Statins and Side Effects for Susiepops
Susiepops asked me to repeat a post.
I was having 6 month blood tests as a result on being on blood pressure tablets. I was put on simvastatin early in 2013. A previous blood test showed no other problems and indeed my cholesterol level was not unduly high. A few months later a blood test showed elevated sugar levels and after additional tests I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In September 2013 I had loss of most of the site in my right eye. Often a complication attributed to Diabetes and high blood pressure. For some reason the specialist did not think that was the cause but could offer no other explanation other than it can happen and we don't really know why but there is a 30% chance of the same happening with the other eye.
Over a period of time I developed walking difficulties. (My hips have not been good since before I was 55 but I still was able to walk 14 miles with a few stops to enjoy the scenery. Often walked 4 or 5 miles when I retired at 55.) This was not my hips though but I suspect that they somehow masked the symptoms. We met up with a friend in Exeter mid last year and as we walked up into town from the old dock area it was her at 82 years of age that left me standing. I had to keep stopping to rest and admire the views. December 2015 we went off to Southport with the caravan. We sited the caravan and after setting it up I walked a couple of hundred yards to the wardens office and had to stop a couple of times on the way. I stopped taking the statins, (might have stopped slightly earlier). In April 2016 my tablets for diabetes were reduced following a blood test and tablet review. In August I was told that I was no longer diabetic, Last blood test in October and repeated in November confirmed that my sugar levels were fine and my cholesterol level was 4. My walking has also improved - slowly.
Some seem fine on simvastatin. I however have enough problems with arthritis.
I know of others whose mobility has been affected and also have discussed it with my pharmacist who reckons that side effect is very common. Also he was aware of the fact that Statins can elevate blood glucose levels and it is also confirmed on the NHS website. Quite a few seem to have some stomach upset but many tablets can have similar effects.
Alan
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Good post ET, my experience is similar with statins. Due to high cholesterol I too was given them-'Atorvastatin' within a fortnight my muscles & joints ached to such an extent the pain had me almost hobbling around, my grip lessened to such a degree I couldn't do any logging. At that point I stopped taking them. Within a month I was back to my usual level of mobility without issues. At a follow up appt at the Docs I had the dose reduced-same thing happened, that time as soon as I realised what was happening I stopped taking them. I have refused all entreaties to continue the use of Statins. A life of minimal movement is no life at all for me. I have reduced my weight & cut out a lot of the Cholesterol inducing foods that were in my diet. I feel better to be in control of my health without the Statins. I too know of folk who use Statins with no or little problems. I also know of folk who like me have refused them after health/mobility issues.
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Just before that Christmas I had gone down to the local pub quiz with eldest daughter several times. Probably a quarter of a mile. Walking back I was stopping several times.
The side effect with glucose levels and induced diabetes seems less known despite it being stated on NHS website. I had an episode a year ago where my vision blurred. I was admitted to a stroke ward overnight and various tests were done including a brain scan. I told the doctor in charge that I had, the day before had one of my BP tablets doubled and he said that doubling of that particular blood pressure tablet can cause the same effect. Within 12 hours my vision was normal.
Because of this initial suspected TIA and my admission on the ward I was asked to attend the elderly clinic. That involved quarterly appointments, eye examinations, extended periods (1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks) on a heart monitor, ultrasound of heart and arteries.
When I was discharged I saw a junior colleague of the chap that I had been seeing. She wanted me to go on statins again even though my cholesterol level was not high - the lower the better was the stance. When I mentioned the effect of statins that I had been previously she was aware of the fatigue effects and others but had never heard of it causing increased sugar levels and diabetes. I told her that my pharmacist was well aware of it and perhaps she should start by reading the NHS website where it was listed as a common effect.
Common side effects
Although side effects can vary between different statins, common side effects (which affect up to 1 in 10 people) include:nosebleeds
sore throat
a runny or blocked nose (non-allergic rhinitis)
headache
feeling sick
problems with the digestive system, such as constipation,diarrhoea, indigestion or flatulence
muscle and joint pain (see below)
increased blood sugar level (hyperglycaemia)
an increased risk of diabetes0 -
Just over a year ago at my annual blood tests at the surgery I was told that my cholesterol was high (6) and because of my age (70) I should go onto statins. My problem is that I suffer from Osteoarthritis in my knees and have already had a hip replaced as a result of the same problem. When I started taking statins I was also convinced they were having an adverse effect on me. I discussed it with my doctor but he convinced me to carry on. A year later my cholesterol had fallen to 3.5 and I am not sure the statins are making any discomfort I have any worse. We are, of course, all different in the way our bodies function and react to drugs. Margaret has taken statins for years because of her diabetes. She did initially have a problem but a change of brand seemed to have sorted that out. I suppose at the end of the day none of us know whether our lives will be saved by all the medications we take? Despite taking statins it didn't prevent Margaret needing a quadruple bypass operation. I think my advice would be is that if you can tolerate them keep taking them. I suppose there is no point taking something that robs you of a quality of life but you have to balance that against the possible alternative.
David
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Doctors seem to be far too quick to prescribe medication, rather than recommend changes in life style that would overcome the diagnosed problem. More exercise to overcome high cholesterol is a classic.
This may be because they think that the patient simply won't change their lifestyle, or in some extreme cases there might be a reason that the patient cannot change their lifestyle.
But a far more worrying reason is that GP's are rewarded for treating certain conditions and the trigger for that reward is that the threshold for prescribing certain types of medication is passed. Statins or one such medication.
I see many clients who are taking a whole range of medication and often they cannot even remember what it's for.
I believe that people should get a regular review of their medication and ditch any that are no longer essential or any that might be causing unpleasant side effects.
The trouble is that with multiple medications, it isn't always easy to see which is the one doing more harm than good, because of 'masking' effects and 'combining' effects.
Take the absolute minimum (better still, none) is my policy.
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I've been taking statins for some years but have recently stopped because I was getting abdominal pains which, despite going for scans, were unexplained. Since stopping taking them the pains have almost completely gone. I'd like an appointment to discuss it with a GP but when I phoned the surgery I was told the next available appointment, even just over the phone, was three weeks away!
But if it was an emergency I can phone at 8am any morning to get an appointment within a couple of days! Well, it's not an emergency and I'm well aware of the pressure GPs are under nowadays. So, what to do?
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Neither of us is on Statins and I hope it stays that way. My sister who has high blood pressure is on statins, she seems to be ok with them at present. My dad died of a heart attack after years of high blood pressure, he however was not on statins.
The practice that we are with reviews your repeat prescriptions yearly, if they are not happy about anything they phone you to discuss it or ask you to come in for checks.
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I have unlocked this thread. The problem we have at the moment is we are getting a series of duplicated threads and I imagine that was the reason for one of them being locked. If we lock the one that has no comments it immediately affects the one you want to leave. This issue has been raised as a fault and hopefully will be resolved in due course.
David
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Doctors don't get paid for prescribing drugs. They get paid extra for monitoring different types of conditions in certain age groups. No drugs are safe so they have to be prescribed in the knowledge that the benefit will outweigh the negatives. I know that some of the medications I take can damage my liver or kidneys and that is why I have annual blood tests to guard against that. Margaret has type 2 diabetes and therefore at risk of heart problems. She has already had a quadruple bypass. She is not overweight in fact most would describe her as slim so it's not a lifestyle problem. She has to take a range of medication to keep her from becoming seriously ill. It's all very well for unqualified people to pontificate of the pros and cons of various treatments and whether people should take medication. None of us that take regular medication want to be in that position and any sensible person has that conversation with their GP at regular intervals and I promise its a real victory if you can knock one on the head.
David
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Since I was driving past the surgery today I decided to pop in and see what the situation was re appointments ( see my earlier post.)
Receptionist was very sympathetic and offered me April 13th (we're away) or failing that May 5th (we're away!). But ... if you tell me it's urgent I can get a duty doctor to phone you today (nudge nudge, wink wink!) OK, I said, it's been going on for some time so yes, that'll do nicely. Only problem being that the urgent phone call came almost immediately, well before I got home!
So that meant a second call from the duty doctor an hour later. Anyway, the situation is that my cholesterol is way down from the original scare, my chance of a major incident is 12.5% which is marginally but not seriously above the borderline for recommending statins. So fine, carry on not taking them but get a fresh cholesterol test in about 3 months time.
Good for me, but what a kerfuffle just to get that news!
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Seven years ago at work the health visitor tested me for Cholesterol, it was a reading of seven.
I was advised to go to my doctor who put me on 'Simvastatin' with a one a day / 80mg dosage, no side effects at all and I accepted them plus my annual review showed a reading of around three. Last year I happened to question my taking them as I believed my lifestyle had changed and maybe it was this that was giving favourable results.
It was only then that the nurse also surprisingly said that the 80mg dosage was very high and usually only given to patients who might have suffered a heart attack. She reduced the dosage to one a day / 40mg and a test 3 months later showed a cholesterol reading of 3.3, I then stopped taking them and last month the blood test reading was 4.1 so at the moment I do not take them anymore.
Luckily I never suffered any side effects but wandered why I was ever put on such a high dosage initially, plus why I had to instigate that just because my regular check readings were 'good' it might not be all down to the tablets, and just might be my change in diet.
Here's hoping it can stay that way, and maybe that very high initial dosage has acted like a chimney sweep brush, and I have fatty free, shiny clean arteries now
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Seven years ago at work the health visitor tested me for Cholesterol, it was a reading of seven.
I was advised to go to my doctor who put me on 'Simvastatin' with a one a day / 80mg dosage, no side effects at all and I accepted them plus my continued annual reviews showed a reading of around three. Last year I happened to question my taking them as I believed my lifestyle had changed and maybe it was this that was giving favourable results.
It was only then that the nurse also surprisingly said that the 80mg dosage was very high and usually only given to patients who might have suffered a heart attack. She reduced the dosage to one a day / 40mg and a test 3 months later showed a cholesterol reading of 3.3, I then stopped taking them and last month the blood test reading was 4.1 so at the moment I do not take them anymore.
Luckily I never suffered any side effects but wandered why I was ever put on such a high dosage initially, plus why I had to instigate that just because my regular check readings were 'good' it might not be all down to the tablets, and just might be my change in diet.
Here's hoping it can stay that way, and maybe that very high initial dosage has acted like a chimney sweep brush, and I have fatty free, shiny clean arteries now
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GP's don't get paid for "prescribing tablets" but, as I explained before, they do receive bonus's for treating certain conditions.
The measure of whether they are treating someone who has that condition is that the patient passes a measurable threshold and is therefore prescribed a certain type of medication.
Hope that makes is clearer.
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