Statins oh Statins again

[Pollypuss]

If Statins are meant to do virtually the same thing as a deterrent then why do people have to keep switching over because of intolerance to one and not another. Surely the aim of the drug is to lower cholesterol etc. So why the diversity ? I mean what are the manufacturers adding/taking away in one and not another. This has always puzzled me about the drug industry . I can understand how different coating on a pill can be a problem but the aim of most drugs are meant to be targeted to one specific problem we may have

[Hidden]

This might be of use -

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

"Statin can either be fungal-derived or synthetically produced. Lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin are fungal-derived statins, while atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, pitavastatin, and rosuvastatin are fully synthetic compounds"

And it's not just Statins that vary, most meds that do the 'same' thing can have different side effects on different people.

I for example, had to try 5 different tablets as I reacted to different ACE/ARB tablets!

[Pollypuss in reply to Hidden]

So which are least likely to produce side effects

[Hidden in reply to Pollypuss]

That is impossible to say for an individual, as we all react differently! But generally if you react to 1 'type' it is worth trying the other.

From what i have read simvastatin and pravastatin are 'generally' better tolerated.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

As Hidden has said statins are all different. They are a class of drug with simar action. To my GP's surprise I could not tolerate Simvastatin (muscle aches) but was fine with Atorvastatin. I had a similar experience with CCIs (Calcium Channel Inhibitors). With Amlodipine I developed oedema but with Diltazem I did not.

Here's Simvastatin :

Simvastatin

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to MichaelJH]

And Atorvastatin :

Atorvastatin

[Pollypuss in reply to MichaelJH]

I would be interested to hear from people who forgo modern drugs in favour of alternative medicine for instance. We will never know if The Queen takes Statins for instance as she is said to favour alternative medicine to some degree like her son Charles. There must be some people who like myself cannot tolerate Statins yet still alive many years after open heart surgery

[Triheart]

I could not tolerate statins from either group due to leg pains, I was prescribed Ezetimibe, does anyone else take this?

[valeriep in reply to Triheart]

Yes. My understanding is that Ezetimibe acts in a different way to statins, in that it helps to stop excessive cholesterol being absorbed into the body. I take statins as well, btw.