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atorvastatin & blood sugar

bulkbiker said:
Do you happen to have the full lipid breakdown?
Total cholesterol is, in my view, a poor number to use as an excuse to prescribe a medication.
Also how long had you water fasted before the bloods were taken?
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I don't know because I was only given them on Friday i didn't do a fasting blood test for that one
 
Julia is a type 1diabetic said:
I don't know because I was only given them on Friday i didn't do a fasting blood test for that one
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In that case in your shoes I'd be asking for a proper fasted full lipid panel before starting any new medication that can have some unpleasant side effects.

Do you know what your total cholesterol was ?

Higher levels are now considered to be protective in older women..
 
It was 5 something
 
I don't know where the few months comes from. as far as the pharmaceutical industry is concerned you take them for life, and they're the ones who keep telling the medical profession to lower the starting figure.
Got to keep the profits rolling.
 

I’ve been in your shoes, been on Lipitor only for 10 days. My fasting number and post breakfast number is running pretty higher than usual, im gonna off them see how it goes.
 
mileysmilely said:
I’ve been in your shoes, been on Lipitor only for 10 days. My fasting number and post breakfast number is running pretty higher than usual, im gonna off them see how it goes.
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I was prescribed Pravostatin when first diagnosed with an hba1c of 48 and within 6 months it had risen to 54. When I stopped taking them due to other side effects my hba1c dropped to 43 within 6 months. A new GP in the practice saw these results and has annotated my notes with ‘statin intolerant’ as neither of us wants to take the risk of it happening again.
 
I tried most of the statins on the market, and the final outcome is that my medical notes are annotated "statin Intolerant" When in hospital I get a special wristband to wear so that medics have to check my notes before giving me anything.
 
I started taking atorvastatin about 2 weeks ago and my average finger prick test since then has been 6.3. The average in the 2 weeks prior to starting was 6.0 so while it's up slightly its not by much (and may not be related to the statin).

I was prescribed then at the same time I was diagnosed and put on metformin, but held off for a couple of months because of what I'd read about the potential impact on blood sugar levels etc. My cholesterol was 7.5 when I had my original test and while it had dropped for my follow-up one 6-weeks later it was still high at 5.9 - hence deciding to take the statins.
 
Our cholesterol levels are dynamic, and constantly changing on what appears to be a 3 day cycle. Our bodies dictate the necessary level, and produce the cholesterol needed to add to some of what is eaten. The muscle and joint pains as side affects are mainly due to insufficient cholesterol to repair the wear and tear, which is cholesterols main job.
 
Like most things in our bodies, our cholesterol has chemical and RNA markers that identify it as being legit items so that our antibodies do not attack it. cholesterol that is eaten is not marked as such and if it enters the blood stream will be dealt with by our immune system. Therefore it is failrly safe to say that all the cholesterol in our blood is manufactured to order by our liver, and is normally On Demand to move lipids and fatty acids around the body to where it is needed, So we expect peaks when eaten fats need to be stored away, and also when losing weight or using fat for energy. Cholesterol is like the oil tankers and petrol bowsers in our watery blood.
 
I was diagnosed type 2 6 years ago. I asked my diabetic nurse not to give metformin yet as I would try and correct some of my bad habits! I initially lost 4 and a half stone and changed my diet! (About 1 and a half stone is back but working on it) anyway the nurse logged me down as some kind of nutter in denial and I never was called back in or got any contact about vaccinations during lockdown! Got back In With GP after 6 years! (Huge RTA and injuries) I’m usually healthy! And they relaunch me as a type 2 patient like it’s all brand new (until the saw my blood kit and results) anyway she pursuaded me to try Statins and I’m on 20mg Atorvastatin since December! I cough a lot more and my fasting is up high sevens and 8s never regularly been over 7s for 6 years often under 6. Now my hb1c or whatever it is is higher bad they want me on metformin!

Ps my cholesterol levels for decades have drifted into high normals but always brought them down quite easily!

Long winded way to say
Do I really need the statins??
 
It's entirely up to you, There's a massive thread on here about statins if you want a good read of opinions. I personally stopped taking them after 3 different ones gave me extreme muscle pain in my legs, If the test was a fasting lipids test stick your numbers into one of the many ratio calculators online as some current research suggests that it's the LDL/HDL trig ratio that's important rather than the actual numbers. Many UK GP's only do the "headline" figure, which is as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. And if you're losing weight your Trigs will be higher as that's one of the ways your body ships out the fat you're losing
 
For me atorvastatin increased my bg where simvastatin does not

So if you decide to continue with a statin then you could request to try an alternative
 
I was diagnosed with hba1c of 48 in 2012 and prescribed statins because “all diabetics should take them”. Within 6 months my hba1c had increased to 54 but came down to normal levels 6 months after I stopped taking them due to other side effects. A GP in my practice annotated my notes with ‘statin intolerant’ as he, and I, didn’t want to take the risk of them increasing my hba1c again.

It is your decision as to whether or not you continue to take them - there is plenty of information out there if you do your research.
 
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