Newly prescribed Simvastatin - Help

[yoda]

I have just been prescribed Simvastatin 40mg daily. Does anyone have any adverse reaction when taking it ? Especially at the beginning? Doc mentioned liver function , cramps ,and if I went yellow go back and see him....... :sick: :mrgreen:
I havent started yet , or picked up the prescription . Doc says my cholesterol , and tryglicerides are up 6.4 reading on cholesterol and this has been the reading for 3 years....... so I should go on this med .
Curently I am taking propranolol 240mg, and ramipri l( Increased dose to 10mg for BP ).
Any suggestions , comments greatly appreciated........
Yoda
Type 2 Diet only HBA1C 6.4 ( Tough Going !!)

 

[Squire Fulwood]

People react differently to Simvastatin. Many people on here say that they do not suffer from side effects and others say they do. A third group get them and throw them away but that's their business.

My record now states that I am intolerant of statins since my legs cramped so severely on Simvastatin that I couldn't walk for a month. It happened again with a different statin so I am just unfortunate.

You will learn nothing if you don't take them but watch for side effects and catch them early if they happen and phone your doctor.

Oh yes, your other question. It took a couple of months for me to have trouble. The nurse knew why and told me to buy a supplement from Holland and Barratt. It didn't help though.

 

[Marvin]

Simvastatin is a very long-established and well-tried drug that millions of people take, and the vast majority of them have no problems whatsoever. Don't be put off by the scaremongers, many of whom seem to believe that prescribing statins is some kind of conspiracy by health care professionals! As Squire Fulwood says, you will learn nothing if you don't take them.... so give it a try; you will almost certainly have no problems and will reap all the considerable benefits of this medication. On a forum like this you will naturally hear about almost every adverse reaction, but never hear from that vast majority who are perfectly satisfied.

 

[Fraddycat]

Hi I take 40mg of simvastatin a day, for 3 years, its done a good job of bringing my cholesterol down and my nurse tells me it has lots of protective qualities. For a while my dose was raised to 80mg a day and that did have an adverse effect, cramps, muscle weakness in my legs, but when i reverted to 40mg I had no more problems. I read somewhere that statins can cause weakness and low energy and I have started taking Co Enzyme Q10 to counteract that. Not sure if its because of that but I have bags of energy and can't wait to get to my spin classes!

I suggest you take them and keep an eye on any side effects.

 

[sueM67]

HI I have been on simvastatin along with asprin, ramipril , clopidogrel and bisoprololand isosorbide mononitrate plus dm tablets and anti depressants and I have had no side effects at all. You really need to take them as your gp wouldnt have prescribed them. But as someone else said dont listen to the scaremongering. We all have different bodies therefore no one will feeel the same as another individual, we are all unique Hope this helps good luck

 

[WhatNotToEat]

I had a reaction to begin with but it soon went. If you have it for a while then see your GP.


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[GraceK]

It really annoys me when people who post about having drug side effects are accused of 'scaremongering'. That ISN'T the motivation for posting at all. The point is some people DO HAVE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS FROM CERTAIN MEDICATIONS - FACT.

I spent 10 months looking like Elephant Man, and had 3 life threatening trips to hospital by ambulance due to a medication reaction.
I also spent months hobbling around with severe muscle spasms and aching because I had a reaction to another medication.

Am I scaremongering? No. Just telling the truth about my experience.

I also tell people that I am thankful for Metformin and Omeprazole, my body tolerates them well and I have positive benefits from them both. I'm telling the truth about that experience too.

I'm also a Medical Secretary and I work in a hospital for several Consultants. I see many people prescribed many drugs. I also see many people with many benefits and many side effects, some tolerable, some not.

To ignore the possibility of side effects is DANGEROUS. That's why the pharmaceutical companies insert a description of such side effects in the drug packaging. You are SUPPOSED TO READ IT and ACT ON IT if you experience any side effects.

As a result of my experiences I am not allowed to take certain medications or to have certain anaesthetics. I carry an Epipen and my GP insists when I start any new medication that if I experience the slightest itch on my body or start wheezing, I am to dial 999 immediately.

Am I scared? No. Not any more, because I know what to do if something happens. Believe me, no-one was more terrified than I was when I had to start taking Metformin, I slept with the Epipen in my hand.

Before I had that severe reaction, I questioned nothing my GP gave me and like a good little girl, I swallowed every pill I was given with 100% trust that it would do no harm.

I'm now a lot wiser and more apt to open my mouth and voice my objections if I don't feel I want another medication or I don't feel it's necessary.

 

[yoda]

Thank you all for your replies , ........ I am going ahead , :clap: thanks again!

 

[Yorksman]

Thank you all for your replies , ........ I am going ahead , :clap: thanks again!

You can always stop.

I have taken it for many years but stopped when I got severe cramps. The cramps cleared but then came back and then stopped again. So I went back onto the Simvastin and had no cramps. Until one day they reappeared again. This time I stopped taking furosomide and they stopped again but then came back. Again they stopped so I started taking the furosomide again and I didn't get them anymore. Until one day ....

I now keep my legs very warm and even wear bed socks and I hardly ever get cramps and when I do, they are nothing like as bad. It's easy to blame this or that drug but there are usually many possible reasons. All you can do is try and work it out.

 

[Luna21]

Hi.

I've been on it for 3 weeks now, and although I'm having no adverse reactions that I can see, unfortunately it is reacting with other drugs I have to take, and giving me high liver enzyme levels which are being monitored. Just something to be aware of if you are taking other drugs, but I believe it's not a common complication.

Good luck.

 

[yoda]

Thanks Luna , I have been on it 3 weeks now nearly as well 40 mg straight away, and no problems so far ! apart from a dry mouth first thing seeing doc monday , to check my liver function , had blood test yesturday ....... anyway , onwards and upwards........... thank you again all for your responses , and advice ....... I felt better after reading it all !! :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Bombshell13]

Hi I have been on them for 8 years with no problems (yet, lol) x


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[donnellysdogs]

I had adverse reactions and went through hell for years with statins..

Our bodies are not the same... Some will find beneficial, some won't and will get side effects.

Its not just diabetics that are getting told to take statins, it seems the majority over 40 are being told the same.
My thoughts on this.. They could be good or it could be that gps get money for prescribing them that influences that push for eerybody to be on them. However, its down to the individual...

I do believe they had to increase the listing of side effects of them a few years ago... It's nit just muscle problems that can occur...

So long as individuals read the side effects and report them to the MHRA if they get them, and can be offered the 'better, more expensive statins as an alternative if reactions are bad,then its an individual decision.

People like me aren't scaremonger's... We are just letting people know our experiences... As we all do so much of on this website...

 

[donnellysdogs]

For anybody taking any type of statins... The mhra.gov.uk website has a 30+ page document to read on what their opinions and research show... See below for one comment from the document....

"Given the high background rate of memory loss in the population receiving statins, controlled studies comparing the effects of statins on cognitive functions are warranted."

It is an interesting document to read.... and then individuals can make up their own minds.

 

[Yorksman]

"Given the high background rate of memory loss in the population receiving statins, ..."

mhra, remind me what do they do again? :lol:

 

[garythegob]

I am one of the lucky ones who has had no side effects with simvastatin, although for some reason i have been changed to atorvastatin, 80mg in the evening, my simvastatin dose was the same, 80mg in the evening! My last cholesterol check was 3.2, that was 2 weeks ago, i just need to get my Hba1c under control, 9.8! This is due to my own fault, NOT TAKING MY MEDS FOR MONTHS, MAYBE YEARS, but now, after having a heart attack beginning of February 2013 i am taking them all religiously

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[donnellysdogs]

They log and monitor and measure the safety of drugs and medical equipment.

If a patient tells a gp they have side effects to a drug, the gp should report it.. But many don't unless the patient requests them to.

Patients with side effects can log on to the website and report details of their side effects for drugs and medical equipment...

The MHRA also send out details of warnings / recalls to chemists, gps etc.

The MHRA do not automatically contact each individual ref their side effects, they are not advisers to the public whether they should or should not take drugs.

Their purpose I suppose is to monitor the data and safety of all drugs and medical equipment in the UK.

They have a lot of detail on their website for everybody taking medicines or using any medically issued equipment.

 

[carol39]

Just have my dose up to 40mg as my is 5.8 was on 20mg before but my hb1c was better it was 7.8 good hey

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[Sharon Guy]

I get terrible leg cramps at night but the doc tells me the benefits are worth it........

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[donnellysdogs]

Only you can decide that... There are loads of different statins a gp can prescribe... Some may not have leg cramps... But they are not 1st choice, as more expensive than simvastatin