simvastatin

[captain brooka]

i used to have high cholesteral, but due to a new system i was introduced to on diet it is now brilliant,at first i had to take 40mg,then this was reduced to 20mg,now i take 10mg and my level is still excellent, but my doctor says keep taking it because i am used to doing it,however i have been advised by my DN that i really do not need them, also over the past 8 months i have been getting a lot of pain in my shoulder joints and muscles,i have stopped taking them over the last few days and there seems to be an improvement in the pain,and this was before i read about on the forum about the possible side effects of the simvastatin,has anyone got any good info for me.

 

[Bluenosesol]

Hi CB,

lots of pro and anti statins on here. I say if results are good for you go with it. If your quality of life is being badly affected, then ditch them!

I have been taking 40mg daily for about 6 months and my cholseterol is steady at about 4. I did have mild dead muscles, but that has worn off. Others find that they cause unbearable pain. If they caused me unbearable pain I too would stop taking them.

As with much of the advice here, there is not a one size fits all!

All the best Steve.

 

[viviennem]

I took a small dose of simvastatin, also known as Zocor, for about 3 years and ended up barely able to walk for pain and muscle weakness. Other people seem to be able to cope with them, no problems.

Having read round since and learned more, I'm not particularly keen on them, because I dislike the idea of anything that interferes with the liver. And strangely, my total cholesterol was lower when on Atkins with no meds, than it ever was while I was eating high carb and taking the statins!

If you google for 'statin side effects' you'll get loads of info, good and bad. One of the real anti-statin sites is 'spacedoc.net'. Read about him, then have a look at the site, and see what you think. I couldn't possibly comment!

Viv

 

[happydays1212]

My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes July 2009 and is doing his best to control it with diet. He has been taking Simvastatin for about 5 years roughly and medication for high blood pressure also for around the same length of time. The last 2-3 years he has complained about a painful hip and I had been saying to him to speak to his GP in relation to possibly stopping them but at the end of August 2010 he took a small stroke which the medical people say could possibly be as a result of having diabetes, even though he only had it one year by then. I thought that it might have been too early for it to be related but apparently not. He had a borderline reading around a year prior to this and then was told he did not have diabetes. Unfortunately he did go on to be diagnosed with it so at least we know he did not have it without knowing for a long period of time. After having the small stroke which left him with right sided numbness and weakness, he will need to continue to take the Simvastatin. I would have felt so guilty if he had stopped taking them, before having the stroke, even with his GPs agreement, as it was myself who was reading about people suffering painful hips etc when taking them and wanted to help him. It's just so difficult for people to know what the right thing to do is. Maybe without the Simvastatin he may have taken a more severe stroke. Does not bear thinking about.