Diabetes and statins

[Amycav85]

Hi everyone,

So after speaking to the nurse today my hba1c has gone from 85 to 64 currently on 500mg metfomin twice a day. My cholesterol is 5.4 and she has told me I need to start statins because I'm diabetic and my cholesterol is high. Is anyone else on statins with that sort of level? I'm a bit scared to take them, she has also upped my metformin to 1g twice a day. Diagnosed with diabetes last November and this is the first time I have spoken to her. Feeling very anxious and down

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi everyone,

So after speaking to the nurse today my hba1c has gone from 85 to 64 currently on 500mg metfomin twice a day. My cholesterol is 5.4 and she has told me I need to start statins because I'm diabetic and my cholesterol is high. Is anyone else on statins with that sort of level? I'm a bit scared to take them, she has also upped my metformin to 1g twice a day. Diagnosed with diabetes last November and this is the first time I have spoken to her. Feeling very anxious and down

Hello @Amycav85 ,

You've been without guidance all this time?! Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, I guess... Most of us have to muddle on through, even if we do get "help". Okay, so here's the thing: Statins up bloodsugars. Most diabetics are automatically put on them, but the potential side effects don't weigh up to the perks, if you ask me. When I was diagnosed I was put on metformin (didn't agree with me, lived in the loo for weeks on end), and statins, because "that was the thing to do". Wreaked havoc on my joints. I ended up getting rid of all medication by changing my diet. It really was that simple. With my bloodsugars going down, my cholesterol dropped too, my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was resolved, the rheumatism got a lot better, the anxiety too as well as the IBS, and these days I have low blood pressure. It's quite amazing what just a shift in what you eat can do. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- this is a general guide to how to change your diet, and a lot of people here have done something similar: cutting carbs, upping fats, keeping protein moderate... Losing weight in the process, on top of getting control of bloodsugars.

High blood sugars feed into depression and anxiety, and you've not been diagnosed all that long: you're still grieving for your health and the future you thoguth you had. But believe me... Now that you know that you can't process carbs (as practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested), you can take charge of this... I know I was barely existing when I was diagnosed. I have a life worth getting out of bed for in the morning, now. It gets better. If you know what's wrong, you can fix it. Read the link, see whether it resonates with you, and do yourself a favour: get yourself a meter. It's the most encouraging tool in the world, because it'll immediately tell you that what you'r doing is working.

Hugs,
Jo

PS: It REALLY gets better than this, honest!

 

[ianpspurs]

Hi everyone,

So after speaking to the nurse today my hba1c has gone from 85 to 64 currently on 500mg metfomin twice a day. My cholesterol is 5.4 and she has told me I need to start statins because I'm diabetic and my cholesterol is high. Is anyone else on statins with that sort of level? I'm a bit scared to take them, she has also upped my metformin to 1g twice a day. Diagnosed with diabetes last November and this is the first time I have spoken to her. Feeling very anxious and down

How very odd of nursey not to celebrate the dramatic fall in A1c. Statins provoke very different reactions on here. There is a good thread on the topic by bulkbiker. Read it and as much as you can about statins in general and T2 + statins then make up your own mind.

 

[xfieldok]

They keep trying to give them to me too. Personally I would only think about them if I had a cardiac event.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi everyone,

So after speaking to the nurse today my hba1c has gone from 85 to 64 currently on 500mg metfomin twice a day. My cholesterol is 5.4 and she has told me I need to start statins because I'm diabetic and my cholesterol is high. Is anyone else on statins with that sort of level? I'm a bit scared to take them, she has also upped my metformin to 1g twice a day. Diagnosed with diabetes last November and this is the first time I have spoken to her. Feeling very anxious and down

Hi Amy
Do you happen to have your full lipid panel results? Total cholesterol is a pretty poor proxy for anything meaningful.

If you want to delve deeper then here's something we prepared earlier about statins

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

 

[Amycav85]

Hi Amy
Do you happen to have your full lipid panel results? Total cholesterol is a pretty poor proxy for anything meaningful.

If you want to delve deeper then here's something we prepared earlier about statins

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

Thank you all she told me was cholesterol of 5.4 and triglycerides of 4.3

 

[Amycav85]

Hello @Amycav85 ,

You've been without guidance all this time?! Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, I guess... Most of us have to muddle on through, even if we do get "help". Okay, so here's the thing: Statins up bloodsugars. Most diabetics are automatically put on them, but the potential side effects don't weigh up to the perks, if you ask me. When I was diagnosed I was put on metformin (didn't agree with me, lived in the loo for weeks on end), and statins, because "that was the thing to do". Wreaked havoc on my joints. I ended up getting rid of all medication by changing my diet. It really was that simple. With my bloodsugars going down, my cholesterol dropped too, my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was resolved, the rheumatism got a lot better, the anxiety too as well as the IBS, and these days I have low blood pressure. It's quite amazing what just a shift in what you eat can do. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- this is a general guide to how to change your diet, and a lot of people here have done something similar: cutting carbs, upping fats, keeping protein moderate... Losing weight in the process, on top of getting control of bloodsugars.

High blood sugars feed into depression and anxiety, and you've not been diagnosed all that long: you're still grieving for your health and the future you thoguth you had. But believe me... Now that you know that you can't process carbs (as practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested), you can take charge of this... I know I was barely existing when I was diagnosed. I have a life worth getting out of bed for in the morning, now. It gets better. If you know what's wrong, you can fix it. Read the link, see whether it resonates with you, and do yourself a favour: get yourself a meter. It's the most encouraging tool in the world, because it'll immediately tell you that what you'r doing is working.

Hugs,
Jo

PS: It REALLY gets better than this, honest!

Thank you for that lovely reply it was very helpful. I shall continue losing weight and try get all this rubbish under control! X

 

[bulkbiker]

Thank you all she told me was cholesterol of 5.4 and triglycerides of 4.3

Wow those trigs are very high.. had you fasted for long before the blood was taken or eaten anything?

 

[Perminder1]

Hi everyone,

So after speaking to the nurse today my hba1c has gone from 85 to 64 currently on 500mg metfomin twice a day. My cholesterol is 5.4 and she has told me I need to start statins because I'm diabetic and my cholesterol is high. Is anyone else on statins with that sort of level? I'm a bit scared to take them, she has also upped my metformin to 1g twice a day. Diagnosed with diabetes last November and this is the first time I have spoken to her. Feeling very anxious and down

Stopped my stains 2 days after diagnosis bloody things were causing all body muscles to ache or was that due to the sugar cold turkey detox I put myself on after diagnosis

 

[Amycav85]

Wow those trigs are very high.. had you fasted for long before the blood was taken or eaten anything?

I'd eaten at 6pm the previous evening and had my bloods done at 9. Is that a level to be really concerned over then?

 

[Amycav85]

Stopped my stains 2 days after diagnosis bloody things were causing all body muscles to ache or was that due to the sugar cold turkey detox I put myself on after diagnosis

The nurse mentioned muscles aches but said they would give me another type of statins if that happened.

 

[KK123]

I'd eaten at 6pm the previous evening and had my bloods done at 9. Is that a level to be really concerned over then?

Hi Amy. it's not so much the overall figure (5.4) but the trigs themselves being in the 4s? Do you have the full break down of HDL/LDL & trigs???? For example my cholesterol is 8 (HDL 2.5, trigs 0.5 and LDL 5). x

 

[Amycav85]

Hi Amy. it's not so much the overall figure (5.4) but the trigs themselves being in the 4s? Do you have the full break down of HDL/LDL & trigs???? For example my cholesterol is 8 (HDL 2.5, trigs 0.5 and LDL 5). x

Hi no unfortunately they're the only figures she gave me, I could ask for a print out but I'm really freaking out

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi no unfortunately they're the only figures she gave me, I could ask for a print out but I'm really freaking out

Don't freak out. There's people out there with far, far worse numbers than yours. You ARE going to be okay. Breathe. You're not about to drop dead, you do not have one foot in the grave. Not even a toe. There is hope, oodles of it. From here on in, things will get better.

I know it is hard to believe, but it is true.
Hugs,
Jo

 

[bulkbiker]

I'd eaten at 6pm the previous evening and had my bloods done at 9. Is that a level to be really concerned over then?

Well you really want HDL as high as possible and trigs as low as possible.. however if you were eating lots of carbs then it would be a fairly typical reading.
Maybe try and get the full lipid panel from the surgery. I have mine online so I can check historic tests whenever I want.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi no unfortunately they're the only figures she gave me, I could ask for a print out but I'm really freaking out

Don't freak out sorry I didn't mean for you to do that.
Cholesterol is a highly emotive subject and many HCP's are woefully out of date.

 

[Amycav85]

Don't freak out. There's people out there with far, far worse numbers than yours. You ARE going to be okay. Breathe. You're not about to drop dead, you do not have one foot in the grave. Not even a toe. There is hope, oodles of it. From here on in, things will get better.

I know it is hard to believe, but it is true.
Hugs,
Jo

Thank you I'm 34 and feel like I'm going to have a heart attack any minute ( the joys of anxiety) the statins are at the chemist I'm tempted to go get them now x

 

[bulkbiker]

Thank you I'm 34 and feel like I'm going to have a heart attack any minute ( the joys of anxiety) the statins are at the chemist I'm tempted to go get them now x

Read the thread I posted and you most likely won't want to... ever....

 

[Amycav85]

Well you really want HDL as high as possible and trigs as low as possible.. however if you were eating lots of carbs then it would be a fairly typical reading.
Maybe try and get the full lipid panel from the surgery. I have mine online so I can check historic tests whenever I want.

Would alcohol make the readings high? Unfortunately I went through a phase of drinking too much to try help with my anxiety when in fact it made it worse so lesson learnt there. My surgery don't let us see results online which is frustrating.

 

[bulkbiker]

Would alcohol make the readings high? Unfortunately I went through a phase of drinking too much to try help with my anxiety when in fact it made it worse so lesson learnt there. My surgery don't let us see results online which is frustrating.

If you are in England I'm not sure they can refuse.
Alcohol might have an effect too but as I haven't had an alcoholic drink for 12 years I'm not too sure.