your weight and exercise levels? Are you overweight? Are you sleeping well? If overwight, reducing body weight will gradually increase energy levels and feeling of well being. I know you say you feel too sleepy to drive, but are you walking / cycling / gardening / swimming / doing anything else physically active? Even a little activity each day, building up gradually, will help in general, and if you're not sleeping, then more activity will improve sleep and that will aso make you feel better.

Northerner has already mentioned other causes of tiredness to mention to your GP. Hope you'll be feeling better and back at work soon.
 
Northerner said:
Hi Olly, sorry to hear this. Many people get side-effects with statins, myself included - have you actually stopped taking them altogether now? I don't think the tiredness will be caused by the statins though, their side effects tend to be different - muscle pain/cramp, nausea. Given your excellent BG levels, I wouldn't have thought the tiredness is due to high levels. Are you on medication for anything else?

Have you had your thyroid function tested? Also, I believe metformin can cause vitamin B12 deficiency, so it might be worth enquiring about that. It is still very early days for you, and it may be that your body is still adjusting to the change in your diet.

Hope you can get it sorted! 🙂
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Hi

Thanks for the responses, I will certainly discuss the points you all have raised to me with my GP.
I am currently off the statins until I go back to my GP and have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. The side effects were muscle pain and feeling completely spaced out! The tiredness has remained throughout and before I had taken any medication or been diagnosed. I have not had my thyroid checked so I will ask about this at my appointment.
I am not overweight at all and have always exercised 2-3 times a week and was told I am a perfect weight and in good condition otherwise with no other medication. Until last month I hadn't had more than a day off sick or even known where my doctors surgery was!!

I will let you know how I get on at the GP as its all a bit of a mystery to me.

Thanks for your help
 
olly said:
I am not overweight at all and have always exercised 2-3 times a week and was told I am a perfect weight and in good condition otherwise with no other medication. Until last month I hadn't had more than a day off sick or even known where my doctors surgery was!!

I will let you know how I get on at the GP as its all a bit of a mystery to me.

Thanks for your help
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In light of the fact that you don't appear to have the usual indicators for Type 2, it would also be worth asking the GP whether there is a possibility you are a slow-onset Type 1 (also known as LADA - Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood, sometimes referred to as Type 1.5). There are tests they can do to ascertain this. It's important to get the right diagnosis so that you get the appropriate treatment and monitoring going forward, and it's possible that your GP is not familiar with this possibility as it's relatively rare - the assumption of Type 2 is often based on age alone. We've had quite a few people here who have been misdiagnosed. This doesn't mean that the metformin will not work for you, or that you are Type 1.5, but it is good to be aware of the possibility should things not progress as expected. 🙂
 
The spaced out feeling could well be statin related - I thought I had Alzheimer's when I was on them - memory probs, I could lose whole afternoons and also not knowing how to do stuff without concentrating really hard, like opening tins and other really difficult stuff. Most GPs don't acknowledge that aspect of their lovely effects.

However with your chol - it's the ratios that matter rather than the actual numbers and if you reduce the carbs your Trigs will improve as will the HDL and your LDL will probably reduce too making the whole picture far better. This applies to non diabetics as well as us.
 
As has been suggested it might be worth getting your thyroid tested. There appears to be a link to thyroid problems for diabetes sufferers. I have hypothyroidism which can make me very tired at times. Worth asking your doctor. Good luck with it 🙂
 
Thanks I saw my GP today and he agreed the extreme tiredness does not fit in with my blood sugar levels and has referred my to an endocrinologist and more blood tests including thyroid. Hopefully this will get to the bottom of it all.
 
olly said:
Thanks I saw my GP today and he agreed the extreme tiredness does not fit in with my blood sugar levels and has referred my to an endocrinologist and more blood tests including thyroid. Hopefully this will get to the bottom of it all.
Click to expand...

Good news Olly, hope they can find a solution so you can get your energy back! 🙂
 
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