Statins

[Fitfuzzybunny]

Hi all . I have been put on statins I'm also type 2 diabetic. I have read stsatins could play your blood sugar levels up and will need tobe monitored. I'm currently not no medication so I don't have a monitor to check and trying to get hold of anyone at Dr's is a nightmare

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all . I have been put on statins I'm also type 2 diabetic. I have read stsatins could play your blood sugar levels up and will need tobe monitored. I'm currently not no medication so I don't have a monitor to check and trying to get hold of anyone at Dr's is a nightmare

In some people they can have a small effect but as Type 2 it would be unlikely that you would be prescribed a glucose monitor as you are not on medication that could cause low blood glucose and therefore many do self fund a monitor and test strips for their own benefit of keeping track of progress and testing their tolerance to meals.
There are inexpensive monitors on line GlucoNavii, TEE2 and Contour Blue which have the cheaper test strips.
Was you cholesterol high to justify the statin or was it just because you are Type 2 or have other risk factors as if you are worried about the effect on blood glucose then diet may help instead.

 

[helli]

I recommend reading the leaflet that comes with your statins to understand the possible side effects.
There are other possibilities as well as raised BG.
While less than 10% of people taking statins will experience these side effects, it is important to educate yourself so you can recognise any issues - there are different types of statins available.

 

[Fitfuzzybunny]

In some people they can have a small effect but as Type 2 it would be unlikely that you would be prescribed a glucose monitor as you are not on medication that could cause low blood glucose and therefore many do self fund a monitor and test strips for their own benefit of keeping track of progress and testing their tolerance to meals.
There are inexpensive monitors on line GlucoNavii, TEE2 and Contour Blue which have the cheaper test strips.
Was you cholesterol high to justify the statin or was it just because you are Type 2 or have other risk factors as if you are worried about the effect on blood glucose then diet may help instead.

I have thyroid issues high cholesterol type 2

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

If you have been prescribed it then I would suggest taking it, as your doctor suggests, and see if you experience side effects before making a judgement call on statins. As @helli suggests, being aware of the potential side effects is extremely important.

Here is the official NHS advice on statins in the UK - Link

Here is another piece from the Mayo Clinic in the US - Link

This is information on the very rarest, and most serious, immediate potential side-effect of statins - Link

Please don't be alarmed by that last link. In short - if you experience mild muscle pain or 'brain fog', perhaps give it time and decide if it's the the statin or something else that might be causing it. Be objective - I know someone who spent a year thinking it was statins causing his muscle pain but decided, in the end, that it was due to his age and the exercise he was undertaking. He quit, but later went back on his statin. If you experience 'mysterious' muscle pain then perhaps make an appointment with your doctor. If you experience intense muscle pain, and your pee turns dark-red or brown, stop the statin immediately and talk to your doctor. This circumstance is very rare, but very serious.

Yes, statins will increase insulin resistance and potentially (probably) raise HbA1c a little. Not great for a Type 2, though the effect is small, and, if necessary, Metformin will counteract it. There is a reason that the 'official' advice for a newly diagnosed Type 2 to be prescribed Metformin, and, if indicated, also a statin. As far as I can tell: Metformin + Statin = net benefit overall.

Speaking for myself, I went on 20mg Atorvastatin and experienced no side effects. Later, after very big weight loss, I asked for my dose to be reduced to 10mg, and that did the trick just fine. I am not someone who trusts that the most serious side effects of any given medication will not happen to me. My official diabetes diagnosis, as established by a high-flying diabetologist, is that it was 'caused by X medication' - where medication X is not one I will name on this forum, due to risk of stigma.

Basically, a side-effect of a medication I was prescribed in the past caused my diabetes, and brought me to this forum. Even with that unpleasant and rare experience, and having read a huge amount about statins, I believe that starting a statin is worth the risk of side-effects and complications. Having been severely burned by pharma-related side-effects, and having spent 100+ hours learning about statins and cholesterol, I acknowledge the benefits that led to specific medications such as statins being approved in the first place. Statins work, and, compared to very many other medications, the risk is very low.

Very best of luck!

 

[helli]

Yes, statins will increase insulin resistance and potentially (probably) raise HbA1c a little.

The leaflet that came with my statins says 1 on 10 people may experience higher BG.
This is very different to will increase insulin resistance.
Maybe it depends upon the type of statins but it suggests 90% of people taking them will NOT experience it.

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

The leaflet that came with my statins says 1 on 10 people may experience higher BG.
This is very different to will increase insulin resistance.
Maybe it depends upon the type of statins but it suggests 90% of people taking them will NOT experience it.

This is an example of one of the kind of studies I looked at on the subject - Link

Maybe it does depend on the kind of statin - I only paid attention to studies that related to Atorvastatin as that's what I was put on. In those studies it was shown that insulin resistance increased, and the effect of that increase on HbA1c in diabetics was higher than in non-diabetics.

If you read around on this forum (at least I think it was this forum) there are a couple of accounts of T1s having to increase their insulin dose significantly when they went on a statin.

The '1 in 10' in the leaflet may not apply well to us - we might be exactly the people who are most likely to be the 1 in 10. I would guess that it is those with existing insulin resistance who are most affected by an increase caused by a statin. T2s very probably, T1s - I don't know anything on the subject of the prevalence of insulin resistance in T1s.

I would stress though - the impact of a statin on HbA1c is small, and in my own case at least, I view it as a trade-off that is well worth it.

EDIT - maybe it wasn't this forum, but the red one

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

Tried to look up where exactly the '1 in 10' figure comes from. I couldn't find anything, though I found this recent meta-analysis - Link

It found that low or moderate intensity statin treatment was associated with a 10% increase in new-onset diabetes. The 1 in 10 figure on the leaflet may perhaps refer to increases in HbA1c that are significant enough to tip a person over some kind of threshold, a diagnosis line, not the number of people who experience some very small increase in HbA1c. I would think it odd if the effect on insulin resistance was significant enough in 1 in 10 that it led to them being diagnosed as diabetic, while the other 9 in 10 were completely immune to that effect. I would guess that there's a spectrum of susceptibility to the effect due to pre-existing levels of insulin resistance.

 

[helli]

@PerSpinasAdAstra i hear what you are saying about whether we are in the 1 in 10 or not, especially with regards to increase in BG. i have spoken to other people with Type 1 who said that they have not needed to increase their insulin which suggests it is not all.
However, i would only expect people with diabetes (or pre-diabetes) to see an increase in their BG as someone with a healthy pancreas would respond by releasing insulin. Would be interesting to know if more (or less) than 10% of people taking statins have diabetes.
I have only been taking astorvastatin for 2 weeks but my insulin requirements have been lower over this time. That may be due to the weather so it is not easy to draw any conclusions yet.
If I do see my insulin needs increase (which will be in response to an increased BG which indicates increased insulin resistance), I will make a decision whether that is acceptable or whether to request a different type of statins.
I am not sure about the costs but the DSN at the surgery told me they have a selection of options they can prescribe so I will make the most of the other options if I experience any of the side effects.
Anyway, i am waffling. All i meant to say is that there is nothing in the leaflet i read to suggest that taking statins will definitely result in an increased BG if you have diabetes. But maybe that is too difficult to measure if those of us on insulin just take more insulin to accommodate the rise.
( The leaflet said “increase in blood glucose” not “insulin resistance” which may or may not be semantics.)

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

@PerSpinasAdAstra i hear what you are saying about whether we are in the 1 in 10 or not, especially with regards to increase in BG. i have spoken to other people with Type 1 who said that they have not needed to increase their insulin which suggests it is not all.
However, i would only expect people with diabetes (or pre-diabetes) to see an increase in their BG as someone with a healthy pancreas would respond by releasing insulin. Would be interesting to know if more (or less) than 10% of people taking statins have diabetes.
I have only been taking astorvastatin for 2 weeks but my insulin requirements have been lower over this time. That may be due to the weather so it is not easy to draw any conclusions yet.
If I do see my insulin needs increase (which will be in response to an increased BG which indicates increased insulin resistance), I will make a decision whether that is acceptable or whether to request a different type of statins.
I am not sure about the costs but the DSN at the surgery told me they have a selection of options they can prescribe so I will make the most of the other options if I experience any of the side effects.
Anyway, i am waffling. All i meant to say is that there is nothing in the leaflet i read to suggest that taking statins will definitely result in an increased BG if you have diabetes. But maybe that is too difficult to measure if those of us on insulin just take more insulin to accommodate the rise.
( The leaflet said “increase in blood glucose” not “insulin resistance” which may or may not be semantics.)

Many thanks for this. Your experience and that of others of not needing to increase insulin dose is perhaps highly indicative. Months ago I came across the statement that statins increase insulin resistance and HbA1c. I did my 'fact checking', found the studies and articles, and took it as fact. I've been repeating that statement as a fact ever since.

This goes to show that there are perhaps big flaws in my approach to fact checking. Just because statins are shown to raise HbA1c in a large group of people on average does not mean it happens to everyone, or even in the majority. It might actually be the kind of side effect that a person is very susceptible to, or not at all, like most other potential side effects. I don't know, so I'm going to stop repeating that statement as it may well be misleading or false.

 

[Ditto]

Prescribed statins years ago. Refused to take them. Just had what might have been a stroke. They can't be sure as being claustrophobic I can't have the MR, so now I will be taking the statins. 🙄 I just got in. It's weird when you've been in hospital. Bloods were good though on the 'diet' they put me on, fruit instead of puds and usual fayre, ie today tuna jacket with 4 tiddy butters and tuna nom. Never differed, always 7.3 or 7.4 pleased with that.

 

[Leadinglights]

Prescribed statins years ago. Refused to take them. Just had what might have been a stroke. They can't be sure as being claustrophobic I can't have the MR, so now I will be taking the statins. 🙄 I just got in. It's weird when you've been in hospital. Bloods were good though on the 'diet' they put me on, fruit instead of puds and usual fayre, ie today tuna jacket with 4 tiddy butters and tuna nom. Never differed, always 7.3 or 7.4 pleased with that.

Sorry to hear of your potential stroke, I hope you are recovering. Do they think it was a mini stroke or TIA ?
Yes hospital food is not the best for low carb and pretty tasteless. Even the yoghurts are high carb.
Do you have any follow up medication like anticoagulants.

 

[Sharron1]

Prescribed statins years ago. Refused to take them. Just had what might have been a stroke. They can't be sure as being claustrophobic I can't have the MR, so now I will be taking the statins. 🙄 I just got in. It's weird when you've been in hospital. Bloods were good though on the 'diet' they put me on, fruit instead of puds and usual fayre, ie today tuna jacket with 4 tiddy butters and tuna nom. Never differed, always 7.3 or 7.4 pleased with that.

Sorry to read about the suspected stroke. Take care.

 

[Ditto]

Thank you for good wishes. I'll be on a big Aspirin which is called something else and statins.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Thank you for good wishes. I'll be on a big Aspirin which is called something else and statins.

Is that "big aspirin" called Clopigogerel, by any chance @Ditto? It's what I was put on after my TIA earlier this year. The blood thinning effect is very noticeable in that I now bruise extremely easily, bleed freely from the smallest of cuts and I have to take each insulin injection with great care because each injection site shows as a bruise for days afterwards if I rush those multiple daily jabs.

 

[Eddy Edson]

I'd just recommend referring to expert advice like the NHS guidance as the main source of information about lipid management, statins and other lipid management meds: https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/04/lipid-management-pathway-v7.pdf

It further links to guidance for dealing with potential statin intolerance: https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/04/statin-intolerance-pathway-v2.pdf It includes IMO a really good summary of the risks.

 

[nonethewiser]

Prescribed statins years ago. Refused to take them. Just had what might have been a stroke. They can't be sure as being claustrophobic I can't have the MR, so now I will be taking the statins. 🙄 I just got in. It's weird when you've been in hospital. Bloods were good though on the 'diet' they put me on, fruit instead of puds and usual fayre, ie today tuna jacket with 4 tiddy butters and tuna nom. Never differed, always 7.3 or 7.4 pleased with that.

Sorry to hear about that @Ditto , hope all works out well & your soon back to normal.

 

[Ditto]

Is that "big aspirin" called Clopigogerel, by any chance @Ditto? It's what I was put on after my TIA earlier this year. The blood thinning effect is very noticeable in that I now bruise extremely easily, bleed freely from the smallest of cuts and I have to take each insulin injection with great care because each injection site shows as a bruise for days afterwards if I rush those multiple daily jabs.

That's it. A dobber horse tablet. Crumbs, that could be awkward, I bruise anyways because of dicky liver. I'll be a mass of bruises! :O

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about the suspected stroke @Ditto

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Hope the bruises stay away, and the statins help.

 

[42istheanswer]

@helli given that diabetics are often set a tighter target for cholesterol than non-diabetics it wouldn't surprise me to find that diabetics are overrepresented in the group taking statins. Plus of course we know that the liver has a role in both blood glucose and blood cholesterol management, and that fatty liver can be a significant factor for both type 2 diabetes/pre-diabetes and cholesterol problems.

@Ditto sorry to hear about the stroke, I hope that you recover well