Statins

[Rhinet34]

Hi I’m on 80 mg of Avorstatin and have been for 3 years after a H/A and 3 stents fitted , I know they can cause muscle pain in the legs but has anyone had really painful fingers and hands ? I’ve lost my grip its that painful almost like my the skins too tight and won’t bend ..

[Emcd8477]

Hi Like yourself I'm on 80mg also I've been ok from the waist down but going up is a different story,my back,neck and shoulders are agony,I get pins and needles in both of my hands every single day some days are worse than others

[Rhinet34 in reply to Emcd8477]

Are you on Atorvastatin ? I’m reluctant to change to another incase the side effects are worse but my hands are getting worse

[Emcd8477 in reply to Rhinet34]

I am indeed,my cholesterol is sitting 3.4 I've asked about going down to a smaller dose as I know a few people that are on 40mg with no side affects at all,seeing my doctor tomorrow so fingers crossed,might be an idea seeing about you getting lowered down to if your cholesterol is sitting ok

[Rhinet34 in reply to Emcd8477]

Unfortunately my cholesterol is still in the 4s even on the higher dose I’ve asked in the past to maybe lower it but it’s always a no . I hope you have better luck and thanks for your reply

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Rhinet34]

May be you need to change your diet drastically Rhinet!I now don't eat any red meat, just chicken and fish, lots of different salad and vegetables! I have organic porridge oats with almond or coconut milk, which is cheaper in Aldi Supermarket!

I was experimenting with oats milk, it doesn't go sour in my coffee flasks I take to work when it hot!

I am surprised your cholesterol is 3.4 still, mine is 2.6 or 2.5 now after over 3 years!

I am a kitchen porter, work 4 shifts per week!

If you are not working, exercise once a day is vital otherwise! 👍😊

[Rhinet34 in reply to Snowdrops_17]

I follow a low carb diet and exercise 6 times a week ,I certainly watch what I eat . I’ve got polygenetic cholesterol which means I make more than normal that’s why I think it’s still in the 4 s certainly not because of what I eat

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Rhinet34]

What Polygenetic Cholesterol please? Not heard of that Rhinet 🤔

Checked it out 😁

heartuk.org.uk/genetic-cond...

Is this what you have???

[Rhinet34 in reply to Snowdrops_17]

Because there’s heart disease in my family I was tested to see if it was inherited FamilialHypercholesterolaemia, luckily I wasn’t but I was diagnosed with Polygenic hypercholesterolaemia which was explained to me that I make to much cholesterol regardless of what I eat or what I weight hence the need for a high dose of statins ..

[Rhinet34 in reply to Snowdrops_17]

Yes that’s what I have ..

[Tullymore in reply to Emcd8477]

Had problems with two different statins. Muscle pain etc. Changed to Rosuvastatin and have no more problems. Changing works

[Rhinet34 in reply to Tullymore]

Thank you

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Tullymore]

Snap! Atorvastatin, Pravastatin and Simvastatin all caused me problems. Rosuvastatin at 10mg daily causes no issues whatsoever.

[Rhinet34 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Thank you I’m going to have to speak to my dr again

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Tullymore]

It caused me muscle pain in my calves this Atorvastatin, I took 80 mg, and now I can walk much better, indoors is not to bad, but find it more difficult outside on pavements or when going for a walk near our rivers through the woods etc! Can't remember last time I managed to run after my heart attack, as was diagnosed sadly with vascular desease in my legs and a 13 cm blockage in my left femoral artery! Caused a lot of problems when walking at first, it slowly improved, but it is not as before my heart attack! I always walked fast! And I so miss that! 😢

[Howardl]

I'm on pravastatin and get pains mainly in the shoulder and hands. If I do any manual work like gardening or carrying shopping I get aches and pains, the statins make them 10 x worse so much so sometimes I find it hard to get out of the chair. I stopped taking statins about 4 months ago and although I still get aches and pains they are nowhere near as bad as with taking statins.With statins my cholesterol level is about 3.8 without statins it's about 4.5. I keep meaning to go back to the doctor and sort something out and maybe restart with a different statin but the cholesterol readings don't make the statins and the trouble that come with them worth it.

[Thongchuay in reply to Howardl]

Doctors tend to double the dose if the very low cholesterol level (set by pharma) cannot be reached. But a little gain is not worth the pain. After all the body need cholesterol and too low levels can do more harm than good.

[Rhinet34 in reply to Thongchuay]

Thank you for your reply

[Tullymore in reply to Thongchuay]

Try and change. They are all quite different

[Rhinet34 in reply to Tullymore]

Thank you

[Rhinet34 in reply to Howardl]

Thank you for your reply , it’s a nightmare isn’t it ?

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Howardl]

I would definitely speak to your GP as your quality of life is being seriously affected by the medication. I tried three statins before being persuaded to try Rosuvastatin which turned out to suit me with no side effects. It keeps my cholesterol below 4.0 (which I understand to be the preferred maximum) whereas my natural level is 4.4. There is a school of thought that the level should be below 3.0, but that may not always be possible. We are all different.

[Rhinet34 in reply to MountainGoat52]

Thank you , yes I think it’s time to speak to the dr again

[benjijen]

I reduced mine to 40mg and it didn't make much difference. Some days I had to hold on to furniture to walk around. I eventually told GP if I couldn't change them I was going to stop them completely. I am now on 5mg rosuvastatin. Still have some pain but nothing like before.

[Rhinet34 in reply to benjijen]

I was put on the High dose after having stents fitted over 3 years ago now , I don’t see a cardiologist haven’t since my H/A and of course it’s near impossible to get a face to face drs app , they’re reluctant to drop it though because they’re not experts , thank you for your reply I appreciate it

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Rhinet34]

80mg Atorvastatin seems to be the initial medication prescribed by many cardiologists. They have to start somewhere. I would certainly push for a change - I did! Medication is supposed to make you feel better and improve your quality of life, not make it worse. I'm afraid it is a fact of life that you have to be proactive in order to get things done.

[Rhinet34 in reply to MountainGoat52]

I think your right maybe it’s one of the cheaper ones ?

[Curlyman83]

Speak to your GP. They may be able to offer an alternative or lower your dosage.

[Rhinet34 in reply to Curlyman83]

Thank you

[Nks900]

I had a tough time with my GP last week; most reluctant to change my Atorvastatin to Simvastatin (and I am a retired nhs Nurse; not totally ignorant about drugs, right?). In the end he agreed for me to trial it for six months. if there's no improvement, I'll ask for Rosuvatation. You must persevere!

[Rhinet34 in reply to Nks900]

Thank you I appreciate your reply

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Nks900]

Actually for now I am lucky as over 60 and don't pay for my prescription! But if I were under 60 you pay! You want your medication to be right and suit you not make you sicker!Glad you get this sorted Nks 👍❤️

[Snowdrops_17]

Good luck and hopefully you get your statin changed for a more suitable one Rhinet 👍❤️

[Rhinet34 in reply to Snowdrops_17]

Thank you