Please see the links I have already posted. Were I to read and believe everything on the internet I would be a poor man: utilising every diet and every supplement that the internet tells me will control - or even cure - my diabetes.
Doug
Please see the links I have already posted. Were I to read and believe everything on the internet I would be a poor man: utilising every diet and every supplement that the internet tells me will control - or even cure - my diabetes.What do you call a "small percentage" and where do you get your numbers ? There are quite a few on this thread alone who would disagree. The internet is full of stories of people suffering muscle pains and worse. It seems to me it may be a little more than a small percentage but I have no evidence, I just read and listen to others which gives me an informed decision.
ASCOT was funded by PfizerI would like to know who funded ASCOT. The link you posted only goes to an abstract page, and I have not been able to get hold of the main body text. The funding link it displays is not comprehensive, so I cannot deduce who provided funding. However, to provide monitoring on 10,000 individual cases for 3.3 years does not come cheap. As I understand it, there is a strong indication that it came from Pfizer, the manufacturer of Avorstatin. No one else has sufficient interest in proving that statins are safe for ALL to use. The only other player who might have stepped in is NICE, and they did not until recently have the powers to generate funds for research. In the latest NICE guidelines, they now have legal powers to 'encourage' manufacturers to perform safety tests at their own expense. So I still maintain that it is difficult to find funding for large scale trials by truly independant labs outside the major manufacturers., Simple logic says that noone else has the inclination or funds to do it. It is beyond the means of charity, and crowdsourcing is unlikely to raise the capital in order to prove a negative that results in taking a lucrative drug off the market.
As a final indication, I asked my GP if my request to drop my statin would be relayed back to anyone monitoring. He said No because it was not a life threatening event. He has no mandate to report this to anyone, so nothing happens.
I agree, those links you provided are also on the internetPlease see the links I have already posted. Were I to read and believe everything on the internet I would be a poor man: utilising every diet and every supplement that the internet tells me will control - or even cure - my diabetes.
Doug
Interestingly the ASCOT cohort in the UK meets every year at Bart's Hospital to be updated on clinical research. Not all of these are drug trials but are often using information that is already held or about other forms of treatment etc. There is no doubt that pharma fund some research but there is much research done that is not about drugs. I am not sure of pharma's vested interested in that. I would be very surprised if your GP was informing anyone of your decision to stop statins. To my knowledge, there is no universal statin monitoring. Back to ASCOT - this link will give the history and funding by Pfizer of that trial. To besmirch the ASCOT team because of the funding arrangements as not being independent in their work is sad. http://www.ascotstudy.org/history.I would like to know who funded ASCOT. The link you posted only goes to an abstract page, and I have not been able to get hold of the main body text. The funding link it displays is not comprehensive, so I cannot deduce who provided funding. However, to provide monitoring on 10,000 individual cases for 3.3 years does not come cheap. As I understand it, there is a strong indication that it came from Pfizer, the manufacturer of Avorstatin. No one else has sufficient interest in proving that statins are safe for ALL to use. The only other player who might have stepped in is NICE, and they did not until recently have the powers to generate funds for research. In the latest NICE guidelines, they now have legal powers to 'encourage' manufacturers to perform safety tests at their own expense. So I still maintain that it is difficult to find funding for large scale trials by truly independant labs outside the major manufacturers., Simple logic says that noone else has the inclination or funds to do it. It is beyond the means of charity, and crowdsourcing is unlikely to raise the capital in order to prove a negative that results in taking a lucrative drug off the market.
As a final indication, I asked my GP if my request to drop my statin would be relayed back to anyone monitoring. He said No because it was not a life threatening event. He has no mandate to report this to anyone, so nothing happens.
Agree, got it mixed up there. It is LDL I need to reduce, but that was not happening either. Nowadays my GP only does total cholesterol and we have to go private if we want it separated out. But we do now get a 'lipid count' but none seems to know what it is or what range it should be in - I presume this is triglycerides.You would not usually want to lower your HDL. Have you been diagnosed with a particular form of high cholesterol such as familial hypercholesterolemia?
Doug
Perhaps the internet requires that its users are able to discern that some information is more credible than others. Without that, it can become a pointless resource.I agree, those links you provided are also on the internetThey mean no more than links I could provide with opposing views.
The lipid profile is the measurement of all your blood fats. In most labs this will look at total, LDL and HDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. I get all that information from my GP twice a year. http://www.nhspathology.fph.nhs.uk/Core-Service/Test-Directory/Biochemistry/Details.aspx?pID=31Agree, got it mixed up there. It is LDL I need to reduce, but that was not happening either. Nowadays my GP only does total cholesterol and we have to go private if we want it separated out. But we do now get a 'lipid count' but none seems to know what it is or what range it should be in - I presume this is triglycerides.
Simvastatin reduced me to a zombie.
One day when I was having to lie down in the middle of the day I decided this was ridiculous and stopped taking the statins.
Like turning a light back on.
I talked to the surgery and they tried me on Pravastatin.
This seemed O.K. but I tend to take holidays from drugs just to check that there are no side effects creeping up so slowly you don't notice.
I didn't feel any different but my partner told me that I had been very irritable when on the statins.
She hadn't mentioned it because if I had to take the statins for the rest of my life for my health there was nothing I could do about it and she didn't want to burden me with it.
At the moment I am off all drugs and on an exercise, diet and significant weight loss program, inspired by the Newcastle Study.
I want to see how my body copes with the new regime without any drugs.
If my BG control is still not in the non-diabetic range when I hit my weight target I will re-introduce the Metformin to see what happens.
I will NOT be taking statins whatever anyone says.
I Yellow Carded Simvastatin.
I would be prepared to bet a small amount of money (with no expectation of losing) that most of the people who cease or change statins due to side effects are not reported up by their health team, and so there are no accurate statistics.
Cheers
LGC
Hello,All statins do this to your muscles and it also causes memory loss. When i asked my Doc about this , as i thought I was getting early dementia, he said its ok they do that but its not permanent . I then went on to remind him that he had told me I have to take statins for the rest of my life so surely that makes it permanent !!! I have been on Pravastatin for years now and also suffer muscle pains etc to the point that it has disabled me but then I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which has the same symptoms so what do I believe ?
We'll agree to disagree. So far, you have provided nothing that is any more credible than links I could provide. It's often difficult for some to see the big picture if their minds are already set. This thread is hardly scientific but it seems you are the exception rather than the rulePerhaps the internet requires that its users are able to discern that some information is more credible than others. Without that, it can become a pointless resource.
Doug
Sue the doctors, this is ridiculas, how do they get away with it, this has got to stop!YES, 2000 ish, had high blood pressure, so placed on statin, took it as prescribed as a type 1, no problem.
2004 small infection in toe, put on two high dose antibiotics, had allergic reaction to one antibiotic so changed, about one month later saw blood in my urine, rushed to hospital. Initially thought my kidney was failing. several days later diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis loss of muscle in thighs, calves, shoulders, and back, which looks like blood in urine, and damage to other organs.
This was caused because statins and high dose antibiotics, two things Diabetics are exposed too, to often without warning, I have had to advise two friends since who have started to suffer these symptoms, to go to their Doctor.
Now my life has been greatly effected, I live in a wheelchair.
Thank you for this info.
That will likely be because there will be more statin alternatives by then.Hello,
Just stop taking them. My diabetic doctor kept insisting that I take statins, I did try them for a week, never felt so unwell. Went to my gp for advice, he told me that no one will be taking them in two years time! I wonder why
36% was the relative reduction (marketing figures). The absolute reduction was marginal.Hey, a quick look at the ASCOT report is interesting. What are we arguing over? The Statin had ****** all effect on lipids. Virtually no difference between Avorastatin vs placebo during LLA period, and again when the trials ended. How they dragged 36% reduction from it I do not see. The reduction was less that I can get from diet changes alone. What a con ! And to cap it all, they were also running a hypertension trial concurrent with the lipid trial, and have not decoupled this from their results. Lousy experimental data in my opinion
Perhaps the internet requires that its users are able to discern that some information is more credible than others. Without that, it can become a pointless resource.
Doug
Not everyone that was on the BP arm was also on the lipid arm and the recording of data about the study participants was continued for 11 years from inception and did not stop at the end of the BPA or LLA. While your views, yet again, on the capability and veracity of the Professors and their teams is noted, many people when the time comes would value any increase in life.Hey, a quick look at the ASCOT report is interesting. What are we arguing over? The Statin had ****** all effect on lipids. Virtually no difference between Avorastatin vs placebo during LLA period, and again when the trials ended. How they dragged 36% reduction from it I do not see. The reduction was less that I can get from diet changes alone. What a con ! And to cap it all, they were also running a hypertension trial concurrent with the lipid trial, and have not decoupled this from their results. Lousy experimental data in my opinion
Even with only 212 from the total membership of the forum (approaching 200,000) participating? Perhaps we should stop all research and rely on polls here instead? I guess the thousands of people involved in the ASCOT and other studies are not first-hand (real world) experience by your reckoning. They might be surprised to be viewed as nothing.The ignorance on the internet is boundless. How does one discern the truth from the lie? Give me a poll any day of the week as it is those people who reflect real world experience, not third hand (and often) biased opinions.
A DCUK poll would tell me more about this than ANY other resource.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?