• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Are my meds doing this?

M

Mister1973

Member
Messages
6
Location
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Dislikes
Gout, Arthritis, IBS, having to take pills every day...
First off, sorry if this is in the wrong area. My question is about my meds, so I think it does...

I've asked my doctor about all this, and done a good amount of googleing, but now I'd like some "fellow sufferers" advice/experiences.

Diagnosed May'10, current med regime is in my sig. Weight 102kg, down from 111 before Xmas. I also have IBS and arthritic knees.

I've been told a first step in my treatment is to lose weight. I've been losing now for the whole time I've been on the meds in my sig and as I lose weight, I appear to be in more pain. The pain in my knees gets worse the more I lose and now I have tennis elbow after wrenching it hefting a heavy bag (20lbs+) and a couple of months ago, I developed some problem with my fingers whereby they are INTENSELY agonising when knocked, brushed or pressurised in any way. As an example, picking up a pint mug by the handle is uncomfortable, having a finger joint squeezed or very slightly crushed (as in, the weight of an empty saucepan weighing down on the joint while washing up) is unbelievabe agony. There's no redness, there's no swelling...just the agony. 2x paracetamol takes the edge off it, but I still have to be careful.

Just recently, I've had two episodes of quie worrying dizziness, lasting a few days each. It gets to the point where I can't stand without falling, needing support from someone else to get from one side of a room to another.

When I told the doctor about all this, I was met with huffs, puffs and "I've got other patients to see". She did a few tests for muscle wastage and found nothing, dismissed the suggestion of neuropathy and gave the impression I had been taking up far too much of her precious time. I never even got to discuss the neurological aspects of the constant pain I'm in every single day.

So what do you guys think? How much of this can I blame on my meds? I'm reluctant to blame everything on being diabetic, but i really don't know.

What else do you need to know? I'm a very light smoker (1, ocasionally 2 very thin superking size rollups a day) and I don't drink. My diet isn't wonderful, but it's not unhealthy - plenty of low-fat homecooking, greens and fruit, minimal (once a week or less) takeaways.
 
Afraid I can't help you with the pain issue - docs are annoying aren't they! But regards the HbA1c - he MUST have it! I'd insist and say I wanted another test then if he's really lost it. How else will you monitor if you're improving or getting worse? You need to be able to refer back. Also, what he thinks is ok might not be for lots of us on here.
 
I had one done in Feb...they lost it. I had another done and with all the other questions I was asking, they didn't tell me. I think they said it'd got better, but only by a little bit. I asked about daily testing and getting strips on scrip and got a lecture on how T2's don't need to test daily. I'd like to know, though...
 
I get a print out of all my blood test results, once every three months. They are part of your medical records and you are entitled to them if you ask. In your place I'd push for them.

As far as the pains go - statins are known to cause muscle and joint pains as a side-effect in some people - by no means in every case, but Simvastatin is reputedly one of the worst. I had awful leg pains on SImvastatin and now won't take statins any more. On the other hand, some people have no problems with them whatsoever. I suggest you have a read round about statins side-effects on the web, and make up your own mind. Make sure you read Duane Graveline's site, 'spacedoc.net'.

Depending on how high your cholesterol levels are, it might be worth trying to discuss this with your doctor and asking either to lower your dose, or change to a different statin. Atorvastatin (?) is going to be cheaper after the beginning of April, and is supposedly one of the better ones as far as side-effects go.

Metformin gives some protection against stroke/CVD, and I'm happy with that. We are all different. :D

Hope that helps.

Viv 8)
 
Initially, when i was started on Simvastatin, I think my cholesterol was in the low 6's. As i recall, my last test put me in the low to mid 4's. I thought a cholesterol level in the 4's was OK/normal, but they said I need to get it lower.

[Edited to add:] I do also suffer terribly from "twitchy leg syndrome". Again, could be something, could be nothing. I swear it's the meds though.

I've been reading about statins and muscle pain and the descriptions are vague enough to fit, but then it could be a dozen other things I've not even considered. I'd really rather nothing else went wrong with this clapped out body, to be quite honest. A year off my 40's and most days I feel in my 60's or older...I tell ya, I see many pensioners who are a **** sight more sprightly than me...
 
Many doctors are desperate to get our total cholesterol levels in the 3s, as we're diabetics and statistically have a higher risk of coronaries and strokes. You really need to see your full lipid profile, which tells you more than the 'total' figure.

The targets I aim for are:

Total - less than 5.18
HDL - above 1.04
Triglycerides - below 1.70
LDL - less than 3.3

Total:HDL ratio - less than 5.

The above figures are from the NICE guidelines in about 2004/5. I don't know if they've changed.

My total is 5.5 at the moment, but the others are in the 'okay but could be better' area - ie,the wrong end of the target range. My GP isn't pressuring me over them because he knows I'm aware of the figures and he respects my decision to avoid statins. As a younger man your total probably should be lower than mine.

I eat a low carb diet which includes plenty of natural fats - I don't go out of my way to eat fat, I just don't avoid it. On past experience it's carbohydrate that puts up my blood cholesterol, not fat. I don't know if that applies to everyone - I'm not medically qualified, and can only speak from my own experience.

We are all different! (I think I'm going to adopt that as my motto :lol: ). I think the main thing is to learn as much as I can so at least I have some idea of what my GP is talking about :D

I would discuss your pains with your GP again, and ask about statin side effects. It wouldn't hurt to try a different one. Most people are given Simvastatin because it's the cheapest :shock: .

Viv 8)

Edited twice because of confusion :oops: Must be my age :lol: V
 
You say you cannot tolerate side effects of Metformin. If you are not on the modified or prolonged release ones then ask the dr to change to these as they do not have such nasty effects for most people. I have been on 2x1000mg for about 8 months now and a slight increase in wind is all I have experienced.
Any joint pains are most likely caused by your statin. Simvastatin is the cheapest so is usually tried first - luckily I can tolerate it and in 6 weeks I have come down from 7.6 to 3.9. My husband however had to change after only 2 weeks and went on to Lipitor (Atorvastatin) and has been fine on these. It really is a matter of finding the one your body can tolerate so don't be afraid to ask.
 
Back
Top