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Metformin or Simvistatin???

A

Andy A

Well-Known Member
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56
Been to see the diabetic nurse today and highlighted the redness, puffiness and itching/burning sensation that comes and goes mainly in my hands throughout the day but is always at its worst in the evening and the fact that it all started at the same time as I was put on Simvastatin and Metformin (mentioned it to a doctor last week as well without success) and got told that I was allergic to something but it cant be the tablets, seeing as I haven't changed anything else and the start dates of tablets and symptoms match I feel the likelihood of them being connected is pretty high :lol:

So I now have to wait until early March to see a doctor who has decent knowledge of diabetes and am fed up with the weird looking and feeling digits so I've decided to stop taking one or the other at a time to remove them from the suspects list, I know it's always best to ask your doctor before stopping prescribed medication but this is driving me mad, blood test last week showed my cholesterol to be 3.1, does anybody know if this is within sensible range to stop the simvastatin for now?
 
Hi Andy,
It could be either and you may have to stop one only to find that it is the other one doing it. What are your blood sugars like and how high is your dose of metformin?
As your cholesterol level is pretty good perhaps the simvastatin first? There was someone on the boards last week who had hives, similar to what you are describing and he was in a similar quandry as to what to stop and decided on the metformin.
As you have a month to go before your next appointment you will have to do something as this is an impossible situation. How about trying an antihistimane to see if that helps. It wont do you any harm as the modern versions do not make you drowsy, they do however give you a dry mouth.
Hope this helps,
Catherine.
 
Hi Catherine, my blood sugars have started fluctuating over the last week or so, averaging between approx 5.4 and 6.8 with the odd spike over that but not far (except for the onion bhaji incident a couple of days ago :oops: ).

I was due to start Byetta today but moved surgeries so that's on hold now until some time in March, (glad I didn't start today as I have heard it can make you feel ill for a week or so and I really need to get this sorted first) this will hopefully bring the numbers down a bit further in due course but I'm not sure if they carry on prescribing Metformin at that point or not so that may eradicate one of the pills perhaps...
 
Hi Andy,
Was this complaint addressed? Did the nurse get the doc to prescribe anything for the allergy. It seems odd that she says it is an allergy but has not offered any relief. You still have a month to go before seeing someone .
Blood sugars are not at a dangerous level at all. Personally I would go back and see a G.P. and ask for something for the allergy. Make an emergency appointment and say that it is driving you mad and you cannot get any relief from it and after seeing the nurse nothing has been done. If you don't want to do this then get some antihistimane, see what happens.
Very odd that the problem doesn't seem important to them and yet it is driving you nuts.
P.S. Love onion bhajis :P
 
Andy,
I have looked up the side effects of Metformin and Simvastatin but the symptoms you describe are not listed. That does not mean that they are not affecting you in this way. You could be one of the unlucky ones. Please see the Dr as you should not have to put up with this for another month. There is an emergency appt. system at my surgery. Don't know if yours has one?
 
Yes, there's an emergency appointment system there, it seems strange to me that they havent sorted them either, in the last few weeks I've changed surgeries because my old doctor was basically a muppet (but the diabetic nurse was good) to find that the surgery I have moved to has a bloody good doctor (bit of a queue to see him though), who knows me from several years back but met the diabetic nurse today and I think I'm in for an uphill struggle with her, she told me not to test as it will just make my fingers sore and that low carbing it wasn't the way forward, starchy carbs are the way to go, looks like I've got to educate her :lol:
 
I would say Simvastatin myself, not a very good drug, but cheap, thats why the NHS moved everyone onto it.

Took me less than a month to get back on Atorvastatin.
 
humph said:
I would say Simvastatin myself, not a very good drug, but cheap, thats why the NHS moved everyone onto it.

Took me less than a month to get back on Atorvastatin.
Click to expand...

My sister (a district nurse) said something similar regarding the pricing of statin's and medication in general, apparently the pct's are under pressure from the accountants above, no surprise there then...
 
You can stop taking Simvastatin quite safely for a few days to see if everything improves. It doesn't have withdrawal effects. If you are on generic Metformin, you could ask the pharmacy if they have some from a different manufacturer. Mine is never the same 2 months running. In the meantime, you can take antihistamine. That should be safe. I have it on prescription and take both of those other medicines. In any case ask the pharmacist.
 
Thanks for all the advice folks, I think I'll go with laying off the Simvistatin for a few days to see if that makes a difference, will also try the antihistamine to see if that works, if not then it back to the docs yet again, I'm getting to know the layout of the new surgery very quickly :oops:
 
When I was diagnosed I was immediately put on metformin and simvastatin - then 2 days later doc phoned me to tell me I had underactive thyroid as well (I'm like.... what else can I possibly get!!!!) so I started taking 3 lots of meds all at same time. Then started getting arthritic pains in two fingers (I'm 36!!!!) and swelling and redness, then.... shooting pains in my boobies!! BAD shooting pains!!!! IN fact VERY BAD shooting pains!!!!

Well - I then came off metformin as they now think I have type 1 and metformin was not doing anything to my BG's and I'm now on insulin.

Still on thyroxin but came off simvastatin just to see (after reading on a different forum aout the horrible side effects of it) and I've had no pains now since I came off it (although fingers do hurt when its cold). Have to wait now until I see my consultant (April) to tell him I came off Simvastatin and not going back on the bloody stuff!!!!! My cholestrol was within normal levels anyway but apparently some docs put you on Simvastatin as a matter of course when you are diagnosed diabetic!
 
I'd agree that you should drop the Simvaststin first, with lipids at that level it probably won't be doing much and if the problem persists try dropping the metformin.

Do have a look through the list of "inactive" ingerdients in the pills, I knew someone once who had a horrendous reaction when a medication was changed from brand name to generic. The generic was lactose based and he was lactose intolerant, so in his case it was certainly not inactive! Sometimes it goes the other way and brand names have a different effect from generics, again due to allegedly inactive ingredients like the coloured dyes.
 
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