Got put on them several years ago as I fell into a risk group. Didn’t seem to have any adverse problems so carried on.

Been getting more aches and pains after exercise recently and wondering about bringing it up at the next check up in a few weeks. Really noticeable today as my forearms feel like I spent two days powerlifting in a gym and all I did was cut a hedge.

I know the NHS throws statins out like Smarties, just wondered if anyone had tried to get them changed or experienced any side effects with exercise.

I’ve refused point blank to take them again after my first experience of them. Massive amounts of lethargy, headaches and general muscle pain on the smallest dose they did. Think it was simvastatin, but this is going back a few years now to the time when they were claiming there were no side effects.

Essential reading:

http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/

Back to GP for you, I’d say.

A smallish but significant number of people do suffer side-effects like the ones you describe. At which point you have to question the value of the drugs in your individual case if it will potentially reduce your quality of life and make you less active.

It could be a different statin will be OK, but it wouldn’t necessarily be a tragedy for your future cardiovascular health if you had to stop taking them – while they do prevent heart attacks and strokes, that is in a very large population of people taking them. So the chance that it is your stroke or heart attack that is being prevented is actually relatively small.

I’m in a very high risk group and was prescribed them 11 years ago…. I took four different types in the end having suffered massively with major muscle weakness, joint pain, memory loss to the extent I couldn’t walk up hills lets alone ride up them that prior to taking them had been an effort but achievable. I spent ages thinking and trying to convince myself it was all in my mind until the memory loss which got really concerning.
Anyway a change of I tots and diabetic nurse attitude and interest/advice along with more blood investigations revealed I was actually vitamin D deficient. What a revelation having stopped taking the statins a few months before to see the effect on my body (which I recovered my pedalling legs again) and then when my vitamin D levels came back to normal I felt human again…..I didn’t realise just how much bit D deficiency had affected my body.
My six month no station check showed that my total serum cholesterol was up to 5.6 from 3.2 ( but note the 3.2 left me seriously low in HDL which protects your heart and also helps clear LDL from your bloodstream).
I have just had a year on blood test this morning funnily enough and am awaiting to see how my total serum levels are.
My decision was based on quality of life and ability to exercise which has a direct effect on my diabetes control. I had considered ‘self medicating’ with beetroot juice for the nitrates but am trusting my new medical team to make sensible balanced decisions with me.
I have also read some study that shows that a lot of people that have had issues with statins that turned out to be deficient in vit D, when their vit D levels were corrected and then put back on statins that they had no repeat of any statin issues.
I finally I believe sinvasttatin is the cheapest option……I tried some dearer options but like I have said they all caused me issues.
You don’t have to be tied to what you are prescribed, if it doesn’t suit or you have severe issues, go back to the docs and insist to try another statin or try to reduce it by dietary means.
Good luck and keep us updated of the outcome!

I went through trying three different sorts of Statins and had various side effect with all of them. I decided in the end that I would not continue to take them.

everyones reaction to medication will be different, there are also many different types of statin, worth seeing which ones might suit you better than others

Cinnamon girl, thanks for the link….interesting reading for me further down the page too as my diabetes doesn’t follow medicines strict rules either…….I shall discuss with my nurse….

Ta, I found the link interesting too, the article about glucagon especially.

Recently gone onto a DPP-4 inhibitor which effectively suppresses glucagon production. It was one of those impressive tablet moments as I could see the effects only a few days after starting. I’d struggled with the normal diabetes tablets for 6 months and was half expecting the insulin prescription to come into discussion.

Nurse offered Sitagliptin instead.

Next A1C is next week with checkup the week following so will discuss the statin. Never thought of it being a problem until today.

Mmmm, think I may have a discussion relating to sitagliptin…….I try and loose weight (and exercise) and find my blood sugar levels rise…..last night post meal (3hrs after) 6.3……. Two hours after that 6.9…..this morning 7.2….. Walked down to docs to do blood walked back obviously having starved for just over 14 hrs…..9.4…….
Regularly have the day after riding highs too……..
Knowledge can annoy our doctors but living and coping/controlling our disease I firmly believe is down to us to empower ourselves.

Knowledge can annoy our doctors but living and coping/controlling our disease I firmly believe is down to us to empower ourselves.

Suggsey – your post concerning a low level of vitamin D proves that the big picture is not looked at. The NHS restricts testing due to cost and your experience is a good example of why it can be non-cost effective. I’ve spent many hundreds of Pounds on private testing and was shocked to see how many vitamin and mineral deficiencies I actually had.

Over the years the baseline figure for needing statins has decreased hence an increase in the population being prescribed them. Dr Kendrick is the scourge of the medical establishment but a breath of fresh air for others. I have his excellent book ‘Doctoring Data’, it should be compulsory reading for all.

Yes, you’re absolutely correct, we all need to empower ourselves as there’s too many in the medical world/NHS who’re following the money and not giving a stuff.

Yeah, I’ve had those odd and inexplicable highs.

Discussed with the nurse and it was probably a hypo response, the liver has a panic attack and dumps glycogen stores. I was getting them on rides, only found out by stopping and testing every 20 minutes. Found out that I could start a ride and there was a point, after about 20 minutes, where I’d get a sudden drop in blood sugar, 8 down to 3 in one 20 minute gap. It then shot up and stayed up in double figures but I had little or no energy left to pedal. It got bad enough I had a exhausted walk of shame back to the car at Sherwood Pines after post 6 – midweek so not many people saw 🙂

Sitagliptin does seem to have sorted that one out for me.

Certainly believe in taking control and being knowledgeable but I still take my primary info from the diabetes nurse. The NHS aren’t perfect but I’m very grateful it’s there. If I could make one change I’d take the GP out of the loop and make it so the diabetes nurse reports to an endocrinologist at a hospital.

Had the check up and almost immediately the nurse told me to come off the statin, not even a replacement. Just see how the next quarter goes and what the next blood test shows. Everything else was fine so she wasn’t too worried about the statin.

Best part of a week without the tablet, last couple of rides have been better with less after effort muscle pain. Not quite there but I was warned it can take a few weeks.

Fingers crossed.