Statins and type 1

Hi @Juicyj. This is a very hot topic that will divide opinions widely.
I have been on stating for a long while now because of a dangerously high cholesterol. Never had any side effects (touch wood). I think you will do all the research and come to your own conclusions

 

Hi, I have been doing some more research into statins. It appears that there are four different types of statins. Simvastatin is prescribed in the UK because it is extremely cheap and it has proved to be effective. In countries like Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland Rosuvastatin is prescribed as a better alternative. 10mg dose of Rosuvastatin has a better effect than 40 mg dose of Simvastatin, it is more expensive (not sure how much more) and it does not cause muscle pains, it can cause kidney problems though. It is believed to have fewer or milder side effects all in all. It is also important to acknowledge that statins have a dual role. The first role is to lower cholesterol levels, but the second one is to stabilise the "fatty" plaque that deposits inside the arteries as a result of high cholesterol. If this unstable plaque breaks off it can travel further down the arteries and cause a blockage that can lead to a heart attack if it is in the coronary arteries, or to a stroke if the arteries are in your neck. What it means is that even if your cholesterol appears to stay within the correct levels, there may be plaque built up in your arteries as a result of ageing as well as other medical conditions. Preventing this plaque from breaking off is worth considering. The question is which statins to take and in what quantities. If you google "simvastatin or rosuvastatin" images, you will find many tables, graphs and diagrams comparing the four statins. Interesting read. Notice that increasing simvastatin dose from 20mg to 40mg reduces your cholesterol only by a further 10%.

 

Rosuvastatin is known under the name Crestor. See this link https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20060313/statins-may-reverse-plaque-buildup#1

 

You can compare prices here https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-forms/simvastatin.html https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-forms/rosuvastatin.html if you are interested

 

FYI: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200108-the-medications-that-change-who-we-are? BBC AND statins mucking up LOTS of people?

 

@Zinadane Unfortunately I have to disagree with the statement that Crestor does not cause muscle pains.

 

Did read that the distribution for those who would require statins, due to cholestrol levels was increasing as the limit of how much cholesterol was safe, had been lowered.. And with little discussion, as I recall.

A point was made of how much each drug needs before it gets to market... So company's rightly get paid an adequate sum for inventing and investing in testing such drugs.

However point was made that the limit was lowered, just as the drug was going out of patent.. Suggestion was limit was lowered to ensure profits stayed high, as others began manufacturing statins themselves.

Can't believe any org would possibly do that...

Would have to trawl forum to find link, anyone else read that ?