diabetes and statins

[mumsandra]

I have type 2 diabetes and am overweight, now a nurse who has never seen me says I should take statins

from what I've read, statins can cause diabetes, also, my cholesterol levels are fine, so why does she think I need to be on Statins ?

[Ruadh]

Lordy - Nurse is blindly following 'guide lines'. She will have orders to push statins - No need for statins. Forget about it. You do not suffer from hyper-cholesterol, so ? One does indeed need to ask that question.

One has to be proactive these days, check everything.

Fortunately neither my GP nor my cardi push statins. Discussion does not take place. End of.

[Smarticus in reply to Ruadh]

Hi, whilst I agree with what Ruadh has said, get a copy of your HDL, LDL and Triglyceride (sp?) results, then ask your GP why. If they say because you need them, get them to confirm that there will be no side effects and that they are effecatios (sp? oh-god long words tonight) HTH

edit: efficacious

[mumsandra in reply to Smarticus]

you too, thank you.

[mumsandra in reply to Ruadh]

Thank you, I will start asking questions as to WHY.

[Smarticus in reply to mumsandra]

Someone once told me to ask "what happens if I dont take them/have it done" some GPs/dentists/vet have been floored by that and said "no-one has ever asked me that" mad world.

[84green]

As a type 2 diabetic you have a higher risk of developing heart disease.

However, if you do not have heart disease and you do not have high cholesterol, I would start by asking the nurse/ GP to explain why they believe you will benefit from taking a statin. Then you can research further before making a decision.

I believe statins can benefit people with heart disease and/or familial hypercholesterolemia. But they are powerful drugs and can have unpleasant side effects. They can also have benefits other than lowering cholesterol levels (such as reducing inflammation).

Personally, if not diagnosed with either of these conditions, I would question the advice in order to be able to make a better informed decision.

I would add that I am type 2 but have never had high cholesterol. I was diagnosed with mild coronary artery disease in January, at which point I began taking a statin. I had never been advised to take one before.

Best wishes

[mumsandra in reply to 84green]

Thank you so much, I will certainly do that. Great answer.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

First off statins do not cause diabetes. For someone heading for Type II diabetes it seems to appear 6 - 12 months earlier. This is often avoidable by bringing HbA1c down from the pre-diabetes level to the normal level, losing weight and increasing exercise.

In addition to lowering cholesterol statins have two additional effects:

i) reducing irritation often the precursor to plaque formation

ii) stabilising any existing plaque

In poorly controlled diabetes raised sugar levels are a primary cause of irritation. Sadly many Type IIs are poorly controlled. The two main conditions irritation and plaque formation cause are CVD (cardio vascular disease) and PAD (peripheral arterial disease). I have encountered too many Type IIs who have lost a leg due to PAD. So when I see any diabetic putting sugar in their tea/coffee or eating a sugary snack (excepting insulin dependent diabetics suffering a hypo) I have a WTF moment!

So a decision about statins is not entirely straightforward. Think it through very carefully!

[isobelhannah18]

My cholesterol was borderline for taking statins so because I ate a Mediterranean diet, drank moderately, exercised for an hour a day and had never smoked I was deemed not to need statins. 23 months ago I had a heart attack. Please discuss this with your G.P.

[Forestdweller]

I’m on statins, I’m 38 and though my cholesterol was good at 4.5 pretty even numbers between good and bad... but I have also been a type1 for over 30 years.. I also have CAD and PAD even though my blood sugars have been reasonably controlled for at least the last 20 years the first 10 not so much being a child / teen and a wild child! Having just had a just incase stent fitted I would say think carefully about the benefits of taking a statin. I wish that I had been put on them years ago, maybe I wouldn’t now be where I am... honestly if I could go back I would be biting the docs hand off for a statin.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Forestdweller]

I think us Type Is suffer a double whammy! Firstly raised blood sugars cause irritation often a precursor to plaque formation. Secondly I now also believe that insulin levels play a part!

All I can say is keep your BGs and your HbA1c as good as you can without developing OCD (obsessively controlled diabetic).