Atorvastatin

My GP and I worked our way down the list of statins available at the time, and eventually my GP gave way, and marked my medical record as being allergic to statins. Now when i go into hospital, I have to wear a special wrist decoration to alert staff to read my notes properly.

The statistics that are quoted for statin efficacy are impressive, but they are relative risk ratios and when you crunch the numbers it seems the actual benefit is small. Possibly a day or two added to your life after yers of a statin on full dose. I believe it was Atorvastatin that the study i read discussed this.

A meta study has shown that statins have very little effect for women. They only really have significance if you have already had a CVE and are male. They are not really protective in the notion of prophylaxis.

I take 40mg Atorvastatin. I was diagnosed with very high cholesterol in my mid 20s. Not just raised - very high; 13s and 14s. Nothing was done until about 7 years ago (30 odd years later) when visiting the doctor for an unrelated routine thing. He took some bloods and discovered the v high cholesterol and recommended I go onto the statins, which I did. It's not a diet related thing. In my 20s and 30s I was heavily into mountaineering and rock climbing and I also played squash to a decent standard for 35 years. I even played a couple of international tournaments. I was very fit with not a single ounce of fat. It is just that my body produces unusual levels of cholesterol.

Funny thing; about 18 months ago I got injured playing cricket and my leg swelled up like a tree trunk. That receded but a pain remained. It turned out to be DVT. The clots broke off and got into my lungs - full on bilateral pulmonary embolism which put me into hospital. Whilst there I had every scan and investigation known to man. And guess what; heart and lungs are absolutely 100% tickety boo. Not a trace of plaque or any negative issues. So a lifetime of super high cholesterol seems to have done me no harm whatsoever.

PS, I had no side effects from the statins and they appear to have no noticeable effect on blood sugar.
PPS, the embolism thing is gone with no after effects.

Bobbycoll said:

Not entirely sure of all the reasons but she said I was at risk of complications so recommended me to take them but never mentioned of the blood sugar side effects so wondered if it has raised many peoples sugars or hba1c

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Yes!! I started taking Pravostatin because I initially believed the misguided mantra that ‘every diabetic should be on a statin’. Within 6 months my hba1c had risen from 48 to 54. Once I came off them due to other side effects my hba1c dropped to normal levels where it has stayed for approx 9 years.