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Type 2 Statins - GP insisting Simvastatin 20mg

My GP asks me about statins. I refused. They raise blood sugar levels and can have massively negative side effects including severe muscle pain and memory loss. They seem to have minuscule benefits and massive drawbacks. See the film Statin Nation.
 
Tabbyjoolz said:
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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When I was still on Metformin this happened to me, I went to chemist to collect my prescription and was handed my Metformin and a box of Statins. My doctor had offered me statins on numerous occasions and I had always refused so when the chemist gave them to me I handed them back and told her that I had not ordered them. It never happened again.
 
Rachox said:
Looks like @Bluetit1802 forgot the link! Easily done, but here it is (I keep it bookmarked!):
https://qrisk.org/three/
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Thanks. Some of the variables are random. If I add my postcode the score goes up quite a lot! Similarly migraines - these are now resolved since LCHF. If I take out migraines, postcode and type 2 diabetes - they really should ask for HbA1c score, my heart health is equivalent to someone 2 years younger. Add any of these back in and it goes up above my age, with postcode being the highest.
 
Art Of Flowers said:
My GP asks me about statins. I refused. They raise blood sugar levels and can have massively negative side effects including severe muscle pain and memory loss. They seem to have minuscule benefits and massive drawbacks. See the film Statin Nation.
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I took Atorvastatin for one week. I'm lucky, I had a reaction after just five days and discontinued after seven. I feel that I dodged a bullet but my DN told me quite vehemently that statins do not cause muscle pain when I told her of my decision to discontinue. My GP blanked me when I told him of the reaction and continues to nag. Anyone wanting more details would benefit from reading Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's book 'The Great Cholesterol Con' (Kendrick is featured in the above clip). Thanks for posting.
 
Goonergal said:
Thanks. Some of the variables are random. If I add my postcode the score goes up quite a lot! Similarly migraines - these are now resolved since LCHF. If I take out migraines, postcode and type 2 diabetes - they really should ask for HbA1c score, my heart health is equivalent to someone 2 years younger. Add any of these back in and it goes up above my age, with postcode being the highest.
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Couldn't agree more. I'm lucky, my post code drops mine! I must live in a healthy area. It is my age that increases mine, and there is s*d all I can do about that! Diabetes more or less doubles it, and strangely enough if you compare what smoking and diabetes do, it seems diabetes is more risky than smoking.
 
I have just spent a few minutes playing with the link, just changing postcode and then sex. Postcode made little difference but change sex and women seem to be OK while their men are not (double the risk) Interesting.
 
I had problems with Simvastin, my GP prescribed Rosuvastatin, no problems so far
 
Jan_P said:
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??
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Then your GP needs to go back for re-training!
 
Dark Horse said:
To be fair, I probably should have said 'reducing red meat consumption by 85g' (which is probably the same thing for a lot of people). Also the table was produced in 2012 so later studies need to be considered.

Having said that, this links to the NHS guidance on red meat consumption:- https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/red-meat.aspx
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This being the same NHS that advises starchy carbs for Type 2 diabetics...
 
Dark Horse said:
Perhaps you could offer to take up another behaviour that is thought to be beneficial instead of taking a statin (a bit like off-setting carbon emissions). On page 4 of this article https://understandinguncertainty.org/files/2012bmj-microlives.pdf it appears, for example, that the daily equivalent of a statin is 20 mins of exercise for a sedentary person, watching 2 hours less television or not eating red meat.
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So many variables though, although anything is worth a try. I have run 5 miles a day for years but still have high overall cholesterol. I have a healthy (lowish carb) diet, don't smoke, don't drink but cannot get my LDL down to a lower level (HDL and trigs are good).
 
OH went for his well-man appointment with nurse this afternoon (I went as well) She said that his cholesterol had gone up, he should take a statin, I knew this was going to happen. I pointed out that his lipids were good and she said 'oh I forgot that you know all about cholesterol' and then she said that his were good. LCHF rocks.
 
Dark Horse said:
How did I guess you would say that? ;) Beware of throwing the baby out with the bathwater ...
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Possibly because bad dietary advice based on poor science is the same wherever it comes from. If you don't want to eat red meat then fine but so far as I can see the WHO was ill informed when it published its warnings.. and as for lowering cholesterol being necessarily a good thing I'd say the jury is firmly out on that as well.
 
If we listened to all the "experts" and powers that be, we would be restricted to water only ..... but hey! we can't even drink that with all the additives.
 
I tried to get away with it but cholesterol and liver damage changed that taking it has improved liver disease..you will decide what.is best.
 
Yeah statins will do you in. Like the guy I saw yesterday via telemedicine in a town about 3 hours from here. He has Type 2 diabetes, A1C about 9, weighs 300 pounds, smokes. But he's an old dude, I think he's 61 so who cares? He looked like he was about 80. And he's only had 7 coronary stents in 3 months but he has no heart damage at all. He feels pretty good and he wants no statins. His cholesterol isn't horrible either. I offered to try him on one but he said he read bad things about them on the internet, and from big time doctors too. He said he was gonna go low carb. I said fine and just do yourself one favor: DON'T BUY ANY GREEN BANANAS!
 
Jan_P said:
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...
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Can you reduce your trigs without statin? Are you predisposed to severe heart disease (hereditary)?
 
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