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Type 2 Statins - GP insisting Simvastatin 20mg

J

Jan_P

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I was diagnosed T2 last year and have been controlling my blood sugar with a low carb diet and exercise. I have fluctuated between 6.3 and 6.8 HBA1C, and my total cholesterol is 5.7. My HDL and LDL are within range - triglycerides are too high.
GP is insistent on me taking Simvastatin 20mg.
I am overweight and trying to lose weight despite the menopause. My blood pressure is no problem at 130/80, and my Qrisk comes out well under 10%.
I am worried about statins in general, but feel bullied by the GP - any advice appreciated...
 
What you put into your body is entirely up to you.
Your doctor is there to advise you not to bully you into taking medication if you don't want to.
If you do feel bullied then report your GP to the Practise Manager or your local CCG.
Trigs and HDL are most often impacted by diet... low carbing is known to increase HDL and reduce trigs.
Lots of different opinions about statins but if you are female as your profile says and have never had a cardiac event then their effectiveness at reducing your risk of a cardiac event is probably limited.
 

I had the same thing with my doctor over statins , I told him in no circumstances I didn't want them thank you , we had a few heated words but I stuck to my guns . It's your body your choice .x
 
My main concern with statins is the side effect of increasing blood glucose - when I am working hard to keep blood glucose under control why would I want to take a drug which increases it? - but GP insisting cholesterol is more important for diabetics than glucose control??
 
Do you have your exact cholesterol numbers and was it a fasting cholesterol test that you had?
 
Jan_P said:
Yes - sorry, total cholesterol 5.8, HDL 1.36, LDL 3.41, Trig 2.23
Click to expand...
No need to apologise. So your trigs do look a bit high and HDL a bit low but if you had eaten within 12 hours of the blood draw then the results are probably invalid for Trigs. I'm surprised your QRisk comes out under 10 as having Type 2 tends to push it way over so your scores everywhere else must be very low.
In your shoes I'd do a lot of reading on cholesterol and ask for another test. Make sure you fast for 12 hours beforehand and see what the numbers are then.
 
I have had several discussions with my GP about Statins, the last one just last week following my blood test. My numbers had improved from my last one which provided me with another string to my bow. My reasons against them are side effects including muscle pain, which anecdotally I’ve read may not resolve if you stop them. Higher blood sugars, as you say why undo your hard work to get them controlled? Also did you know that weight loss can initially cause your numbers to deteriorate. Anyway this blood test I did everything I possibly could to improve the numbers, I take Benecol each day and a vitamin B complex. I also fasted before the test, just drank water to plump up my veins for the nurse! My GP really backed off quite a bit this visit and we instead had a conversation about the new Q-risk score coming this year which gives me a more favourable score anyway!
 
I am due tests soon and after having been nagged by the GP and two Diabetes Specialist Nurses I am still adament that I will not be taking a statin. Not only because of that which I have read but because I completely refuse to be worn down into taking any drug whether it be a statin or not.

Can you see a different GP at your Practice? Read up on statins, there is a wealth of information out there and a growing number of experts who are questioning their efficacy. Good luck.
 
@Jan_P ultimately it is your decision whether you take statins or not. I did when first diagnosed and my BS increased and I suffered other side efffects. When I came off them my hba1c came down and has been in the mid 30s for the past 4 years. I have the statins discussion with my DN at every review but still decline the offer! They even tried to put my husband on them when it clearly stated on the information leaflet not to take with some of the drugs he’s already on.
 
If, after due consideration, you decide that you really don`t want to take statins but you don`t want to argue with your GP either then simply take the prescription but don`t bother to get it filled.
 
That cannot possibly be true, can it? I once asked my doctor what's going to kill me first, the diabetes or the cholesterol. She replied, "Well, you might get knocked down by a bus".
 
Make your own choice about them thousands do take them without problems and others do not take them for many reasons. We can't go on what others say their experience of them are because we are all different how we react to things so we have to make the decision on what we think is best for us personally
 

Cholesterol is more important than blood glucose control?

Your GP sounds like a real dill.... which is a shame for you. You deserve better then that!
 
Problem is, if your prescription goes straight to your pharmacy, you are then greeted with a massive great bag of statins next time you go to collect the prescription you actually wanted. After this happened the second time the pharmacist sympathised and put a note against my record, so, hopefully, she won't have to spend time peeling labels off boxes and listen to me wail in anger and frustration.

I ended up writing to the practice manager, insisting that I do not want statins - ever, had made this known to my nice doctor, who agreed with me, and said that I would take it higher if they - the practice staff and the senior doctor - continued to bully me about it. I doubt they will stop, but I feel better for making my feelings known.
 
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