I have LBBB , I have had for years, the only symptoms, tight chest have showed up upon heavy exercise on uphills been on bisophrolol and ramipril for ten years,. Bisoprolol dosage had to be reduced after five years as I kept fainting. Had a angiogram 2912 , arteries clear. Recent had chest pain on exercise and the usual tight chest,sent for a catscan.
Result was mild to moderate furring on most arteries , LAD more severe. On the list for angiogram. I have been put on statins again. I was on simvastatin 6 years again but this caused type 2 diabetes, memory problems and very painful legs, had to come off. . Over the years I got my glucose down to pre- diabetic levels, purely with diet. I am now on artovastatin and my blood glucose as already gone up. I am in a catch 22. Statins bring cholesterol down but raise blood sugar. Off statins my cholesterol is 6.4 and has been for years. Now struggle with tryclicerides being high , hence the statins. Both high blood sugar and high tryclicerides damage arteries. Catch 22.
Any ideas.
Written by
Sukaya
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The evidence that statins raise blood sugar is pretty thin, and it's very difficult to establish a causal relationship as blood sugar levels are in constant flux, furthermore the studies I've seen only ever show a very small increase in blood sugar.
Like roughly a third of people with heart disease/atherosclerosis my heart problems were probably a by-product of a drift towards insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. So I'm very conscious of anything that might increase my T2 diabetes risk.
Like you I've managed to control my blood sugar and HbA1c scores with life style, the holy trinity of exercise, weight loss, and improved diet (zero snacking, low carbs) have got my HbA1c scores comfortably back into the safe zone.
If I were in your position I'd firstly want to talk this over with my GP. In particular I'd want to investigate some of the different brands of statins that are said to have less or no impact on blood sugar.
Next I'd double down on life style changes, you and I both seem to be able to exert some control over our metrics purely with life style changes, so I'd crank up the exercise levels or purge any tendency towards snacking.
After that I might try something like FreeStyle Libre. I used this when I first became aware that I was pre-diabetic and I discovered what I'd heard so many other people say, namely we all seem to respond differently to different carbs/sugars. So I'm fine with boiled potatoes, sourdough bread, and brown rice. But beer, white rice, and sugary drinks (even apple juice) all cause large and immediate spikes in my blood sugar. Other people report the exact opposite. An exercise like this may give you a better handle on what else might be driving your blood sugar issues?
The very last thing I personally would do is abandon statins, and I say that as someone who doesn't really have a high lipid problem. The reason I'm so adamant that I want to stick with statins is because they stabilise our arterial plaque, speeding up the calcification process on "hot" liquid plaque, thereby making it significantly less likely to rupture and cause a heart attack or stroke.
But hey, it's our bodies and it's our choice. If you choose differently then that's absolutely your prerogative. Whatever your decision I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you for those wise words, I will contact the pharmacy to find out other makes of statins that do no affect blood sugar. Then make contact with the Doctor and ask to try those makes. Maybe this will help the situation.
Take fluvastatin , pravastatin or lovastatin. These medications are less stronger and less spike on your blood glucose. If your cholesterol is well control, you can talk to your GP whether the dosage can change to once or twice weekly instead of daily. What you said it is true that statin did spike your glucose. Not to mention that it has 15% risk to damage your kidney if your dosage is high.
Do your research on the medications side effects.
Also,trust your body and it tells you all the side effects that can be damaging in the long run.
Fyi you and I have the similar incident. Statin spike my glucose and damage my kidney. As my cholesterol is well control, I had stop taking and replace with CoQ10 coeneyzme that can help glucose as well as kidney.
Last speak to your GP , do your own research and trust your body reaction.
Unfortunately statins do raise fasting blood glucose levels in people that take them. It appears that some statins are worse than others when it comes to this:
Here's a study of 380,000 non-diabetic Koreans taking statins that showed a strong association:
It may be worth discussing with your GP whether an alternate statin might be less problematic, or whether a lower dose (or none at all) might be more appropriate for your situation.
That's strange. My husband is type 2 diabetic and was put on simvastatin. It made no difference to his sugar levels at all but he did get muscle pains and was changed to atorvastatin. I was the opposite and was fine on simvastatin. I'm not diabetic but have suffered extreme spinal pain for 20 years. Simvastatin didn't make me any worse.
Sorry to hear that you’re suffering , I don’t know if I can help you , but I was started on 7.5mg Bisoprolol and then they were reduced to 5mg .
I saw a consultant on Monday and she’s reducing them again to 3.75mg which i started this morning . There doesn’t seem to be any problems so far , but all reductions of Bisoprolol have to done gradually . Wishing you well .
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