Statins again

[jaywak]

I have been on 20 mg Simvastatin for as long as I can remember but was changed about one month ago to 40 mg artorstatin as my gp said I was high risk because of my type 1 diabetes , I am now experiencing aches and pains in my neck and shoulders and In general feeling a bit more lethargic than usual so much so that I think I will stop the tablets tomorrow for perhaps a couple of weeks and see if things improve , has anybody else had a similar experience ?

 

[Jasmin2000]

I have been on 20 mg Simvastatin for as long as I can remember but was changed about one month ago to 40 mg artorstatin as my gp said I was high risk because of my type 1 diabetes , I am now experiencing aches and pains in my neck and shoulders and In general feeling a bit more lethargic than usual so much so that I think I will stop the tablets tomorrow for perhaps a couple of weeks and see if things improve , has anybody else had a similar experience ?

Oh yes, I was on 20mg/day Atorvastatin, but had shoulder aches, tiredness, and my BG was always up, so I'm changing to 10 mg/day Simvastatin - so I'm going the other way to you.
Honestly, my cholesterol levels are normal, so if I have any side-effects from this one it's going in the bin. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[jaywak]

Yes my cholesterol levels are ok but I think with the lethargy and aches and pains I seem to be suffering at the moment are outweighing the risk of as my gp said having a heart attack or stroke , I was feeling great before starting the Artorvastatin ( sorry about the spelling before ) and think the better I feel the more likely I am to get up and go for walks which at the moment I don't feel like doing

 

[Jasmin2000]

Nice one - the bigger picture! Getting out and about increases circulation and reduces cardiovascular risk, whereas the statin keeps you indoors and in pain although it may also reduce cardiovascular risk. Seems like an easy choice.

 

[Daibell]

Your GP doesn't appear to have a clue about statins. The connection between diabetes and cholesterol deposits is unproven. Any statin dose change should be based on your lipids test results not a guess by the GP. If your dose is higher than it needs to be it can be more harmful than not taking statins.

 

[jaywak]

Thanks for your replies, I definitely am going to give them a break for a couple of weeks and see how I feel , I think the gps are just going by the guidelines they are given , he did seem like he was selling me a car and forcing me to buy extras I didn't want !

 

[Resurgam]

@jaywak I reacted badly to the few weeks of Atorvastatin and Metformin - just one tablet of each a day hit me like a train.
It was, however, 18 months before the last niggling pain subsided, and even longer before my memory was anything like normal - I have been remembering things in the last few months and it is 7 years since I was diagnosed and prescribed the tablets.
I think I was affected more than many people, but I was really suicidal by Christmas 2016. If it had not been Christmas I would not be here.
My cholesterol has gone down to normal levels without medication, so I doubt I ever really needed the tablets.

 

[Titch68]

Doc is always trying to stick me on statins. But tried a few and always gives me SERIOUS heart burn. so don't take them. I have referred back on it.

 

[jaywak]

The Dr did seem very forceful and almost implied that I needed the statins or else , it did frighten me a bit but he's a nice guy so like the obedient polite person I am I went along with it , now this maybe phsyco somatic but this is the first morning I haven't taken statins and my neck and shoulder pains have disappeared ,i'me wondering if maybe I was coming down with something, we all get aches and pains as we get older , so my plan is to abstain for a couple of weeks and see if the pains go then start them again and see if they return .

 

[Jasmin2000]

This post by @KennyA might give some perspective on the why GPs are pushy https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/statins-again.202261/post-2678221.

The recommendation is based on NICE reviews of clinical studies involving many thousands of patients with the result that significantly fewer cardiovascular events occurred on statins. However, those trials did not segregate patients into those with normal or abnormal cholesterol, and statins modify cholesterol synthesis. So if your cholesterol is normal, then you're getting the drug because other diabetics may benefit!

 

[Ladynijo]

The Dr did seem very forceful and almost implied that I needed the statins or else , it did frighten me a bit but he's a nice guy so like the obedient polite person I am I went along with it .

I had a similar experience with my GP. Like him and respect him but did not appreciate being frightened into taking a drug I wasn’t sure I needed. A dear friend of a similar age had just had a stroke so he didn’t need to make any point about risk either.

I tried it for 6 months alongside Metformin, my BG remained up but did reduce cholesterol, but I still didn’t feel comfortable on it, so ditched for last 6 months. My BG is now much lower, yet to see how the cholesterol is doing but frankly I feel great. So not too bothered. Have yet to fess up to the GP!

 

[jaywak]

It does seem a bit daft of us doesn't it ? worried about telling the Dr we're not doing as he says, I suppose it's like them telling the smoker / drinker to give up or the obese person to lose weight , perhaps we're worried if the worst happens we'll get the " I told you so " I think some of us are even worried when they say you're blood sugars are to low / high like telling a child off .

 

[Rustytypin]

When I requested my last round of blood tests in November, HbA1c, kidney function etc, my (new) doctor asked me if I would consider taking statins if my cholesterol came back high. It has been in the mid 5's previously. When I said I would not, he then refused to add cholesterol tests to the list. I was a little bemused but hey-ho never mind!
I should add that a few years ago I had a couple of scans which showed that my arteries are as clean as a whistle, despite (or maybe because of) eating LCHF since 2016 (and keto for most of that time).

 

[Krystyna23040]

I have been on 20 mg Simvastatin for as long as I can remember but was changed about one month ago to 40 mg artorstatin as my gp said I was high risk because of my type 1 diabetes , I am now experiencing aches and pains in my neck and shoulders and In general feeling a bit more lethargic than usual so much so that I think I will stop the tablets tomorrow for perhaps a couple of weeks and see if things improve , has anybody else had a similar experience ?

I had a bad experience with statins. Aches and pain started in the first week and after 21 days on statins I was in dreadful pain and could only just about crawl up the stairs.

Consultant said it would probably take 4 years to repair the muscle damage - it actually took much longer before I was back to normal. It is noted in my medical records that I am statin intolerant.

My local pharmacist said that I should have immediately stopped the statins rather than carry on until pain was really bad. .Obviously I wasn't thinking straight.

 

[ajbod]

I spent 4 years struggling to walk properly, thinking the problem was my Peripheral artery disease. I could literally not lift my heels off the floor. Within 4 days of stopping taking them, i could jump like a Maasai.
Also my wife was worried that i had Alzheimer's as my memory became shocking.
To stop taking them was a difficult decision for me, having had 3 strokes, only 2 officially on record. But all 3 whilst taking 80mg Atorvastatin.