Statin's - For or against Help needed

[pamK]

Hi I know there ha been posts on here before in different posts but i would like you views on statins I have been on simvastatin for 14 yrs and now i think i really want to stop taking them I know there are for's and against for them but would like other's point of view please I have a friend who has stopped taking them as she said she never felt well and she feels so much better now Another friend who takes them says i should keep on taking them because of my age 69 and they can stop a heart attack which i dont really want to have The reason i am thinking of stopping them is i have a lot of pain in my shoulders and top of my arms I don't have much muscle in top of my arms my hubby says they are my bingo wings but i always laugh So can you please help me with what you think of them and why you take them or have stopped taking them so i can have something when i see my Dr next thanks

 

[Bluetit1802]

We can't answer your question. The decision has to be yours. (Not your doctor's)

Why were you put on statins in the first place? Have you already had a heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease or similar?

Have you had your Q-risk calculated? https://qrisk.org/2017/

What is your cholesterol breakdown? Blood pressure? Weight?

These are questions you must ask yourself after reading the pros and cons. Do you believe the pros, or do you believe the cons?

Personally, I am also 69 and stopped taking statins after 3 months even though I'd had no side effects. My GP was unhappy, then she decided a low dose aspirin was probably just as good. I took the aspirin for a while, then stopped that due to uncomfortable tummy symptoms.

 

[covknit]

Hi I know there ha been posts on here before in different posts but i would like you views on statins I have been on simvastatin for 14 yrs and now i think i really want to stop taking them I know there are for's and against for them but would like other's point of view please I have a friend who has stopped taking them as she said she never felt well and she feels so much better now Another friend who takes them says i should keep on taking them because of my age 69 and they can stop a heart attack which i dont really want to have The reason i am thinking of stopping them is i have a lot of pain in my shoulders and top of my arms I don't have much muscle in top of my arms my hubby says they are my bingo wings but i always laugh So can you please help me with what you think of them and why you take them or have stopped taking them so i can have something when i see my Dr next thanks

How likely are you to have a heart attack? https://www.qrisk.org/2016/index.php. If you are low risk why not stop taking them for a trial period and see if your risk increases? If your hp is like my dn they will probably suggest changing your dosage but since my qrisk is decreasing in line with my weight loss she accepts my decision not to take them.

 

[Bluetit1802]

How likely are you to have a heart attack? https://www.qrisk.org/2016/index.php. If you are low risk why not stop taking them for a trial period and see if your risk increases? If your hp is like my dn they will probably suggest changing your dosage but since my qrisk is decreasing in line with my weight loss she accepts my decision not to take them.

Covnit, the Q-risk has been updated and is now version 2017

https://qrisk.org/2017/

 

[librarising]

I would say that the main beneficiaries of statins are men with previous heart problems. Dr Malcolm Kendrick (author of The Great Cholesterol Con) also adds:
"If you are a woman at very high risk of heart disease, statins reduce the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease .. statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day ... death from other causes (are) increased."
His argument is that statins might work, but not by lowering cholesterol. For older people higher cholesterol is protective.
Also, it's only men who might live a little longer. To reinforce this he states in his book that "statins do not save lives in women" five times in succession.
It's your choice. I know I'll never take them due to their noxious effects on the body, whether these are noticed or not.
Hope you find some clarity
Geoff

 

[noblehead]

The reason i am thinking of stopping them is i have a lot of pain in my shoulders and top of my arms I don't have much muscle in top of my arms my hubby says they are my bingo wings but i always laugh

As a suggestion you could ask to change to another statin to see if the pain disappears or subsides, I believe Artovastatin is said to have fewer side-effects than other statins such a Simvastatin, of course this may not be the case with you ............but noting ventured nothing gained as they say.

I've never taken a statin but have been offered them, however I had two family members who took Simvastatin and both tolerated the drug well. Good luck.

 

[Bluetit1802]

however I had two family members who took Simvastatin and both tolerated the drug well. Good luck.

I'm not trying to be nosy or rude here, just interested. Your past tense suggests they are deceased. Do you know the causes?

 

[noblehead]

I'm not trying to be nosy or rude here, just interested. Your past tense suggests they are deceased. Do you know the causes?

No it quite OK, one is sadly deceased (not CVD related) and the other alive and well (but no longer taking a statin after the drug brought their cholesterol levels down and is controlling their levels through diet and exercise).

 

[Bluetit1802]

No it quite OK, one is sadly deceased (not CVD related) and the other alive and well (but no longer taking a statin after the drug brought their cholesterol levels down and is controlling their levels through diet and exercise).

Thanks Noblehead. Well done to the one now controlling with diet and exercise. That is what I am also doing.

 

[Art Of Flowers]

It is worth watching the full film Statin Nation on dietdoctor.com

The first thirteen minutes here ...

 

[pamK]

HI Bluetit1802 I was given the statin as i say 14yrs ago for high cholesterol which has been 3 for a number of years before being T2 diabetic and have been taking it ever since I have never had a heart attack I take a blood pressure tablet 5 mg each day health not to bad have an allotment keeps me busy weight just over 10st and have now got my hba1c down to 35 blood pressure Ok and now have been reduced from 4 metformin down to 2 metformin 1000 mg a day With doing LC which i say is not all the time the DN wants a blood test done in another 3 months as she thinks i will be off the other 2 metformin then It is with me doing the LC that has made me think about the statins if i need them or not but i will do more reading about them before seeing the Dr thanks for your replies i appreciate it

 

[Bluetit1802]

HI Bluetit1802 I was given the statin as i say 14yrs ago for high cholesterol which has been 3 for a number of years before being T2 diabetic and have been taking it ever since I have never had a heart attack I take a blood pressure tablet 5 mg each day health not to bad have an allotment keeps me busy weight just over 10st and have now got my hba1c down to 35 blood pressure Ok and now have been reduced from 4 metformin down to 2 metformin 1000 mg a day With doing LC which i say is not all the time the DN wants a blood test done in another 3 months as she thinks i will be off the other 2 metformin then It is with me doing the LC that has made me think about the statins if i need them or not but i will do more reading about them before seeing the Dr thanks for your replies i appreciate it

The only comment I will make is that, in my opinion, a total cholesterol of 3 is very low. It is the bottom line. (The NHS says 3 to 4 for diabetics). However, it isn't the total that matters, it is what it is made up of that counts. The HDL is important. The triglycerides are important. The triglyceride/HDL ratio is very important.

Low carbing and exercise certainly help improve cholesterol.

 

[Guzzler]

Just fyi, I was prescribed Atorvastatin and within days had horrible pain in my shoulders and upper arms. I mentioned this to my dn and said that I had stopped taking them. She said statins don't cause pain and that she would have to put in my notes my decision to stop. I told her to go right ahead, I have nothing to hide and I did my research before making my own choice. I am stubborn by nature and I am not one to blindly follow others. I have always had a slight suspicion of cholesterol and I am the same with the so called superfoods.

Do your reseach, lass, but ultimately it is your choice for your health.

 

[Mike d]

Do your own research but no way would I ever take them again

 

[keitjones]

Agree, best do your own research. I would never take them either. I believe cholesterol can be sorted by exercise and diet.

 

[bulkbiker]

From what I have read older women don't benefit from having lower cholesterol anyway. I personally don't think that higher cholesterol is anything to worry about anyway as it seems that links between CVD and cholesterol are tenuous at best. I would be another vote for no statins.

 

[Tabbyjoolz]

I have refused point blank to take them and will continue to do so. I have not had a heart attack and, even though I've been told I have a 10% chance of suffering a heart attack, I take it to mean that I have a 90% chance of NOT suffering one.

My main reasons for refusing to take them:
I am not convinced by the arguments for taking them;
I will not take medications "just in case" (innoculations and anti-malarials excepted if I'm travelling somewhere where these are advisable);
The potential side effects put me off. A colleague of mine, only four years older than me, takes them and he is like an old man. He complains constantly of brain fog and aches and pains, and does not walk any further than he has to because of this. As I'm controlling my diabetes through diet and exercise, so having the energy and drive to exercise, and be pain free, is paramount.

Ultimately it's your decision. Do as much reading up as you can.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You've had many responses. I would just say that the decision to take them should be based on your lipids ratios etc, not the total, and not because NICE says diabetics should have a total below 4 - that's just a wild guess not based on any good science. If you have risk factors such as heart issues then you may want to take a dose that improves your ratios a bit but bear in mind that the body needs cholesterol and if you go too low that's an equal risk. I do take statins having had some heart issues but don't take a big dose and don't have any problems with them but many do.

 

[pamK]

thank you all so much for the response you have given to me Bluetit1802 I have got a print out from my last diabetic blood test but i can't see anything on there about The triglyceride/HDL ratio seam to have lots of other stuff protein, sodium, liver, potassium bone profile, A1c, and blood cells but it is the Dr not the DN who told me of my cholesterol so dont think it is done on my diabetic blood test But a massive thank you to all of you that has helped me

 

[Bluetit1802]

thank you all so much for the response you have given to me Bluetit1802 I have got a print out from my last diabetic blood test but i can't see anything on there about The triglyceride/HDL ratio seam to have lots of other stuff protein, sodium, liver, potassium bone profile, A1c, and blood cells but it is the Dr not the DN who told me of my cholesterol so dont think it is done on my diabetic blood test But a massive thank you to all of you that has helped me

That Trigs/HDL ratio won't be on your print out. You have to work it out for yourself. (divide trigs by HDL) If your doctor knows your total cholesterol, he must also know how it was arrived at. Occasionally the trigs figure isn't included, but can be calculated. They should be under "serum lipids" (Serum HDL, serum LDL, serum triglycerides.)