Statins

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Discussion

Grumps.

Original Poster:

9,379 posts

43 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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Morning all!

My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.

Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?

Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!

myvision

1,988 posts

143 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I take them and seem to get two brands.
Round tablets no issue but the diamond shape ones give me bad indigestion.
No other side effects for me.

ben5575

6,616 posts

228 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I take 70mg everyday and have for maybe 15 years since my early 30s due familial cholesterol issues. Never had a problem.

ETA they work though. My level is now 3.6 not 8.9

MGZTV8

591 posts

156 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I’ve been taking Simvastatin for over 12 years as a preventative as I’m also type 2 diabetic.

Cholesterol is always around 3.6 and I’ve had no issues whatsoever with side effects etc.

Panamax

5,002 posts

41 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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Grumps. said:
My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins
The only question I'd ask is "why"?

Some think everyone over 50 should take them while others think it better to avoid unless there's a reason.

Panamax

5,002 posts

41 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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American Heart Association suggest statins for four main groups of people:

People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.

Family history is also part of the overall picture.

Slowboathome

4,460 posts

51 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I've been taking the maximum dose of Atorvastatin for 6 years since I had a stroke. No side effects at all.

Grumps.

Original Poster:

9,379 posts

43 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
quotequote all
Panamax said:
American Heart Association suggest statins for four main groups of people:

People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.

Family history is also part of the overall picture.
I understand I fit most of those categories

hehe

Glosphil

4,492 posts

241 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
quotequote all
Grumps. said:
Morning all!

My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.

Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?

Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!
I have been taking Atorvastatin since 2010 when I had a TIA. Current dose is 10mg. No side-effects & cholesterol now 3.3. Hasn't been above 3.6 in last 5 years & has been as low as 2.8 .

Edited by Glosphil on Saturday 4th February 12:49

K87

3,732 posts

106 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I also the 20mg of statins, have done for about two years and no side effects.

They have worked, my last test results showed that I was in the right band for cholesterol

Spevs

405 posts

35 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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I have been taking Atorvastatin for two years now, started on 20mg per day now on 40mg per day my LDL was 4.6 now it's 1.9. Take it last thing at night and have no side effects.

QJumper

2,709 posts

33 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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My doctor prescribed statins some years ago but, after a while, I wanted to come off them as I don't like taking drugs for the sake of it. My cholesterol was a little high, as was my weight so, as part of my diet I started eating half a red grapefruit a day, and my cholesterol dropped back to normal again.

For those who do take statins, don't eat grapefruit by the way.


Grumps.

Original Poster:

9,379 posts

43 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
quotequote all
Thanks everyone, I’ll start popping them tomorrow!

:

FactoryBacked

257 posts

239 months

Saturday 4th February 2023
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My mum was on statins for around 8 years and last Christmas she developed statin induced necrotizing autoimmune myopathy.

It's a very rare side effect I think but very nasty.

She went from being totally fit, out walking every day and always busy to bed bound, unable to move her arms or legs and struggling to breathe or swallow, within 2 months.

She has since recovered to perhaps 80% of where she was thanks to a very switched on GP, a great NHS consultant and incredibly fortuitously a world expert on this condition who just happened to be in the UK working alongside him at that time.

As with any drug there are outliers who suffer the worst side effects but it's worth appraising yourself of what can happen.

MGZTV8

591 posts

156 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
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Sorry to hear that.

That’s a new one on me and a little concerning.

mike9009

7,554 posts

250 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
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I have been on Atorvastatin for nearly three years. No side effects. Dropped my cholesterol from 5.0 to 2.8.

craig1912

3,666 posts

119 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
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I’ve just been told similar. On Amlodopine for blood pressure and cholesterol is 5.8 (although I have asked for ldl/hdl ratio). Doc has recommended 20mg.

Armitage.Shanks

2,408 posts

92 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
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When I had a over 50s health check a few years back my Total Cholsterol was 5.58 (HDL 2.25) and I brought up the question of statins with the GP. She was non committal saying the potential positives of taking them need to be weighed against the negatives which I presume is side effects.

Whether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?

To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.

craig1912

3,666 posts

119 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
quotequote all
Armitage.Shanks said:
When I had a over 50s health check a few years back my Total Cholsterol was 5.58 (HDL 2.25) and I brought up the question of statins with the GP. She was non committal saying the potential positives of taking them need to be weighed against the negatives which I presume is side effects.

Whether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?

To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.
Apparently my QRISK score is 12.5% although for my age “normal” is 9.8% so it isn’t really a massive difference. I guess that score and cholesterol at 5.8 and high blood pressure means I’d benefit from a statin

Slowboathome

4,460 posts

51 months

Sunday 5th February 2023
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You can always go on them then come off if they cause unwelcome side effects. That's what my mum did.