• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

What Is It With Statin Drugs And Doctors?

Doriand

Well-Known Member
Messages
277
Location
Central Victoria, Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Political Correctness
I went to see a doctor for prescriptions for Type 2 Diabetes management. The first question he asked me was what cholesterol lowering drug I was on. I replied that I have stopped taking statin drugs as I suffered bad side effects from it.He WARNED me that I am a heart attack just waiting to happen if I don't start taking statin drugs soon! Clearly annoyed by his attitude, I forced myself to be calm and decided to ask him some questions:
"Would having a low cholesterol number guarantee me a healthy life free of cardiovasculas disease?"
"Do people with low to normal cholesterol levels die from CVD?"
"If Lipitor is the most prescribed drug in the US, then why is CVD the highest cause of death in that country?"
He then told me to leave because "I was uncooperative". I never got to ask my next question, "What incentives do Pfizer offer you for prescribing their drugs?" ... And I never got to get my other prescriptions


PS For anyone who have that attitude that doctors know best and never question their wisdom, look up Thalidomide and read up on how wrong scientists and doctors can be.
 
New doctor time? I'm sure I read somewhere but I have never been able to find it that surgeries get cash incentives the more people they have on statins as it is a "targeted" number.. time for some shares in Big Pharma I guess..
 
I cut down on carbs, and increased the amount of fat I was eating while my total cholesterol remains within norms, my 'bad' cholesterol is slightly over range, and I'm now on statins. The consultant that prescribed it wasn't interested in any argument I made ( my wife was told statins increase blood glucose levels).
 
@dw422

Statins are known to increase blood glucose levels. Have a read of the leaflet you have in the possible side effects bit, and have a read on the manufacturer's website.
 
Yep! Definitely a breakdown in communication. I hope your new gp is more intune with you. My 2 gps are very knowledgeable but not perfect, but I'm not a perfect patient. I just try my best. We shuffle along nicely, most of the time. I respect their knowledge and time. I need them, more than they need me thou.
 
Good grief, Doriand, I well remember the thalidomide tragedy and just thinking about it now still brings tears to my eyes even all these years later, so much misery to so many lives.

I think that a part of the problem is that some doctors still think they are something special and important - and especially that they are always right! Must admit, when much younger I used to be in awe of medics, (and policemen, and solicitors), and it is only because I worked in the NHS for 40-odd years (and they were very odd years!!) that I realised doctors are only people. I'm sure that much of the general public continues to put 'medical people' on pedestals - or they think they're superior and erect their own pedestals. I guess it can come as quite a culture shock when patients start to question their recommendations. Having said all that, I was called for review recently and my GP had a trainee with her; it was the trainee who actually did my review and I was quite impressed with the approach. It was very much about jointly resolving issues, how shall 'we' deal with this, 'how would you(me) prefer to deal with this?' Don't know if that approach was just to impress the GP, but if it is the way new doctors are being trained, then I think there's hope for us yet.
 
bulkbiker said:
New doctor time? I'm sure I read somewhere but I have never been able to find it that surgeries get cash incentives the more people they have on statins as it is a "targeted" number.. time for some shares in Big Pharma I guess..
Click to expand...
I live in a small town of 1300 population with ONE doctors surgery. The next larger town is 30 minutes drive away and it looks like I'm in for some driving in future
 
I normally show a lot of respect to medical professionals until they behave like they have a hidden agenda.For doctors to push certain medications onto their patients despite damaging side effects proves that they have an agenda. And believe me, doctors need you as much as you need them. Without patients, clinics, medical centres and hospitals won't survive.
 
You do realise that it is completely up to you whether you take these things don't you? Maybe have a read around the forum on statins. There is much controversy on whether they do you any good and yes a side effect could be raised sugars.
 
My cholesterol is fine but the last time I went to the doctors she told me that it is "standard practice" to offer statins to anyone who has diabetes. I politely declined and she noted it on my records

I'm guessing from this that it is an edict from high up in the NHS
 
And watch out for all the "improved" versions that will start to come out now that the old ones are coming out of patent..
Minor change of ingredient and a few more billions for the pharmaceutical companies.
 

In a twisted way this story kind of makes me feel good in the sense that I'm not alone. There's been such a trend and the Industry is booming. My current doctor prescribes them to me - I don't take them and I don't have high cholesterol although when he sees my blood work with normal cholesterol levels he's convinced it's the statins even though I've decided against taking them - hate to say it but dealing with the health industry - not much fun at all! Every time I see my Doctor he goes on about living with Diabetes for more than 50 years is equivalent to already having a heart attack. What a bunch of ********!
 
Welcome to the world of station crazy doctors.
Latest for me was the lovely young heart registrar in A&E at my local hospital. After having read my file that clearly states "non compliant" said why aren't you taking a static? To which I replied because of blah blah blah. (Which are all reasons my GP and specialist are well aware of and accepting of) The look on her face was one of absolute amazement.... that's right sweetie a patient who can read!! I Her come back was well there are other drugs that you can take that are effective. To which I replied can you please write them down for me so I can research them, their side effects, their potential side effects, their possible drug interactions and how they could affect me and any other drugs I take. She looked gobsmacked and took off.
No list and apart from an argument about when I had a stress test and where as she couldn't find it in my file as it is 4 inches thick.
I live up to my reputation as non compliant in yet another doctors eyes.
 
Oh classic - they don't like it when you actually have a brain and an opinion in what happens to you
 
They prescribe them automatically because LDL normally goes up with diabetics I believe. It did in my case certainly. Mine rose steadily to 10.1. But I was on a LCHF diet. Statin was increased to 80mg and then the numbers fell equally dramatically to 4.6. The specialist said that you wouldn't normally get such a big fall from the increased dose. So all a bit of a mystery. There is some dispute about the dangers of cholesterol anyway. What is not in dispute is that high blood sugars cause heart disease.
 
bulkbiker said:
New doctor time? I'm sure I read somewhere but I have never been able to find it that surgeries get cash incentives the more people they have on statins as it is a "targeted" number.. time for some shares in Big Pharma I guess..
Click to expand...
Those with earnings in dollars
 
bulkbiker said:
You do realise that it is completely up to you whether you take these things don't you? Maybe have a read around the forum on statins. There is much controversy on whether they do you any good and yes a side effect could be raised sugars.
Click to expand...
Quite. Consultant seems to have decided I have familial hypercholesterolemia. She didn't actually tell me, but gave me a leaflet. Since both my parents had only moderately elevated cholesterol levels, I'm not sure that that is the cause. We'll see with the next results. Fortunately I don't seem to notice any side effects of the statins.
 
Last edited:
bulkbiker said:
And watch out for all the "improved" versions that will start to come out now that the old ones are coming out of patent..
Minor change of ingredient and a few more billions for the pharmaceutical companies.
Click to expand...
Yes. That's right
 
@dw422 It's worth remembering that old saying "you can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"!

After my GP refused to stop prescribing stating when my cholesterol apparently when dangerously low (according to a couple of our members here and I confirmed later with a bit of research) - because I "needed" them for other unspecified reasons, I asked our practice diabetic doctor at my next appointment if I could at least reduce the dose and he agreed. But I actually decided that since I had the option of requesting which of my repeat prescriptions I could request on line - some of which I don't always need every time, I could gently drop the statins repeat too. And told my GP at my next medicines review. Since he's now also my diabetes support doctor, and knows what my levels are like, he's quietly recorded me as "currently off statins".

I actually noticed a drop on glucose levels after I stopped taking them, which I didn't immediately relate to statins stopping as I'd come off other medication around the the same time.

My cholesterol levels are all within normal limits and my LDL last review was 2.2 and triglycerides 1.2, so I think I hold a winning hand, particularly since I eat an LCHF diet and tend to fill my face with fat.

Robbity

PS I tend to agree that some decisions come as NHS directives as my GP did actually tell me he wasn't permitted by the practice manager to prescribe test strips for me as a type 2, though I think he'd have been willing to do so otherwise. And I had something similar happen at the hospital when my lovely consultant wanted to write me an interim prescription for vital eye drops and had to ask the Sister for a prescription pad - a fairly recent change - and was told (in front of me!) she couldn't have one - our surgery had to issue the prescription - so definitely some evil cost cutting's going on at some level.
 
I wonder how many MILLIONS are on statins that don't need them, isn't doing them any good and suffering from its side effects?
So the most important question is: What is more important, the health and well being of a patient, or the profit margins of pharmaceutical companies? EVERYONE should think about this next time your doctor 'push' a medication on to you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…