Statins

[Kendhni]

I was forwarded this article

As someone who has been on statins for many years I have always assumed/hoped that the pro statins arguments were the correct ones ... however I am really starting to wonder about these. Lately I have been feeling a lot of joint pain, breathlessness, weight gain, concentration and some other side effects commonly associated with statins .. is there a connection? I guess I will be non the wiser in a couple of weeks when I have seen my doctor about it.

[Not so ancient mariner]

I was forwarded this article

As someone who has been on statins for many years I have always assumed/hoped that the pro statins arguments were the correct ones ... however I am really starting to wonder about these. Lately I have been feeling a lot of joint pain, breathlessness, weight gain, concentration and some other side effects commonly associated with statins .. is there a connection? I guess I will be non the wiser in a couple of weeks when I have seen my doctor about it.

Having read that article, I have to say that the tone in which it is written is highly suggestive of someone with an axe to grind, and certainly does not convince me that it is an unbiased interpretation of the facts.

[Onelife]

Hi Not so

That was my interpretation of the article...I certainly won’t be stopping my statins on the back of it... I would suggest Ken follows my lead as the symptoms he’s describing are mostly related to getting older... Ken if you would like further advice on getting older have a chat with Mob

Regards

Keith

[suespud]

I was forwarded this article

As someone who has been on statins for many years I have always assumed/hoped that the pro statins arguments were the correct ones ... however I am really starting to wonder about these. Lately I have been feeling a lot of joint pain, breathlessness, weight gain, concentration and some other side effects commonly associated with statins .. is there a connection? I guess I will be non the wiser in a couple of weeks when I have seen my doctor about it.

Ken, Iv been on statins for about five years now.
I constantly have joint pain..but I'm nearly 60 and have arthritis..
I struggle with my weight..but have all my life. Breathlessness cos Im fat..
I also lack concentration and have a shocking memory for as long as I can remember(but as my memory os bad I cant remember how long...lol )


BUT..the one thing I can definitely say has got worse since taking the statins is the fecking night cramps !!!!!

Please report back what your GP says.

Sue

[OCEANIAFAN]

Regards the night cramps just speak to your Doctor and ask if you can change the brand of statins, sometimes this works.
Another that does not give you "Night Cramps" is Ezetrol

[suespud]

Regards the night cramps just speak to your Doctor and ask if you can change the brand of statins, sometimes this works.
Another that does not give you "Night Cramps" is Ezetrol

Really .. ?
My GP just told me its a side effect...take some tonic water.

I take simvastatin now.

Iv just looked at Ezetrol and it seem ok to take with all the rest of my meds.
Worth having a chat with my GP I think.
Thank you.
Sue

[Lazysusan]

I was on simvastatin first of all but my fingers and toes started to lose all feeling so I was changed to atorvastatin (Lipitor) and all has been fine for 5 years or so now. My husband doesn't think I should take them so I will be also interested in others opinions.

Apparently simvastatin is the cheapest statin which is why most people are put on them until a problem occurs.

[Not so ancient mariner]

Its also one of the statins most prone to interactions with other drugs or foods, e.g. grapefruit, that raise the plasma levels of the statin, resulting in increased side effects

[Manoverboard]

... Ken if you would like further advice on getting older have a chat with Mob

Regards

Keith

Bloody cheek, for your information ' young man ' I have NO symptoms NOR do I take any medication

[Kendhni]

bl**dy cheek, for your information ' young man ' I have NO symptoms NOR do I take any medication

So the rumours about your Lithium addiction are untrue?

[Manoverboard]

bl**dy cheek, for your information ' young man ' I have NO symptoms NOR do I take any medication

So the rumours about your Lithium addiction are untrue?

ps ... I don't have mood swings either

[Not so ancient mariner]

Of course not. That's the whole object of taking the Lithium.....

[Onelife]

... Ken if you would like further advice on getting older have a chat with Mob

Regards

Keith

bl**dy cheek, for your information ' young man ' I have NO symptoms NOR do I take any medication

That’s great news Mob and long may your good health continue... I’d be lost without my own personal travel consultant

[Quizzical Bob]

After my bypass operation this time last year they up me on Atorvastatin 80mg. It took me 8 months to realise the effect it was having on me. I sometimes woke up in the night drenched in sweat, my shoulder ached, my left knee started playing up for the first time in years, my arthritic wrist was awful and the splint didn't help but worst of all I had no energy or drive. My brain was always slightly fuddled and I just didn't want to do anything. Then in January my frozen shoulder started and is still causing me problems that will probably take another year to clear. Then I had the breakthrough. I was taking the enormous tablet last thing at night and by late afternoon I was feeling much brighter and by the evening ready for anything so I stopped taking them in March and instantly felt better. My joints are much better and at last I have drive and ambition. My colleagues noticed an instant overnight change. Whereas before I dragged myself into work the next day I bounded upstairs. My doctor wanted me to try a lower dose but I dare not try it. My life is now so much better without these lethargy pills. My cholesterol before the heart attack was only borderline and had even fallen to a very low level. I shall try other methods for getting it down. Like any other problem, the answer is always 'lose weight and exercise more'. I may not live as long without the tablets but at least I can actually function properly.

Now for the important bit... Do not change your medication without discussing the matter with your doctor!

[Kendhni]

Now for the important bit... Do not change your medication without discussing the matter with your doctor!

Very sound advice ... if only I could trust that the doctor was not simply regurgitating the line fed to them by the pharma companies

[HK phooey]

Some years ago I read an article by Dr James Le Fanu who writes in the Telegraph. He mentioned a patient that had been suffering severe pain in the joints that mysteriously disappeared when he went away on holiday and forgot to take his simvastatin with him. Both my mother and husband were taking simvastatin and both had recently been told they had severe arthritis of the hands, Paul's hands were so painful that he couldn't do up the buttons on his shirt. I told them about the article and bullied them into getting their GPs to put them on a different statin to see what would happe. The result was that within a week all pain in the hands in both of them had disappeared.