To statin or not to statin ... that is the question!

[carol43]

If I do the QRISK2 calculator entering that I do not have T2 my risk is 13.9% but if I enter T2 my risk is 23.5%. This obviously is flawed because my HbA1c is 41 (under diabetic level).

 

[Nicksu]

This bit really makes me laugh from that article "GPs should discuss the benefits of changes to lifestyle with patients before initiating treatment with statins."
I tried to have a telephone discussion with my GP, they made 2 appointments - didn't do either of them and gave me statins. Suffice to say, I ain't taking them!

 

[donnellysdogs]

My stepdad had a quadruple by pass 15 years ago.
He couldnt tolerate any of the statins except rosuvastin. (Cant spell it). He's still fit and healthy and 83. His cholesterol is still high though.
He hasnt developed diabetes.
He exercises and spends 10hours a day in his workshop woodturning, gardening etc.
He's not on any other drugs.
He isnt diabetic though.
He eats small portions, he has never strayed from cream or butter in his diet..he never eats crisps, takeaways, sweets or anything processed like microwave or ready meals. One piece toast with a scrape of butter for breakfast. Regular oily fish every other day. Good meat n veg but no gravy and small portions.. not much bigger than a tea plate. Tea he may have a slice of mums homemade cake or one of her biscuits or 1/2 a banana.

Outward appearances looks physically fit and mentally he is very, very sharp.

Me, I couldnt take any statin as they crippled me.

 

[Bluetit1802]

My stepdad had a quadruple by pass 15 years ago.
He couldnt tolerate any of the statins except rosuvastin. (Cant spell it). He's still fit and healthy and 83. His cholesterol is still high though.
He hasnt developed diabetes.
He exercises and spends 10hours a day in his workshop woodturning, gardening etc.
He's not on any other drugs.
He isnt diabetic though.
He eats small portions, he has never strayed from cream or butter in his diet..he never eats crisps, takeaways, sweets or anything processed like microwave or ready meals. One piece toast with a scrape of butter for breakfast. Regular oily fish every other day. Good meat n veg but no gravy and small portions.. not much bigger than a tea plate. Tea he may have a slice of mums homemade cake or one of her biscuits or 1/2 a banana.

Outward appearances looks physically fit and mentally he is very, very sharp.

Me, I couldnt take any statin as they crippled me.

I would like to be like your step dad if ever I reach 83.

 

[JohnEGreen]

Well if you don;t like or cant tolerate statins there's now Evolocumab Ta Da.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39305640

 

[Bluetit1802]

Well if you don;t like or cant tolerate statins there's now Evolocumab Ta Da.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39305640

Mmmmm no mention of any side effects or are they keeping quiet on that.

 

[Bluetit1802]

If I do the QRISK2 calculator entering that I do not have T2 my risk is 13.9% but if I enter T2 my risk is 23.5%. This obviously is flawed because my HbA1c is 41 (under diabetic level).

Yes, mine actually doubles, and it goes up every year as age is also a factor. My DN keeps nagging me to be taken off the diabetic register and so far I have declined, but if ever the Q-risk is used negatively on me, I would accept.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Well if you don;t like or cant tolerate statins there's now Evolocumab Ta Da.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39305640

I have bad reactions to pretty much any solid tablet. Even some capsules..

I must have been a drug addict in a previous life as even painkillers- they only thing I tolerate or works is morphine!!

No way will I try anything else.

I've been tgrough list of every hormone cancer tablet with every side effect possible very seriously affecting me. Now decided quality of life is better than misery of tablets...

I believe in my turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper more than I do any pharma drugs now.

Hubby has thyroid tablet. He eats same as I do. He been desperately ill for two weeks with chest infection. He not diabetic, he not had cancer, He not neurltropenic or anaemic like me...
the only difference in us is that I have a teaspoon each day of the spuces above... he doesnt... but he does have a pharma drug!! I didnt get his awful airborne (according to GP) virus..... first time ever... and that I firmly believe is due to my daily spices.

Extra meds.. no, not for me.

 

[lindisfel]

Hi John, I think it is a pcsk9 and they are c.£5000 per year and not likely to be prescribed. They put up hdl, put down trigs and ldl. There is some issue regarding their effectiveness during long term use and I heard Pfizer was not going to sell their variant but that may not be gospel. Cheers Derek

Well if you don;t like or cant tolerate statins there's now Evolocumab Ta Da.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39305640

 

[JohnEGreen]

Derek IVIG is so expensive about £1200 per dose that my neurologist is prevented from giving it to me unless I am in a life threatening crisis. Yet in the same hospital RA patients get it on a regular basis so you never can tell.

 

[WackyJacky64]

My GP prescribed me Antorvastatin 20mg along with my Metformin last week - I've only seen negative opinions on statins . Does anyone believe that they work ? My cholesterol was 7 .

Please think carefully with statins . My dad was on them for 16 years and couldn't move his left side arm leg and eventually started falling over and having hallucinations bad nightmares kicking out in his sleep . Before Christmas he had low blood pressure and ended up in hospital , they took various medications off him including the statin , within 2 weeks his left side was functional again and his nightmares stopped. He no longer has whole body pain and he is improving daily . Just seems that when he stopped the statins his symptoms were less . Its up to and of course your GP will try to convince you that statins are the greatest thing and do not cause any problems , but thedoctor at the hospital took him off statin for a reason .

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

there's now Evolocumab Ta Da.

A small piece from the BBC article:

The cost varies, but it is thought to cost the UK's NHS about £2,000 per year per patient where it is already being given to people who do not respond to statins.

This appears immediately after some professor says it will not replace statins, people will still take them. Confused me, why are they giving statins to people who do not respond to them.

Edit: I noticed JohnEGreen's comment about availability after I wrote the next paragraph.

More importantly, does anyone think that the poor old NHS will spend £40 a week just to lower people's cholesterol? Something that arguably a change of lifestyle could change (in most cases). This of course overlooks the whole question of how high or low should total cholesterol be.

I'm amazed at the way the NHS operates, happy to spend £2,000 a year, so an ongoing cost, to bring cholesterol down but someone needing a hernia fixed (private cost £2,700 - BMI, Nuffield Health and Ramsay Health) has to have emergency funding and even then my old mate Mick is still waiting, it seems the private cost is for an op using an epidural, I suppose it keeps the cost down, but he's been told he has to have a general because of the seriousness of his hernia and the fact he might lose a testicle.

 

[AtkinsMo]

Not to Statin, that is the answer.

 

[lindisfel]

I could have plenty to say about treatments that are funded and not funded and the post code lottery but some of it would not be politically correct. Men in Cumbria were appallingly treated for prostate cancer c.14 years ago and I only went into remission through seeing a consultant privately and travelling to Surrey. Thus getting a recommendation to get r/t and being treated on nhs at Newcastle by their superb prostate cancer clinical oncologist. D.

A small piece from the BBC article:

The cost varies, but it is thought to cost the UK's NHS about £2,000 per year per patient where it is already being given to people who do not respond to statins.

This appears immediately after some professor says it will not replace statins, people will still take them. Confused me, why are they giving statins to people who do not respond to them.

Edit: I noticed JohnEGreen's comment about availability after I wrote the next paragraph.

More importantly, does anyone think that the poor old NHS will spend £40 a week just to lower people's cholesterol? Something that arguably a change of lifestyle could change (in most cases). This of course overlooks the whole question of how high or low should total cholesterol be.

I'm amazed at the way the NHS operates, happy to spend £2,000 a year, so an ongoing cost, to bring cholesterol down but someone needing a hernia fixed (private cost £2,700 - BMI, Nuffield Health and Ramsay Health) has to have emergency funding and even then my old mate Mick is still waiting, it seems the private cost is for an op using an epidural, I suppose it keeps the cost down, but he's been told he has to have a general because of the seriousness of his hernia and the fact he might lose a testicle.