Hi
Has anyone notice that they cannot control their body temperature with Statins , its like hot flushes they come and go for not apparent reason
STATINS: Hi Has anyone notice that... - British Heart Fou...
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I am on 9 different pills and generally I have no problem with them.
I do however get very hot especially at night (not a bad thing with the price of gas and electric going up 😜) but am curious as to why you believe it is statins that are causing this. Is this the only medication you are taking?
Hi I do not take anything else , I have not had a heart attack , I only have mild disease, I am told not much to worry about , in fact hospital sent me home after a panic attack saying nothing wrong with me its only I decided to go privately that they found out I had one small plaque , that was stable and had been their for years, just have to take statins , I was advised to take aspirin as a preventive measure but I cannot tolerate, my cholesterol is 2.7 on 20mg
Statins can be very controversial and obviously your cholesterol is low so maybe have a week free of them and see what the outcome is. It could be you need to try another kind of statin, I had to change after a year or 2.
Hi,
Statins are not controversial, they are falsely portrayed this way in the media and blogs, medically and scientifically they are not controversial.
There are more and more studies demonstrating that people are falsely assigning side effects to statin use, probably as they are asked to watch out for muscle cramps, which is easily resolved using a different statin or dose of statin.
imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/ne...
As I said very controversial.
You yourself proved this in your response.
Statins are poison in my view, if I’d stayed on them I don’t think I’d be here now.Brain fog. Muscle cramps, flue like symptoms , nightmares. Gradually feeling better since I stopped them. You need to get off your pedestal.
I am assuming it is me ‘that needs to get off my high horse?
It’s great you feel better, however, all the scientific evidence suggests this might be the result of the nocebo effect.
It might also mean the cardiology team should have switched your statin and/or dose to mitigate the side effects.
There is also the tendency to put cardiac patients on the highest dose of the most potent statins, instead of ramp them up 5 mg at a time, month to month.
I would assert that calling statins ‘poison’ is a tad histrionic. If I am guilty of being on a high horse, then the poison statement is on a high giraffe 🙂
Side effects from statins 'really are all in the mind'," The Times reports. A new study found people taking statins were more likely to report side effects, such as muscle aches, but only if they knew they were taking the drug.
nicswell.co.uk/health-news/...
I think if you believe everything you read in the press you are seriously misguided, and if you believe that some people can’t tolerate Statins keep taking them.
I don’t believe everything I read in the press, but I am more likely to believe decades of scientific research, meta-analysis, Cochrane reviews and NICE guidelines.
I don’t always link the scientific journal directly (but find an article with links), as most people don’t like, are not interested, or haven’t been trained in reading scientific papers.
This is the issue, science and the stats are difficult and complicated, papers have shed all their science reporters, so the papers are often reported in a rubbish way that misinterprets the data.
I remember reading an article in the BMJ, then seeing the interpretation of it in New Scientist, and then finally in the Metro. The Metro butchered it.
in other words it’s all irrelevant
Yes, that is exactly what I was saying, it’s all irrelevant. 😂
Of course there are people who can’t tolerate some doses or types of statins. There are alternatives like PCSK9, fibrates, resins…….or trying a different type of statin.
It has also been shown in research that reintroducing the same statin after a break often eliminates side effects.
There are people who don’t respond to paracetamol or are super metabolisers of codeine so they don’t work as pain relief. It’s all a part of biochemical individuality, however, there is A LOT of evidence that side effects in statins are over-reported or ‘nocebos’.
It was a general comment about the research and not intended as a slight on your personal experience.
It is important to modify LDL in people with cardiac issues as discontinuing statins significantly increases all cause mortality.
jamanetwork.com/journals/ja...
Cardiovascular Outcomes and Mortality Associated With Discontinuing Statins in Older Patients Receiving Polypharmacy
The body needs cholesterol for energy.
what pedestal am I on?
I think it was meant for me.
All medicines are poisons, it's the dosage that matters.
The fact remains statins do more good for more people people that are adversely effected by them.
How did I prove it in my statement?
I suppose it is sort of like how the flat-earth people think that the world being ovoid is controversial?
Seriously?
Read your first reply to me where you yourself state that there are different trains of though, how is this not proving they are controversial?
I have no issue with them and am currently taking 80 mgs but a lot of people (some medical) who think they do more harm than good.
It doesn't matter what I believe the fact that there are those who believe they are harmful show they are controversial which I believe is what you said!
I suggest you do your own research to help you come to a conclusion. There is a lot of information out there. Wish you all the best.
Is this meant for me?
I HAVE done my own research and have been on Statins since 2012 and have changed once to find one that suits me.
I am happy taking Statins, but I am aware many people do not feel the same.
How is someone going to do a double-blind clinical trail? Because that's what is needed to obtain unbiased research data.
I was on them for 18 months nearly ruined my life. Got off them just in time.
That may have been unclear.
Scientifically, there is no controversy.
People are sometimes a bit bonkers in what they think, and medics are not immune to bonkers thinking and/or not using science based medicine. It is easy to understand, science can be quite complicated even before you get to the statistics.
I think it is often quite tragic when medical misinformation, for example, with statins, have permeated popular culture such that people will have worse medical outcomes as a result of it.
Hi Zbignieva
There is controversy.
Please read the medical Misinformation from the BNF and many others that I have described in my reply to Heather1957.
Persevere99
Yep, totally agree with Heather 1957.
Statins are controversial for these reasons-
1. This is the Number 1 medication on the planet - a market of £50 billion a year worldwide, yet the manufacturers are not made to REMOVE the Number 1 side effect of MUSCLE ACHES. Why is that?
It would be straightforward to reformulate the medication and remove it.
2. NOCEBO - This was a valid concept created by Walter Kennedy back in 1961 - if you are told you may experience a side effect, you will look out for it.
Now, my point is this - WHY has the medical community latched on to NOCEBO and use it as a ‘defensive wall’ when anybody complains of muscle aches. They don’t wheel out Nocebo, on a hospital trolley, for any other meds, do they? Why is that?
NOCEBO is totally linked to statins.
3. INCORRECT AND MISLEADING BNF STATIN SIDE EFFECTS INFORMATION - and many others
This is a list of 12 statin side effects from the BNF-
Common or very common
Asthenia; constipation; diarrhoea; dizziness; flatulence; gastrointestinal discomfort; headache; myalgia; nausea; sleep disorders; thrombocytopenia
Now, EVERY medical professional in the world would confirm that muscle aches are indeed the NUMBER ONE side effect of statins.
90% of the side effects of statins are Muscle Aches. Therefore, to incorrectly list the side effects only in alphabetical order, a layman reading the above, would think that the likelihood of Myalgia happening was only about 8%. And therefore would not know that Myalgia was indeed the Number One side effect of statins.
Why is the BNF (and others) not instructed to correct their above Misinformation?
4. LIFESTYLE
Surely, before prescribing any meds, should not the prescriber discuss the patients’s lifestyle first?
If the patient presents with raised cholesterol, should they first not be advised to-
Do lots of exercise
Get their BMI down to under 21
Eat a plant based diet, which has NO cholesterol
Etc
No point the medic wheeling out statins if the patient continues with an unhealthy lifestyle. To come back, again and again and again.
Persevere99
well said
Just out of interest do you believe that the BHF funded research is untrue?
bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-...
Hi Milk Fairy
To answer your query -
The ‘research’ is manipulated to serve a large portion of the medical community who believe everyone should be on statins.
I read somewhere that some believe that statins should be in tap water.
I’ve also read many ‘studies’ that say something like this - statin muscle aches are only true in about 1 or 2 people in 10,000. This is because they say that CK values should be over 10 times the normal level. When the truth is that 15 - 20% of people will self report muscle aches.
Can you kindly answer these queries-
1. Why are the Muscle Aches side effect not totally removed from statins? Statins are a 50 £billion a year industry, so the £$€ are there to start from scratch and come up with a 100% non-myopathic solution.
2. Why are the BNF and many others ‘allowed’ to Misinform the general public, by listing Myalgia as just 1 of 12 side effects? When the reality is that Myalgia is 90% of the side effects of statins?
Every medic in the world will say this - The Number 1 side effect of statins is muscle aches.
3. Why has Nocebo, agreed, a valid concept, been ‘dragged’ in to dismiss all reports of muscle aches?
Daily Mail Dr Michael Mosley et al. Nocebo is not used to ‘counter’ self reported side effects for any other medication, is it?
4. Lifestyle - should this not be addressed (and changed) first, before the medic drags out the prescription pad? How much would the NHS save if everyone followed a healthy lifestyle - many, many billions?
So, should the medic not say this - let’s first try lifestyle remedies (above) to address your high numbers? If that is not successful, we will discuss medications.
5. Athletes/Exercisers - why do the BNF, NHS and every patient leaflet not acknowledge that Athletes are 4 times at greater risk of muscle aches on statins? See the landmark Sinzinger and O’Grady study below, that proved the above.
Journal List Br J Clin Pharmacol v.57(4); 2004 Apr PMC1884475
After reading the study, I found 35 others that related the same. But, this remains completely ‘hidden’.
Nowadays, I read that Exercise should be prescribed! Fair enough - but with the ‘prescription’ should there not be a warning that if you exercise and take statins, you will be at 4 times at greater risk of muscle aches?
Thanks
Persevere99
"The ‘research’ is manipulated to serve a large portion of the medical community who believe everyone should be on statins."
Seriously? You are suggesting the BHF manipulates the data?
You remind me of a previous forum member who was removed from the forum.
Your statement is littered with FALSE INFORMATION
You claim that a plant based diet has no cholesterol is NOT TRUE.
Many plant based foods are high in cholesterol.
There's very little controversy but a lot of FALSE INFORMATION.
A basic web search will reveal some plant based foods contain cholesterol.
This is why it's important to seek information from reliable sources and just accept what others tell you.
Many plant
I reckon you’re talking about Saturated Fats David.
Avocado, palm oil and nuts have saturated fats, but NO cholesterol.
To repeat, there is NO cholesterol in a vegan diet.
See this from the web just now -
On A Plant-Based Diet: Your Essential Guide To ...
Cholesterol is only found in animal products – meat, fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs. There is no cholesterol in plant-based foods – even in high-fat plant foods such as avocados, nuts and seeds. So, it follows that a vegan diet is completely cholesterol-free.
17 Jan 2021
Persevere!
Totally agree with you. I echo your views.
Hello 
I take so many tablets including statins now and again I get what I call a hot flush but I have mentioned this to my Doctor who says it is either anxiety and as I am around the same age as you it could still be the menopause
I cannot remember reading on here that statins have given any one hot sensations but someone might come on and say they have x
I never know if my hot flushes are due to hormones, are heart related or due to Qigong (like Tai Chi) exercises. I get palpitations (before and after my HA 5 years ago) a lot but no symptoms alongside. But I will try and note if I get hot at the same time - don't think I do.
Don’t know if it’s caused by the statins but I get hot flushes during the evening but that is before I’ve taken my daily statin.
Well, I'm on statins after a heart attack but I would never associate the hot flushes, profuse sweating round forehead and neck and total intolerance of hot weather with any tablet I'm taking. They are certainly not menopause; that was 34 years ago. I haven't a clue what causes them. I can understand you thinking it may be statins as that's all you are taking but these things are not always caused by tablets and they are not a regularly reported side effect of statins. Try thinking of other physical reasons, hormones, even adrenal glands caused by anxiety. If you want to try doing without statins, it takes 4 weeks to get them out of your system but do it with your doctor's approval.
Well, I'm on statins after a heart attack but I would never associate the hot flushes, profuse sweating round forehead and neck and total intolerance of hot weather with any tablet I'm taking. They are certainly not menopause; that was 34 years ago. I haven't a clue what causes them. I can understand you thinking it may be statins as that's all you are taking but these things are not always caused by tablets and they are not a regularly reported side effect of statins. Try thinking of other physical reasons, hormones, even adrenal glands caused by anxiety. If you want to try doing without statins, it takes 4 weeks to get them out of your system but do it with your doctor's approval.
Good morning Qualipop I was very interested to read that you have forehead and neck sweating - so do I !! I have taken Simvastatin for many years after being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes with no real problems they were changed to Atorvastatin after a HA two years ago plus a cocktail of heart meds - as you say it's not noted as a side effect of of anything !!?? 🤷
Haha, I was the opposite, couldn't tolerate atorvastatin so changed to simvastatin. Everyone's different. My husband hated simvastatin and stopped taking statins completely. The forehead and neck sweating is weird because I no longer sweat anywhere else at all . From my forehead it can be so bad it runs into my eyes. Random times, not weather related.
Hello I have just started taking Ramipril (also amlodipine and Bisopropol)and have found I have started to have severe hot flushes. Do you take Ramipril ?
I do feel very hot at night, but I have always put it down to hormones (or lack of!) I am the same age as you and take statins as well as amlodipine, bisoprolol and apixaban. I also, like Qualipop struggle with hot weather, but oddly can feel the cold very much more than my partner. My temperature control is definitely not what it was and have no idea, apart from blaming my age/hormones why!
I do still get the occasional hot flush but doubt if it is due to the menopause as I am well past that age group. I hadn't considered the possibility of statins causing them, but suppose this is a possibility. I also take clopidogrel and believe that I have been a much colder person since taking them. Assume this is because my blood is thinner. However, I am grateful for all my meds which I believe are keeping me alive so I will continue to take them as prescribed. You do have the option of requesting a different statin or even a reduced dose. Check with your GP.
Hello, I also suffer from these inexplicable hot flushes. These only started after my HA in May 21, I did contribute the flushes to my medication but could not define which one of the typical post HA meds it was. I have identified that if I have alcohol the flushes are much worse in the following days. I believe this is because of the interaction with the meds, which I think is most likely to be statins as I take a whacking 80mg. The rest are at 1.25mgs.
Obviously my intake of alcohol is minimal these days, but I do like a glass of good red wine! If I indulged I do know I will suffer the “hots”.
I’m way past the menopause, during which ironically I did not suffer from hot flushes at all! Good luck on your journey of discovery.
2.7 for cholesterol seems unnecessarily low. Only needs to be about 4. Bearing in mind that they’ve slowly lowered the threshold over the years (pushed by Big Pharma possibly) What was your level before starting on statins? I would question your need for statins given your reading. Are there other risk factors? Diabetes? Obesity?
Total cholesterol is not what the medics are looking at, and the cholesterol has obviously been lowered due to the drugs, so………..
The statins are to stabilise the plaque, as the OP said
can your cholesterol go to low what is too low ?, Doctors gave me the impression that you had to take 40mg and it did not matter what it took you cholesterol down too , she told me all the research for mild plaque has been done on 40mg and they do other things at that strength then the outcome is very good , apparently for every 10mg your cholesterol goes down 0.6 so mine will be down another 1.2 if I go up to 40 which I am month by month training my body to cope with - as I say the latest is I get hot flushes and I have never had a hot flush in my life-and at 61 I think I am well past the menopause
Not on a statin but had open heart surgery 6 years ago, have said since then they did something to my thermostat in the operation 😂 I live in Scotland and don’t seem to feel the cold anymore. My feet are always hot 😂
Pauline
Not heard that one.
Started them last week and yes, get terrible hot flushes.
Hi, since my HA in February I cannot control my temperature either. I had to come off the status due to liver damage , still showing sone enzymes . On ramipril and bisopropol and ticgralir plus aspirin, profuse sweating can occur with these meds, it’s awful as it attacks me day and night, asked for her but gp will but give, perhaps gad I Vern given it the HA night but gave happened…. Lack of estrigen??? Good luck and stay chilkedx
I've been on Atorvastatin for years and have occasional night sweats but I've been going through the menopause. Ask you doctor for a blood test to see if you're in your menopause, at least that way you can rule that out and perhaps ask your doctor what they think too. Good luck.
Hi I was put on atorvastatin 10mg .been on that for 7 months . I had hot flushes but that's my age I presume.But due to extra painful joints and legs . I have stopped it for a month . Due to restart to see if there is any difference.
But since stopping the hot sweats are mostly now in my forehead and I do sweat where as before it was a dry hot flush .
So I have no idea if it's medication related or hormonal .
I have had occasional sensations of hot flushes on statins, but they seem to be fewer and far between. I have come to believe, after talking to my cardiologist, that they are more anxiety related.
I dunno...as I've said, there are so many possible interactions between or among drugs that can lead to side effects that it can be nearly impossible to tease them out. And then among us who have had heart attacks/stents/bypasses, there are also physical changes to our hearts.
I would say that the benefits of statins/bisoprolol/aspirin are relatively well documented (of course, anyone is free not to take these), so I can live with some side effects.
I do get them ....Im 72 year old male, as to why, I have no idea, but I doubt statins
On statins for over six years due diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia after 3 cardiac stents (or in words of cardiac consultant ‘your body is trying to kill you’). Statins are the only way to keep my problem cholesterol under control, I’ve read all the peer reviewed research papers and attended seminars on the topic as well as speaking to family members with medical experience. Only sweats, aches and pains I get are from being in the gym four times a week which statins and the other meds I take ensure I’m able to do safely.
I noticed chronic coldness, especially in my hands, a few months after going on 40 mg atorvastatin (Lipitor). Three years ago I received a stent because of a blockage ( not a heart attack). My GP and cardiologist have no explanation for cold hands?
yes, I’m the same. It doesn’t seem to last long but is something I’ve learned to live with. Do you take other medication such as Dijoxin?
ah so thats what it is i am on atorvastatin
I have trouble with body temperature and I can’t take statins. When I did take them I cooked down quite a lot. They reduce inflammation that’s why doctors like you to take them. I loved being cool. It the statins didn’t agree with my liver so I now use a cool pad for pets to keep my feet cool lol
I am 100 % positive that NICE uses more than QUALYS (considering the cost of new drugs before recommending them).
Out of curiosity, where did you get the idea that NICE can’t be trusted?
NICE was globally recognised as a world leader in promoting clinical excellence when it was introduced, and continues to be recognised as a world leader.
It is something that British people can be proud of, it has been able to get very expensive new drugs for the British people because of the way it evaluates new treatments.
There is a group of normal, everyday people who also have input into a lot of the decisions made by NICE, it isn’t just the experts in that field.
Would you be ok with a drug that costs £80, 0000/month but only extends someone’s life for 3 months, or would you prefer a drug that costs £5, 000/month but would extend someone’s life for 10 years?
That is what QUALYS are used for.
We can’t all use every new drug when it comes out, especially when they are not always effective.
QUALYS are also useful in keeping drug companies from making a slight improvement to a drug and then charging excessively for it, or in considering which one of two equally effective treatment will be used.
NICE recommends some very expensive things, for example, that BNP is used to test patients for heart failure and SFLT/PIGF used to test for pre-eclampsia, both of which are eye-watering expensive tests.
They did the same for highly sensitive Troponin T when it was shockingly expensive, the price has now come down.
I could give you the approximate prices per shot of reagent, for example something like TSH would be 5-7 pence per shot (quite typical for most tests) TNT started out at £7/shot , BNP is £ 150/shot, SFLT/PIGF is £120/shot.
As well, it isn’t just one test when BNPs are run, at a minimum to set up the test every day, it would be £300 before you even start, or a maximum of £750 to set it up if everything goes well (it could have to be repeated if things don’t go well /don’t work). And that is just the reagent cost, not the labour, equipment, energy etc.
Money is ALWAYS a consideration in health care, but it isn’t the only one.
The clinical need and improved outcome is also important.
Drug-eluding stents are far more expensive than bare metal stents, but NICE recommends the drug-eluding stents.
I could go on and on, but this is getting long, but just watch for your blood tests starting to include a measured LDL rather than a calculated as this is going to be a new NICE recommendation.
PS. You can read all the recommendations yourself, it is a good way to keep your GP giving you everything you need.
I am sorry if my post read as a lecture, that wasn’t my intention.
Yes, I have heard of issues with NICE, however, it still recognised mistakes.
Medicine is still quite new, antibiotics aren’t even 100 years old.
I think it may have been in their intention to curtail antibiotic resistance, the recommendations were flawed, which is tragic, I agree.
NICE was founded in 1999, it was bound to make mistakes.
It would be lovely if everything was perfect but it isn’t. Mistakes are made with medics not following recommendations and in following recommendations.
If we didn’t have NICE, what would you suggest we use to guide clinical practices? Previously it really was down to individual medics.
You are relentless!!
Not sure how this relates to the posts about Statins.
I really think you are obsessed!!
Hi. I agree that everybody is entitled to an opinion it’s just sometimes the way it is put across can present as deliberately provocative. I’m sure that wasn’t your intention and that you are on this forum to give and receive genuine support to others.
As I said OBSESSED!
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