Type 2 statins and bg plus

[ranaway]

Can anyone confirm whether their bg readings have increased while taking simvastin or similar? There is plenty of discussion regarding the use of statins pre diabetes and possible adverse effects. Even the NHS advises in side effects that statins can interfere, yet the GP prescribes. Personally with no history of cardio events in the family or personally and with normal cholesterol I am at a loss as to why I need to take them? They appear to make me feel tired and possibly exacerbate a chronic back condition and I have just stopped them 24 hours ago. Difference is notable, do not feel exhausted for a start.coincidence? Placebo? or reality? Before visiting GP for "discussion" I would like as much info as possible. The large Finnish study is fairly conclusive in throwing serious doubt on the efficacy of statins for non cardio threatened patients. My own diagnosis was just over the threshold (hbA1c) was over 2 years ago after and during a highly stressful period and since then lived with periods of high stress running a business. Not paid a great deal of attention to it until now as very busy. No obvious side effects of diabetes apart from frequent early night urination. Currently on low carb diet helping wife lose weight with fairly low fat too. Both losing weight although BMI around 25 is ok. Thoughts please

 

[dawnmc]

The GP s try and prescribe them to all diabetics. I and several others on here refuse them. They can actually cause diabetes too. Dr Kendrick has a blog which is worth a read.

 

[Lamont D]

My advice is use the search button to find other threads and you will get links to see what the medical advice is.

Personally, and I have been down this road.
If you don't need them, then don't take them.
They are effective for heart conditions but not for everyone, if you don't have heart problems.

 

[AndBreathe]

I'm not a statin fan, but there are groups of folks who are more likely to benefit from taking them than most, including, but not exclusively those with existing heart conditions. I would say that those with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) may be better off on statins than not, as the genetic condition can lead to early onset heart conditions and heart attacks.

Obviously, I'm not suggesting @ranaway has FH, but we have no way of knowing that.

In this life, we each weigh up the risks of a course of action, and in this case it's the risk of taking a medication which may improve a future outcome . Ranaway, if you believe your particular statin is raising your blood numbers, but you believe it is in your best interest to continue on a statin, then there are likely to be plenty of others to try out.

For the record,and to clarify my personal position, I declined my GP's offer to statins (she believed all diabetics should be offered them), preferring to concentrate on what I could do to improve my results myself. My results improved a lot, over time, when I modified my diet, to eat fewer carbohydrates, rather than reduce fat. I am no longer being offered statins.

 

[ranaway]

There is no familial heart or cholesterol abnormality. I was put on statins and metformin twice daily as a matter of course as soon as diagnosed, plus bp meds. I very rarely react to meds and have no issues with CD painkillers at all. Increased stress due to increased back pain in recent months probably does not help and ongoing stress from business, plus the Xmas illness lasting 4 weeks affecting last hba1c. Trying to assimilate info from others but I suspect we all react differently and as such it makes this kind of judgment difficult.

 

[Daphne917]

Hi @ranaway I was put onto Pravostatins because "all diabetics should take them" however my hba1c rose from 48 on diagnosis to 54! When I came off them due to other side effects my BS dropped and my hba1c is now 36 so I am off the opinion that they raised my BS!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Statins are supposed to be offered only to those with know high risks such as family heart conditions and so on; they are not sweets to be handed around by GPs regardless. If they are making you feel unwell I think you know the answer? See the GP and get them taken off the prescription. Ask the GP what your LDL, HDL and Trig ratios are and whether they are good - this website shows good ratios. If the GP doesn't have your last results for these make your next HBa1C a fasting one and ask for these blood results.

 

[Daibell]

BTW, statins do raise blood sugar.

 

[ranaway]

Thank you for your replies. I presume it will take a few days for the statins to be clear of my system fully. However I am noticing a pattern relating to oxcondone/oxycontin which I take regularly for chronic back pain. This in itself causes stress related to the pain and presumably raised cortisol. I use standard 5mg for "rescue" pain and the SR 10mg x 2, for maintenance. Usually due to seemingly high metabolic system every 4 hours rather than twice a day (same daily dose, just divided up and agreed with GP) BS taken before pills is lower but an hour after taking them it is significantly raised. This is complicated by eating of course. Example, last night at 9pm reading was 7 2 hours after eating evening meal. At 3.15am took rescue pill then got up at 4.30am (work req twice weekly) and reading then was 8.3! No food or drink since 9pm. At 6am it was 11.7 having taken SR Oxy at 5.15am. Appears to me a large coincidence, error reading (unlikley) or weird BS problems! The 9pm reading feels right to me for time of night, delay after food and at point when pain meds had run out. Any thoughts or similar experiences please???

 

[Pinkorchid]

I do take statins but have not noticed any raise in my BG but I do think maybe the statins caused my diabetes as I have taken them for some years now and was diagnosed T2 last December

 

[seadragon]

I believe the doctors (or the practice) get paid extra for every diabetic they can put on statins (sure someone will correct me if i am wrong) - and extra for every diabetic on their books so forgive me thinking they may be a little biased. Plus of course the NICE guidelines now suggest statins for everyone with a calculated 10% risk of an 'event' over the next 10 years. However the number needed to treat to prevent one 'event' is huge so vast swathes of the population are being 'offered' (rather forcefully in some cases) statins and very very very few get any benefit whatsoever and many it appears have side effects some of which can be severe and even relatively minor ones can affect your quality of life.
From my research I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Low carb high fat diet and increased exercise will likely improve your lipid profile more than any statin can - it certainly did for me and without any of the risks of side effects (only side effect from diet and exercise is getting healthier and fitter). Diagnosed as pre-diabetic I was immediately told to take metformin and statins - doctor was very scathing of chances of diet and exercise changes making a difference. I said no and within months had improved my lipid profile by more that a statin ever could (total cholesterol up slightly but only the good cholesterol - trigs and LDL halved) and reduced HbA1c to 35 (non-diabetic range) and incidentally lost over a stone in to the bargain without any hardship(was not overweight with BMI of 25 but it is now 21).
The one size fits all mentality is prevalent in NHS and very little if any consideration is given to personal circumstances. If I'd accepted the metformin and statins my ability to exercise may well have been compromised and blood sugars raised and I'd have been well down the road to Type 2 Diabetes diagnoses proper. Doc said it was a progressive disease but it's not necessarily. It can be stopped in it's tracks which is what I did - and suddenly I don't need statins after all according to doc. So why was it offered to me rather than actual useful info on diet (i.e low carbing higher fats). No wonder NHS is going bust with many doctors helping to make well people sicker.

 

[Richard4218]

I also take statins (and have done for about 20 years). I was diagnosed T2 in February this year but couldn't say whether or not the statins contributed to it. Got my BG under control through a low carb diet (no medication) and haven't noticed that the statins are a problem with my levels. I do take statins at night and my morning reading is sometimes higher than I want (i.e. over 6.0) so I may experiment and not take them to see if it has an effect. However, I don't think I will give them up completely as I have a hereditary high cholesterol level and the statins have kept that in check for a long time now.

 

[JohnEGreen]

This is why I am continuing with Statin therapy even though I have a great distrust of a lot of the benefits claimed for them and even though they may raise BG levels.

"
Some studies suggest that statins used for aortic aneurysm:

Improve the function of the endothelium, the cells lining the inside of the blood vessels, while decreasing inflammation of the aortic wall.
May slow aneurysm growth. Studies of large populations of patients suggest that growth rates of aneurysms seem to be slowed by adding statins to treatments.
May offer patients decreased chances of mortality after surgery for ruptured aneurysm. Some small single-center studies show that patients on statins before aneurysms rupture have decreased mortality following surgery for ruptured aneurysm compared to those not on statins before surgery."

And I have two Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

 

[Prem51]

I presume it will take a few days for the statins to be clear of my system fully.

My GP hadn't asked for my cholesterol levels to be checked for my 3 month HbA1c retest. I said I thought they might have contributed to my bs level reaching the diabetic range, and I wanted to stop them. She said if I did I would have to be retested after another 3 months, so I think that might be how long they take to clear from the system.
I am on Simvastin too and have been for about seven years. I don't have any side effects, and don't have any objections to taking them. They might have contributed to my bs levels, among other factors.
My cholesterol level last September was 4.7, and while that is not too high, GPs guidelines are for diabetics to be at 4 or below.
I think what I am going to do is stop taking the statins 12 weeks before my next HbA1c test in August, to see how it affects my daily meter readings, the HbA1c result, and my cholesterol levels.

 

[Daibell]

Don't forget to ask the nurse for your cholesterol breakdown (LDL, HDL and Trigs). The total value has little relevance despite guidance to GPs of the number 4 plucked out of thin air.

 

[Prem51]

@Daibell At my blood test last August, my HDL was 1.2 and my LDL was 2.1. I wasn't told my Trigs I presume that would be the difference between those two figures and the total, so 1.4. I gathered at the DESMOND course those weren't too bad. My GP didn't tell me any of the figures, I was given those at the DESMOND course. I haven't bothered too much about my cholesterol, concentrating on lowering my bs levels, but will look into it more before my next blood test.
My records are still not online, despite the NHS saying they should have been by 1 April. I will ask for a printout at my next blood test, or at least the figures.