Raised cholesterol and the Statin effect

Sorry I haven’t been on this so can’t help but I thought I’d bump it up.
I’m struggling with Atorvastatin at the moment.

Please read this by Dr Malcolm Kendrick before you take medication for cholesterol. According to him, a total level of 6.13 falls in the ideal range. He has written other books on the subject which I recommend.

Today is my first day on statins - Atorvastin 20mg daily. Can someone who is on it, please tell me what are the side effects ?

PamelaJ - please tell me how Atorvastin effects you ?

Yes I took it ………..not for long.

I had awful side effects, unfortunately I have tried them all now and not one has come without side effects.

I’m sure my GP/pharmacist doesn’t believe me.

When I first started taking Rosuvastatin I had muscle aches. My DO did bloodwork and found that I had an iron deficiency. Since starting an iron supplement the aches are almost gone. I’m in the US. Hope this helps.

Ideal range differs from person to person so articles setting figures can be very misleading. For instance, I have had a heart attack and have a stent in an artery. I also have a pacemaker. My ideal cholesterol to aim at will be completely different from a fit young man.

Be guided by your doctor and not by people on the Internet with an axe to grind. Your doctor will be following NHS guidelines based on your individual health situation.

crazyH I started taking Atorvastatin 20mg nearly three months ago.
I read the leaflet beforehand and was rather alarmed by all the possible side-effects it described, but can honestly say I've had no problems.
I was told to book a further blood test after three months to monitor its effectiveness. That's booked for the end of November.

crazyH

PamelaJ - please tell me how Atorvastin effects you ?

I had been taking it for about a year when I started to get diarrhoea. I hadn’t changed my diet so stopped taking it. I did tell my GP who ordered a poo and blood test. All clear.
The Diarrhoea seemed to improve but I decided to try again..just to see. After 2 weeks it seems to be back🤷🏼‍♀️. I’ll give it another couple of weeks then get back to the GP. It’s not as bad as it was but I’m scared it will get worse again.

Mum reports that muscle pains seem to arrive with whatever statin she took, and the GP said that they just don’t suit some people.
She was really struggling to walk, came off them and a month later was back to her old energetic self.
That last one was Rosuvastatin.

When my doctor wanted me to go on statins I said I was in enough pain with arthritis and he just said but it would be a ‘different kind of pain’. Great!

I've been taking Atorvastatin for over a year now. I have had no side effects except for a bonus one. The pain in my knees reduced considerably and I can walk much further than before starting them.

I think what we can take from this discussion is that muscle pain is a well known side effect of statins but that it won’t affect everyone so the best thing is to try it and see.
If you do get debilitating muscle pain then it isn’t worth taking them to have your quality of life decline in that way.

I think the best advice I can give you is to seek professional medical advice.

Experiences from anyone here is purely relating to their own experience, and may well not be your experience (though, of course, it might be). The majority of us are not medically trained, therefore we cannot possibly say you will experience what any of us might experience, and as we are not medically trained to advise you, my advice to seek medical advice stands.

In addition, even if some of us here are medically trained, the fact that we are not privy to your medical background means that we cannot offer anything but general advice, so, please, seek advice and guidance from those who know your own medical history.

I have been on this for about six months, no side-effects at all

You are supposed to feel better taking any medication and if after a time you are not surely you would not continue, hopefully alternatives could be made which might suit.
I decided against them. Know people that are on them and they think I will regret it as they feel well on them.

Statins are now not the only cholesterol lowering drug. Doctor can advise if you are having problems with them. I am currently on 6 monthly injections of Inclisiran.

Luckygirl3

Statins are now not the only cholesterol lowering drug. Doctor can advise if you are having problems with them. I am currently on 6 monthly injections of Inclisiran.

How lovely to have a doctor who advises!😂
I am persevering with the Atorvastatin because I have read that it helps if one has lipoproteins in the blood.
They can make the blood ‘sticky’ and be one of the factors in the risk of strokes and heart attacks. My sister has just had a blood test and discovered that she has this . It is genetic, not a lot can be done and it could explain why my dad was the healthiest old man at his funeral!
They don’t test for this on the NHS, she had a private MOT. I’m not bothering to test, just expecting to shuffle off this mortal coil in a couple of years with my care home nest egg intact.

I’m not bothering to test, just expecting to shuffle off this mortal coil in a couple of years with my care home nest egg intact.

Sounds ideal, but unfortunately the main risk with high cholesterol is stroke and this in the main does not allow you to shuffle off without forking out for care and it can be a miserable long drawn out slide into oblivion, distressing for you and for you loved ones!

Would that we could choose our shuffling off mode!

Luckygirl you spotted the flaw in my argument!

Crazy H I’ve taken Atorvastatin for 10 years with no side effects whatsoever. It keeps my cholesterol below 5.

PamelaJ1

Luckygirl you spotted the flaw in my argument!

Sorry!

I’m on my second pack of Atorvastatin. I was very unsure about taking these, put it off as long as I could. So far, no side effects at all. I’m also on blood pressure pills, also started this year.

I’ve taken Atorvastatin for decades. No problem whatsoever, my cholesterol was low, but they do give it to diabetics like me to prevent other problems too. What suits one, as they say. Often the side effects settle with time, and the benefits are well documented.