Feeling rubbish

[Blyth1]

I received a letter from the Lipid clinic on Christmas Eve telling me my cholesterol levels had increased and advising I add Ezetimibe to my arsenal of drugs.

I phoned GP to discuss, and it was agreed I could increase my Atorvastatin from 40 mg to 60mg. My request as I was reluctant to take something else , and I had been on 80 mg following my HA’s .Had to decrease the dose because of muscle wastage and GI problems. It took my chemist a while to get my tablets.

Well I started 60mg 5 days ago. By day 2 I had abdominal discomfort. Day 3 my sleeping went to pot, when I did sleep I had horrible dreams. Day 4 onwards, nausea, abdo pain and just feel washed out and 😞

So I guess I will be phoning the GP tomorrow, certainly can’t keep taking this dose if I feel this rubbish. I just hate the thought of yet another tablet.

[Hidden]

Dear Blyth

I am genuinely sorry that you are going through what your going through.

My only thoughts on this is maybe it’s a little to soon for the side effect { if they ever will } settle down.

You have to remember that I am not medically trained , but suffered similar side effects , that soon { after a week or so with me } went off.

I think that you should contact your surgery and at lest let them register your feeling in your notes and book an appointment with your Dr { good luck there }

Take care

[Blyth1 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Blue1958 for your reply. Yes I will phone and discuss how I am feeling.I was interested to read you had the same problems but they went after a couple of weeks.

It is the constant nausea and abdo pain I am finding difficult to deal with.

[Hidden in reply to Blyth1]

Dear Blyth1

Mine is a story that you will hear time and time again on here. That isn’t to say that I’m not an individual and like you we have our own unique reactions to these drugs.

Also atorvistatin is the go to statin of the nhs, there are plenty of other versions that can do the job that yours have been prescribed for.

I really hope that you get sorted soon, you are in my thoughts

[Hidden]

Hello

I could so relate to how you are feeling

I am on a cocktail of drugs and I think if they mentioned taking just one more I would scream

I envy people that seem to be able to take meds of any kind with no side effects

I have always been someone that seems to react to meds and yes usually it is my stomach that suffers the most

At the moment even though I have stuck with all my meds 15 months my stomach is a mess and it is getting me down

Some may feel as I have been taking them that long that it will not be them causing the problem but again I know we are all different and this is something I find with me I can be fine for quite a while on something then all of a sudden my system reacts

I have narrowed it down to a couple of my meds but now I take the statin you do it has got me wondering could this be another one that could be causing stomach issues

I have had some tests which I do not know the results yet to rule out anything else and I really hope nothing else is going wrong because I could not stand that either , I feel I have been through enough now

I know the medications we take for our hearts are needed and important but side effects if you get them can make you so miserable and there has to be alternatives

I hope your appointment with your Doctor gives you an alternative that will protect your heart as well as stopping you feeling so bad due to side effects

Let us know how you get on x

[Dralex in reply to Hidden]

Your third sentence "I envy people that seem to be able to take meds of any kind with no side effects" - I regularly get that feeling too!

[Hidden in reply to Dralex]

It is always a relief to know it is not just you feels this way x

[Gail1967]

Hi sorry you have been struggling with the statins. I’ve been on 80mg since my heart attack & bypass then had ezetimibe added 18 mths ago to try to keep my cholesterol down. No major problem with the meds thank goodness so I don’t see it as another tablet- just another aid to keeping me off the surgeons table again! I know everyone is different but statin & ezetimibe combo could be a better alternative to increasing statins so worth speaking to gp

[Blyth1]

Thank you Gail 1967 for your reply. I don’t usually post, just lurk and read😂I think I have just had so many bad experiences with some drugs the thought was “well I know what Atorvastatin side effects are, so let’s try tweaking the dose up slightly and hopefully that will do the trick, “

I have had a call back from the GP already this morning ! His advice is to try and keep going with the tabs for another week and see if things settle down. The usual warning re “phone if your pee turns very dark “

So I will keep going and see how it goes. If I need to I will of course take an alternative tablet. Like you I don’t wish to end up back in hospital, I enjoy life too much.

Take care

[Lulu2607]

Hi. Hope you get sorted. I just wanted to add that ezetimibe gave me bad side effects, migraine and stomach trouble so I stopped taking it. Thankfully the statin on its own seems to be keeping my cholesterol down now. Consultant even mentioned injections for those who can't take statins, but I haven't had to try those.

[Molliedollie12]

Hi. I take Ezetimibe with Rosuvastatin 40mg, among other heart related drugs. I have been on this combo of Ezetimibe/Rosuvastatin for the last 16 yrs and found that they work to keep my hypercholesterolemia familial at an acceptable level with no side effects that you seem to be suffering. I had tried several statins before finding the right one for me so I would ask your lipid doctor to try a different one for you. Good luck and keep asking. God Bless

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

You should not look upon it as one more pill but as treating one condition. Many with seriously raised cholesterol, particularly those with FH (Familial Hypercholesterolaemia), take Ezetimibe with a statin.

Dual therapies are increasing common as the sum of two different actions is more effective than one (i.e. maxing out on one drug). This is very common with BP medication where for instance a CCI (Calcium Channel Inhibitor) may be combined with an ACE Inhibitor. It is less common when treating cholesterol as for the majority of people a statin alone suffices and is well tolerated.

[Blyth1 in reply to MichaelJH]

Thank you MichaelJH for your reply. I like your idea of thinking about this differently re not one more pill but treating one condition. I will certainly keep that in my brain bank!Like many on here I have changed diet- almost pescatarian now, I exercise and keep active but still my body does it’s own thing! Hey ho things are sent to try us sometimes.

Onward and upward. Have a good day everyone.

[Treetopp]

Hello Blyth.You may just have answered the question I've just put site.

I had a heart attack in October then had two stents fitted.

Given lots of tablets to take.

I've had very noticeable muscle

wastage and loss of weight something I cannot afford as I'm thin to start off with.

Reading your posting has enlightened me

now to the possibility of Atorvastatin

being the cause of my weight loss and muscle loss.

Thank you.

I do hope that you manage to get

the problems that you are encountering

solved too.

[winnabago]

I take Praluent Alirocumab injections150mg/ml once a month. My cholesterol has dropped dramatically, I might add that the injections are somewhat expensive. Hope this helps.