Atorvastatin and Cholesterol of 6.6

[Sued24]

I was diagnosed Type 2 towards the end of last year, HbA1c was only 51, so rather than go the drug route I went on a low carb diet and reduced it to 40 over 3 months. I chose to come off the low-carb for 3 months, due to knee surgery, and my HbA1c is now 44, which I still don't think is too bad.
At the time of original diagnosis, my cholesterol was high at 6.6, and my GP wanted to put me on Atorvastatin which I refused, as I'd read it could increase blood sugar levels, and also it can be problematic in people over 70 years of age (I was 70 in January). There were also other minor side effects listed that gave me cause for concern. Now, my GP is telling my my cholesterol has not come down but has stayed the same, and is pushing me to take the Atorvastatin, which will reduce my chances of a heart attack by between 1 and 5%.
I'm really unsure what to do, and want to make an informed decision, although my initial reaction was is it worth it for 5%?
Obviously I will make my own mind up, but just looking for some feedback on the subject.

 

[LonelyFatGuy]

I was on Atorvastatin for about 3 years before it caused me terrible calf cramps and I had to come off it. At which point I was given Rosuvastatin, which is apparently better tolerated.

So if you want to take a statin, I'd ask them for Rosuvastatin. Since it's apparently better tolerated, I don't know why it isn't the first drug offered...

 

[Art Of Flowers]

See https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/do-you-take-statins-do-you-know-why.204141/#post-2702557

 

[jaywak]

I was on Atorvastatin for about 3 years before it caused me terrible calf cramps and I had to come off it. At which point I was given Rosuvastatin, which is apparently better tolerated.

So if you want to take a statin, I'd ask them for Rosuvastatin. Since it's apparently better tolerated, I don't know why it isn't the first drug offered...

Same here I was put on Atorvastatin earlier this year and suffered aches and pains so my Dr has just put me on Rosuvastatin which he says won't cause the same problem . By the way my cholesterol count is only 5.1 which he says is too high .

 

[Sued24]

See https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/do-you-take-statins-do-you-know-why.204141/#post-2702557

Now that’s interesting. Thank you for the link

 

[KennyA]

These recent research papers might be of interest in making an informed choice. The main finding in all of them is that low cholesterol (ie under ~5mmol/l) is associated with higher mortality. I don't know where your doctor is getting his 5% figure from (I'd be interested to know), because any reduction in mortality risk for CVD for an individual would depend on where you started and where you end up.

Total cholesterol and all-cause mortality by sex and age: a prospective cohort study among 12.8 million adults - Scientific Reports

It is unclear whether associations between total cholesterol (TC) levels and all-cause mortality and the optimal TC ranges for lowest mortality vary by sex and age. 12,815,006 Korean adults underwent routine health examinations during 2001–2004, and were followed until 2013. During follow-up...

www.nature.com

Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

Objective To examine the traditional diet-heart hypothesis through recovery and analysis of previously unpublished data from the Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE) and to put findings in the context of existing diet-heart randomized controlled trials through a systematic review and...

www.bmj.com

Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study - PMC

Many clinical guidelines for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention contain risk estimation charts/calculators. These have shown a tendency to overestimate risk, which indicates that there might be theoretical flaws in the algorithms. Total ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Resurgam]

I was getting phone calls requesting that I take a statin to reduce cholesterol - several times w year, and I explained that when I tried Atorvastatin I had all sorts of aches and pains and my memory was badly affected too.
I got fed up in the end and asked for the details of reduction in deaths thanks to taking statins, as so many people are taking them. If the reduction is significant then I'd consider taking them.
I know perfectly well that life expectancy is reducing - I was just getting a bit narked by the pressure - but since asking for information, no more phone calls, so that is a good outcome.

 

[Sued24]

These recent research papers might be of interest in making an informed choice. The main finding in all of them is that low cholesterol (ie under ~5mmol/l) is associated with higher mortality. I don't know where your doctor is getting his 5% figure from (I'd be interested to know), because any reduction in mortality risk for CVD for an individual would depend on where you started and where you end up.

Total cholesterol and all-cause mortality by sex and age: a prospective cohort study among 12.8 million adults - Scientific Reports

It is unclear whether associations between total cholesterol (TC) levels and all-cause mortality and the optimal TC ranges for lowest mortality vary by sex and age. 12,815,006 Korean adults underwent routine health examinations during 2001–2004, and were followed until 2013. During follow-up...

www.nature.com

Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

Objective To examine the traditional diet-heart hypothesis through recovery and analysis of previously unpublished data from the Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE) and to put findings in the context of existing diet-heart randomized controlled trials through a systematic review and...

www.bmj.com

Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study - PMC

Many clinical guidelines for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention contain risk estimation charts/calculators. These have shown a tendency to overestimate risk, which indicates that there might be theoretical flaws in the algorithms. Total ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

My previous GP did some kind of calculation, and came up with 1%, but I don’t know what figures he worked from. The one this morning just seemed to take a guess based on what he thought he would get away with.
Thanks for the research papers, I’ll have a good read later.