Statins 80mg

[Franky17]

Good morning I got a question that's bugging me, I'm taking blood thinners and 80mg statins,after second stent.my cholesterol was 5.9 I'm age 56 male,I've allways tried to stay on the move with bit of tai chi,but recently my joints feel tight and my knees have started clicking ,I can just feel my whole body tightening up, when I was in hospitial there was a guy in the bed opiste and he said he's mate started taking statins and he had to stop he's dancing because he knees and legs was hurting,so he stopped the statins, my question is are the statins doing me more bad than good,sorry for my crap spelling,thank you

[Bazmack48]

I have only been on 20MG Atorvastatin since early September, had a suspected HA but only found very high cholesterol. I was told many years ago that I had naturally high cholesterol and took statins for years until a penny pinching GP said I didn’t need them! Anyway, I have been suffering very bad joint and muscle pain for weeks and filled out the online form for GP requesting a change in statin. Nurse just rang and said just reduce dose, I have insisted a change and have now been given Simverstatin 40mg. Hopefully I can stop taking painkillers before I get out of bed as I have never had such painful joints and muscles. I am using hubbies log in.

[ling in reply to Bazmack48]

If the problem's a statin, I wonder if changing to another statin makes a difference?

Could u update us if the simvastatin has lesser side effects?

Thank you

[Bazmack48 in reply to ling]

I have yet to pick up Simvastatin from chemist. We are told to wait four days from the time doctor sends the prescription. My hubby is also waiting to see if my aches and pain improve as he takes Atorvastatin and gets lots of pain etc. I understand it takes four weeks to get A out of your system. I will keep you updated.

[ling in reply to Bazmack48]

Marvellous! Thank you very much.

Btw, I was prescribed Atorvastatin and asked why not simvastatin. The cardio said different statins were used for different circumstances

[Bazmack48 in reply to ling]

Hubby read up on statins, Atorvastatin is one of the stronger ones. He is going to see if my aches and pains improve and then speak to GP to see if he can change. When he was first prescribed them, 80mg, they affected his liver and had to stop taking them until he had scan. He was put back on 10mg but still suffers pain, his blood tests are fine.

[ling in reply to Bazmack48]

Yes liver injury the cardio mentioned. Was his only symptom liver pain?

By blood tests, do u mean for cholesterol?

[Bazmack48 in reply to ling]

It wasn’t just liver pain, he had pain everywhere. The hospital gave him regular blood test as they said he had deranged liver function. As I said they sent him to another hospital for a liver scan and then his cardiologist wanted him to take a low dose of statin as he had a HA in 2016. Only taking 10 mg Atorvastatin and recent blood test fine. It’s just he suffers muscle and joint pain very similar to me. Not fun getting old.

[ling in reply to Bazmack48]

Thank you very much for sharing. Ya, it's no fun getting old : (

Was there ever any discussion about switching to a non-statin medication?

[Bazmack48 in reply to ling]

No discussions about non statins. We have a very poor GP surgery, it is supposed to be the best in the area. As an example they put hubby on folic acid for over a year for stomach problem. Luckily for us when hubby too ill to visit surgery they sent the practice paramedic out. He was whisked straight into hospital with extremely low BP and kept in isolation for three weeks. He lost 35 kg in weight. There is one new doctor recently arrived who seems on the ball, fingers crossed.

[ling in reply to Bazmack48]

Perhaps should explore a non-statin alternative. The statin side effect sounds just crazy.

My parents had taken statins for a long time with no problems. Touch wood. My mother is still on simvastatin.

Thank you, best wishes to the both of u. Let us know how your simvastatin trial goes. Thanks!

[Drewsie in reply to Bazmack48]

Hi. How were aware of liver problems from the statins? Symptoms?

[Bazmack48 in reply to Drewsie]

Hubby had pain in most joints and found it difficult to walk. A blood test showed a deranged liver function. He stopped taking statins and after a few months had a liver scan which showed no problems. Put back on 10mg.

[Heartinthehills]

Hi Franky17. I am in my 70's with 3 stents and have been on 80mg of Atorvastatin since I was 64. I have had no obvious side effects other than occasional calf muscle cramps promptly stopped by standing up and stretching the muscle. My cholesterol is now down to 3.0. I also still enjoy some fatty treats in my diet (pork crackling, cream, etc) and trust that the statin is dealing with them. You don't say which statin you are on but I have heard that some people change to a different type if they have adverse reactions to one brand. BHF have also published plenty of data on the benefits of Statins and a convincing survey that showed some side effects can be brought on by the worry of side effects rather than the drug itself. Good to see you are keeping active which is also the best advice I was given. Good luck with sorting out your knees and I would recommend keeping up with your 80mg dose.

[scotsrish in reply to Heartinthehills]

Hi Heartinthehills i was wondering if you had a heart attack or stents placed from just discovering blockages.

[Heartinthehills in reply to scotsrish]

Hi Scotsrish. Yes I had a heart attack and emergency treatment involving placing of 3 stents. You can read my profile which tells most of the story by clicking on my 'handle' then on 'read more' in the profile line at the top. I just read your profile and first listing which sounds like you had some bowel problems with the medication. I also have problems from time to time but seem to work through them. Mild constipation is now the norm for me with occasional unexplained bouts of very loose bowel movements that take a while to go away. Still haven't worked out any cause for this after 7 years on the same medication and learned to live with it rather than mess about with the medication. Before my incident I had a rock solid stomach rarely ever reacting to any bugs so the medication is likely the cause of my new normal.

[Clerkenweller]

I’ve been on the same dose as you for 2 years and previously a low dose for 12 years . It is essential that I take it to prevent build up of deposits in an aortic aneurysm. I’ve had occasional leg cramps at night (stretching and exercise help) but for me it’s a price worth paying. A change of statin might help.

[Pollypuss]

What I still can’t understand about Statins is that they address inflammation . However my sister had to take anti inflammatory medication to relieve the joint pain caused by statins. She has been off them now for some time and no pain

[scotsrish in reply to Pollypuss]

Reading many books and reviewing studies, seeing as the big pharmaceuticals do not feel it is that important to include women who's chemistry, anatomy etc is quite different then mens!, in these studies , one really has to do their research. What i did find surprising was that older women do not seem to benefit from statins as much as men do or at all. Nice to know seeing as all the side effects and nearly 46 % will end up with diabetes.

[Pollypuss in reply to scotsrish]

That’s really interesting. My sister really suffered while on Statins . She had a mild heart attack 11 years ago and stopped taking them four years ago . She is 88 and her tests are normal