simvastatin (statin) tablets

[wellboy]

HI. I am type one and not long turned 40, Went for my 6 month check up and was told i would need to take statin tablets because of my age, Not sure i want to take these tablets cause dont think i need them plus i never read any good write ups about them.Any advice?. Thanks

 

[Hopeful Alfie]

Dunno why GPs seem to be pushing statins around so much. I had slightly raised cholesterol so my GP put me on statins and I came out in a rash, so I stopped taking them and have a daily bowl of porridge instead. Now my chol reading is good. However, there may be other reasons for your GP's decision - or are we guinea pigs in a national survey. Who are we to know !!!

 

[viviennem]

The first thing I would do, in your place, is to ask for a copy of your lipid profile from your last cholesterol test, just to see how bad (or good) it is. Then read around - lots of good info on here and elsewhere on the web - and make your own mind up.

You must get the full lipid profile, not just the total cholesterol. The profile gives you your total figure; your HDL (good cholesterol); LDL ( bad cholesterol, only a bit more complicated than that); your triglycerides (need watching as they are the real baddies); and your Total:HDL ratio, which is the most meaningful figure. I can't lay my hands on the preferred figures at the moment, but they're here somewhere - also available via Google. "They" prefer diabetics to have lower cholesterol than non-diabetics.

I don't tolerate statins well (muscle and joint pains), so I control my cholesterol by limiting my carbohydrates - it's not fat that ups my figures, but carbs! On the other hand, some people tolerate statins very well and have been on them for years without any harmful effects. Have a read around the Web and look for both pro- and anti- sites. My favourite anti- site is 'spacedoc.net' - just Google. Also Google 'Stephanie Seneff' (Steneff?) and see what she has to say. But do read the pro- sites as well. You have to make your own mind up.

Remember, no-one can force you to take them!

Viv

PS re tests - I get copies of all my results and keep them on file at home. Some receptionists can be funny about this, but they are part of your medical records and you are entitled to see them. My GPs are quite happy that I have them - I know what to look for, and only see the GP about them if I am concerned about anything, which saves both of us time, and saves the practice money. I'm in charge of my Type 2, and the GPs are quite happy to leave me to it. Yours may prefer to keep a closer eye on your Type 1.

 

[noblehead]

HI. I am type one and not long turned 40, Went for my 6 month check up and was told i would need to take statin tablets because of my age, Not sure i want to take these tablets cause dont think i need them plus i never read any good write ups about them.Any advice?. Thanks

So was this decision solely based on your age or your recent cholesterol results as well?

As Viv says you need a full-lipid breakdown of your cholesterol not just your TC, these are the target cholesterol levels that people with diabetes should be aiming for:

• Your total cholesterol level should be below 4.0mmol/l*.
• LDL levels should be less than 2.0mmol/l.
• HDL levels should be 1.0mmol/l or above in men and 1.2mmol/l or above in women.
• Triglyceride levels should be 1.7mmol/l or less.

As for the Simvastatin, like most drugs some suffer side-effects and some don't, both my mum and brother were on Simvastatin and didn't suffer any side-effects, however there are alternatives such as Artovastatin that seems to be better tolerated than Sim. At the end of the day no-one can force you to take a statin and it's your call whether to heed the advice of your HCP's.

 

[Yorksman]

It's a minefield. There are GPs who think everyone should be on them once they get to a certain age. I am on them because of an earlier heart problem. That's cured now but I am still on them. They like to put diabetics on them 'just in case'.

I used to get a full lipid profile and my LDL and HDL were always OK or near OK but my trigs were through the roof. The statins didn't do anything for them. My doctor suspected alcohol and took no notice of my comment that I only dranks a couple of beers a week. After I became diabetic though and stopped eating sugar, they dropped from 5.3 to 1.7 in 3 months. Every list I have ever seen says that sugar is a major cause of high trigs but my GP didn't seem to be aware of this.

They just did a total cholesterol last time and told me that they don't do full lipid profiles anymore. I'm not surprised since they don't seem to know what to do with the data. They moved me from atorvastatin to simvastatin because they are cheaper. It's like a game of pass the parcel.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

I did not refuse to take statins. I feel that if I am not going to take the medication then there is no point going to the surgery. Unfortunately I suffered muscle problems that confined me to an armchair for a month. I was weaned off them and then did the whole thing over again and my file now shows that I am "intolerant of statins". Well at least I know what happens when I take them now.

It was during this period that I read the Stephanie Seneff paper and I felt that maybe I had dodged another bullet if what she says is true.