Suggestions/personal experiences with statins.

Since a heart attack in August 2020 ( prior to which I was perfectly healthy) I was prescribed a cocktail of drugs including Atorvastatin 80mg daily. Almost immediately I have been suffering from severe arm back and shoulder pain as well as insomnia and fatigue. My GP ordered a blood test which showed heightened liver enzymes of over 300 ( it should be around 50) After terrifying me with possible reasons for this I have had a liver scan and await results. I am now convinced the statins caused these awful symptoms and have now discontinued their “use” but object to having been given such a dangerous drug without so much as a warning that they could cause such serious side effects! X

I have been on statins for nearly 17years,I have genetic high cholesterol,I am slim,very active,perfect blood pressure.

I take two types and see a hospital Consultant not my GP.I have had no adverse effects and my cholesterol is well controlled.

During quarantine I created a tool that uses your genetics to determine drug response risks. If you have a 23AndMe or AncestryDNA kit, interestingly, you can get pretty good information on simvastatin response. If anyone thinks this could be useful for them, I encourage a visit to www.pharmhand.org There is many other medication info available as well.

Thank you Bluesky Nosebleeds terrify me. I am a big baby. When I had them last year, my GP said 'nosebleeds are common' and that was that. They are making me scared to go out. I'll see what she says.

KatyK I am just like you as soon as I'm given a new medication I assume all symptoms are related. Even taking herbal supplements I blame them for various ailments. I must have a phobia of them all! But yes you are right in mentioning it to your GP.

I was put on a low dose of statin last year as my cholesterol was a bit high. Shortly afterwards, for the first time in my life, I started having nosebleeds. I hadn't had one for over a year but had have had one this morning. It scares me. I am seeing my GP next week and will see if she thinks it could be the statins.

Caledonail4 Re your short-term memory problems: I suggest you Google "transient global amnesia duane graveline". Graveline was an American scientiest/astronaut who became very anti-statins after his personal experiences, and wrote this book about it. You can get it on Kindle.

I was interested in him as he was researching damage to the dermatological immune system due to statin intake - but he died at the age of 85 before completing his studies.

I, personally, have had experience of damage to my immune system within months of taking Atorvastatin and the psoriasis which also set in has not left me.

Chewbacca, I've been taking Atorvastatin since 2007 and swear by them. The hospital had recommended I take 40mg a night but I refused and the dose was reduced to 20mg which has suited me. I think the original reading before medication was over 7 and I was put at high risk because of family history.
Along with the warfarin that I also take, I'm almost sure that my life was saved with this combination after a mini-stroke less than 18 months ago. being 77 at the time who knows what could have happened ? It's not unusual to suffer a full-blown stroke after a mini. No ill effects either apart from initial dizziness and being slightly unbalanced but I literally forced myself to get cracking again.

Eyesight is good with only reading glasses needed which I put down to taking the statins for " keeping things clear ".

Initially, Simvastatin didn't agree with me and went through me like a Porsche.

I've just finished my 2nd week on Atorvastatin and, so far, apart from very vivid dreams about the lady in the locals bakers shop , I've not had any side affects.

My husband was put on statins when he had angioplasty (stents) quite a few years ago, he was put on Lipitor which is called something else now. A while back the doctor switched him to Simvastatin and those produced raging headaches, so much so, he told the doctor he would stop taking them and was switched back to his original statin. He does wonder if they make him tired, when he's had a day playing golf he invariably comes back home and goes to sleep for an hour or so, but I think that just comes with aging. On the whole he's quite fit for his age, slim and has a low cholesterol although I put that down to lifestyle. Another friend of ours was put on Simvastatin (I think) and suffered hearing impairment, so he also stopped taking them. Not without their problems it seems.

These posts on here are always very timely for me! Recently after a health scare I had a good MOT cardiac and brain. The two specialists concluded that all was OK and changes due to normal ageing. (I am 70) no further intervention required. Then a new GP suggested statins as I have high BP to reduce my risk of stroke and heart attack. I was horrified when I read the leaflet which among other things, said not recommended for people aged 70 or over! I'm now taking plant sterol tablets (my diet and lifestyle already as recommended) Will wait till the next check up and see what happens.

I'm very glad I read this. I just had my annual MOT and was told my cholesterol was too high and I needed medication. I refused...I said it was probably caused by too many mince-pies at Christmas and I would deal with it myself. I found it unsettling that medication was the doctors immediate suggestion, not a change of diet. I do know that the drug companies urge doctors to prescribe their products, but I wonder if they get some sort of reward for doing so?

OK before anyone else points it out - CHOLESTEROL not colesterol....

I had high (bad) colesterol and was given a choice to take statins or try diet. I suggested statins for a few months to clear the blood then I would try to keep it low by diet, but she seemed to misunderstand me and left it at diet only. So it was grapefruits before dinner, Benecol, oat bran etc and although I still used butter and ate hard cheese and a little chocolate, amazingly it worked. But this time I saw a different nurse and she said that although my colesterol is now good I would still benefit from statins as I am over 72, I took them for a week but was shocked to discover that you should avoid bran or grapefruit amongst other things. After a week I had an appointment with the nurse to see if I was doing OK on the pills, and I told her that I had already been suffering from 90% of the side effects before taking them, plus I could not understand the logic of replacing natural foods that had helped me lower my colestetol, with a chemical substitute. So now I am not taking them and instead my colesterol will be monitored twice a year. I am not really sure if it was the right decision as there is a history of heart attack and stroke in my family. As I told the nurse, it is not easy when even the medical professionals give opposite signals.

Because I'm over 70 I get a yearly MOT from my GP. I get a printed sheet showing weight/BP/cholesterol levels and a risk ratios for heart attacks. Last year I was offered satins because I was "borderline" I said no thank you. This year my weight was down a bit, my chloresterol down a little bit, but my risk ratio had gone up. The only factor that had gone up was my age and there's b** all I can do about that. I said no to statins again. I am grateful to my GP for discussing it with me and letting me make my own decision.

Very timely for me too! I'm already on 3 bp tablets and a new doctor I just saw thought a statin would help. But my cholesterol is fine, that is the total is 5.7 but the ratio good to bad is good also the triglycerides. I was going to do as she said but horrified when read that it could higher your glucose level, mine is already borderline, plus liver problems, plus all the possible reported side effects. So I'm going to take some plant sterol tablets instead and leave it at that. As M0nica said the difference it would make it's quite small anyway.

This thread is very timely! I have just been prescribed Atorvastatin 20mgs by my GP because my cholesterol level is 7 and I have high BP. I'm very reluctant to take it due to all the commonly known side effects. For those who have taken statins and suffered aching joints, poor sleep quality etc, could you tell me how long long you'd been taken them before the side effects became apparent? My GP has given me a 3 months supply.

My sister, under medical advise has come off statins due to the terrible pains in her joints. She has to see GP at end of this week as that will be two weeks without and they will discuss what to do. She has slowly felt improvement with the pain especially in her fingers, wrist and elbows.

I.m afraid I would refuse to take them, if I disappearcat at an earlier age, so be it, but I think there are far too many tablets passed out to ‘maybe’ stop something
My mum was put on some heart tablets in her 50 s as she went to the doctor with palpitations, no tests, just put on them She religiously took them for about 20 years until my daughter who was a nurse and visiting her Nan one day as she was taking them asked her why she was on them and insisted she went back to the doctor to ask to be tested
She was tested and had absolutely no heart problems at all
I avoid the doctors unless absolutely and utterly necessary I take no medicatipn and hopefully will continue that way
My ex husband who moved to US told me very proudly that he was on 18 tablets a day well he died a couple of years ago

My message was for Jang

Hi I could not help notice your message as it is exactly what happened to me. I can hardly put or take of my bra. The pain in my arms is very painful and lack of strength. I stopped statins a month ago and thought the pain would go away much quicker than it has. So how long before being totally pain free?

MOnica, I will make sure she makes her hopes into reality. I've had a series of blood tests and finally managed to get an appointment, its a 3 week wait. Shocking in truth.

Iam64, make sure that he turns his hopes into a secure calculation. My GP was quite shocked when she saw how little difference statins would make to my probability of a stroke/heart attack in the next ten years.

Both myself and sister had bad muscle pains on statins,i came off mine after a few months,my sister had memory fog, badly,she as just come off hers
My own pharmacist said she would never take statins, so what does that tell you

MOnica, my GP hoped the risk could be brought down by 8% by taking statins, it would still be mid teens. It's been made more difficult for me by the downturn in our previously brilliant surgery. Shortage of doctors etc