• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Simvastatin & side effects

Jude

Jude

Well-Known Member
Messages
430
Location
Tenerife
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Have been on Simvastatin 20mg for some while but last week GP increased it to 40mg. Everyday since I have felt quite unwell, very tired, my thumb joints have been more painful, felt nauseous and also odd abdominal pains.

As far as I know I coped with the 20mg but I am worried about this and am going to give it a miss tonight to see if I am any better tomorrow (after all I will have the four grandchildren tomorrow 12, 10, 9 & 7!!).

A few years ago I was on Atorvastatin and do not remember any problems with that - cant remember how it got changed. Does anyone know if the above symptoms are likely to be the increase in Simvastatin? As I am about to start on Byetta I dont want any other pills causing me extra trouble (already take a bucket full every day).

Many thanks. Jude :roll:
 
hya jude and welcome,
statins can cause all these problems, i had to change onto different meds, my mum was the same on statins,she was fine on 20mg but terrible on 40, ask your gp if u can change them :D
 
Hi again Jude.
As totsy stated Simvastatin has many well known documented possible side effects.

Take a look here for full information:

http://drugs.emedtv.com/simvastatin/sim ... fects.html

I think you should see your GP ASAP with the symptoms you have, especially as you are starting Byetta soon. There are alternatives which may not have the same effect.

Ken
 
I can't help but laugh when I see the information peddled about statins, particularly the claims by the manufacturers that muscle pains (myopathy) are a side effect in only 1.9% of patients. My own GP is reluctant to prescribe them because he admits he has never had a patient that doesn't suffer muscle pains while taking them! His view is also borne out by recent research into exactly why this happens, and it turns out to be quite simple - statins have a reaction with niacin (vitamin B3) which makes them more likely to trigger myopathy.

So what foods contain vitamin B3? Here's the list:
Animal products:
liver, heart and kidney
chicken
beef
fish: tuna, salmon
milk
eggs

Fruits and vegetables:
avocados
dates
tomatoes
leaf vegetables
broccoli
carrots
sweet potatoes
asparagus

Seeds:
nuts
whole grain products
legumes
saltbush seeds

Fungi:
mushrooms
brewer's yeast

So what doesn't contain B3 - well about the only thing I can see that's not in the list is sugar. So that's ok then - if we want to take statins then all we need to do is live on a diet of sugar!!!
 
Dennis said:
I can't help but laugh when I see the information peddled about statins, particularly the claims by the manufacturers that muscle pains (myopathy) are a side effect in only 1.9% of patients.
Click to expand...
Our Dr told the figure was officially 1 in 10,000. I had intense muscle pain with them at 10mg.
 
totsy - you say that you had to change your statin medication - what are you taking for cholesterol then? - is there an alternative to statin other than not taking anything?

Do you know if all statins are a problem or if there are some which are better tolerated?

Thank you. Jude
 
Jude said:
totsy - you say that you had to change your statin medication - what are you taking for cholesterol then? - is there an alternative to statin other than not taking anything?

Do you know if all statins are a problem or if there are some which are better tolerated?

Thank you. Jude
Click to expand...

There are many alternatives to Statins as this link shows.

http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/statins/a ... atins.html

If you are having any problems discuss with you GP.

This info is about other similar drugs.

Additional information interactions (Statins).
The statins (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin) competitively inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase, an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis, especially in the liver. Statins are more effective than other lipid-regulating drugs at lowering LDL-cholesterol concentration but they are less effective than the fibrates in reducing triglyceride concentration. However, statins reduce cardiovascular disease events and total mortality irrespective of the initial cholesterol concentration.

Statins should be considered for all patients, including the elderly, with symptomatic cardiovascular disease such as those with coronary heart disease (including history of angina or acute myocardial infarction), occlusive arterial disease (including peripheral vascular disease, non-haemorrhagic stroke, or transient ischaemic attacks).

In patients with diabetes mellitus, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease depends on the duration and complications of diabetes, age, and concomitant risk factors. Statin therapy should be considered for all patients over 40 years with diabetes mellitus (type 1 and 2). In younger patients with diabetes, treatment with a statin should be considered if there is target-organ damage, poor glycaemic control (HbA1c greater than 9%), low HDL-cholesterol and raised triglyceride concentration, hypertension, or a family history of premature cardiovascular disease.

Statins are also used for the prevention of cardiovascular disease
 
i was actually given ezetimibe, i take 1 tablet every night and have had no known side effects in the last 3 yrs and my cholestrol is brilliant :D hope that helps
 
I'm lucky in that I haven't had any noticeable side effects from simvastatin (though I did from atorvastatin).

I dropped it recently in hopes it might improve my memory (which hasn't occurred yet), and because I suspected it might be setting off tinnitus, but that appears to have been due to an infected tooth. At least it's improved since said tooth was mended.

The other reason for dropping it is that I want to see what my unmedicated lipids are. By dropping my carb intake to where my BG no longer spikes (well most of the time anyway) and eating more yummy saturated fat and Omega 3s and backing off on the Omega 6s I have decimated (literally) my trigs and doubled HDL, AND got my LDL back in range. This is commonly found to occur.

IF my LDL has gone up significantly I might consider restarting it. But as it is the diet has done far more for cardiovascular risk.
 
I was prescribed Simvastatin and after a few days felt quite pap - very lethargic and headachey )like a hangover feeling). I put up with it for about a month hoping it would get better but it didn't. I was then prescribed Atorvastatin and feel great on that. My doctor explained (and showed me the pop up on his screen) that Simvastatin only costs approx £1.80 to make whereas Atorvastatin is closer to £20.
Same as everything else - you get given the cheap stuff first to try and save money.
Around the time I started Simvastatin I told my nurse I felt pap and thought it was the tablets, she told me it probably wouldn't be as because I had reduced my carbs it was quite obviously my BS dropping during the night and to prevent this I should neck a few biscuits before bed! - Clueless!
 
My PCT decided to change everyones statins to Simvastatin, without any consultation. I put in for my repeat script and it came back with Simvastatin instead of Atorvastatin. Very unprofessional.

Took me 2 weeks to get back on Atorvastatin.
 
not sure why the costs are different,as basically they have the same ingredients.i was on atorvastatin and was changed to simvastatin;what a nightmare pulses in my neck and an extra beat by 1 of the valves in my heart.i have gone back to atorvastatin now
 
m_cooper said:
not sure why the costs are different,as basically they have the same ingredients.
Click to expand...
The big difference is that simvastatin was originally developed by Merck and their patent has now expired so it can be manufactured by any drug company in the world and at a fraction of what Merck were charging for it. Atorvastatin (better known as Lipitor) is made by Pfizer, who still hold the patent so nobody else can make it and Pfizer can charge what they want for it. Once the patent expires in a few years then, like simvastatin, anyone will be able to make it and the price will come right down.
 
Strange how it goes, I had weird side effects from Atorvastatin. I don't think my then GP altogether believed me, or that I had none with simvastatin.
 
Back
Top