Statin side effects after cardiac arrest and stemi heart attack

[Sunshineandflower]

Hello, my husband 52 yrs is now on several medications including maximum statin - atorvastatin 80mg after having a stemi heart attack and cardiac arrest in November. He has started to have side effects from the statin we think, achy knee especially, generally achy which he wasn't before. We have heard side effects from maximum dose statin especially can cause problems with the calcium / muscles. He did ask the cardiac rehab nurse at the beginning if the dose would go down but she said he would stay on it (supposedly because of the severity of his heart event) his cholesterol has more than halved and he's more careful with diet etc. We will ask again now he is having side effects but wondered if anyone has had similar problems?thank you

[BeKind28-]

Hello

I am sorry to read about your Husbands heart attack

I had 3 heart attacks and a triple Bypass

After my first heart attack I was put on 80mg of statin but I had pain everywhere on that dose and I was told I could go down to 40mg which I tolerate

They do check my cholesterol and it is ok on 40mg

I hope when you speak to them again as there are different statins they might consider trying hom on another one or they might decide he can take a lower dose this will be more the Consultant that will access the situation

I hope his recovery is going well otherwise and let us know how he gets on x

[Inspireblue in reply to BeKind28-]

Hi, Sorry to hear about your husband condition, I too am.on statin, mine is Astrovastatine 80mg apparently the cario nurse advised me that this is the latest statin which has the least side effects, all I can advise is to ask your gp to change statins or a.different chlorestrol drug. I had the.same problem muscular aches Dr stated very kindly " live with it or have a high risk of another heart attack ", what a lovely fella.

[BeKind28- in reply to Inspireblue]

x

[Sunshineandflower in reply to BeKind28-]

Thank you for your reply everyone... It's so useful to know everyone's stories on these matters.

[BeKind28- in reply to Sunshineandflower]

Glad everyone's replies have helped you x

[Sunshineandflower in reply to BeKind28-]

Thank you

[BeKind28- in reply to Sunshineandflower]

x

[baly_2023]

HiSorry to hear about this,I hope your husband is recovering well , I'm 53 and had my STEMI in November.

I'm on 80mg Atorvastarin and my legs definitely feel crampy especially in the morning but it goes as the day moves on.

One thing that people don't realise about statins is not only do they reduce cholesterol but they also stabilise the arterial wall plaques ( these break off, cause the body to form a clot, which then can lead to the blockage of a blood vessel and cause a heart attack).

My cholesterol levels pre heart were within the healthy guidelines, now they are very low but since statins are used to reduce the risk of another heart attack, I will have to take them for life and your husband will too.

There are probably ones which may suit your husband better,

thanks baly

[doktordru in reply to baly_2023]

I’m in a similar position to you. NStemi in July 22 and now on 80mg Atorvastin alongside Bisoprolol and Dispersible Aspirin My cholesterol was also low pre incident but since Statins and some dietary changes has plummeted. I did suffer some terrible aches around arms and shoulders early on but they’ve faded and my only concern with Statins and dosage now is their impact on other areas. But as been mentioned already, stabilising effect of this drug is another big reason for taking it. If your surgery has one, try talking to the practice pharmacist ref finding the right one.

[Sunshineandflower in reply to doktordru]

Thank you so much for this reply

[Sunshineandflower in reply to baly_2023]

Thank you, very interesting to hear everyone else's experience.

[DWizza]

Hi , I was on 80mg artovastatin, Nstemi and quadruple bypass july 2023. About 5 months post surgery and excellent linear progress with rehab I noticed that I was feeling incredibly sore and achey on my joints , tendons and muscles . I also noticed as did my wife that I had increased cognitive impairment, I couldn’t do some basic things without making mistakes , definitely couldn’t multi task (couldn’t reconcile my credit card 🤦🏼) felt cold and tired most of the time plus other symptoms ( tinnitus was reall bad and continues).. GP agreed to a trial stoppage of the statin. That went on for a month before I could get another gp appointment 🤦🏼 was meant to be two weeks. I felt so much better , achieved PBs in my 5k running, enjoyed twice weekly challenging yoga classes and was back on form. I’m now on 40mg of Pravastatin, not feeling achey or sore on my joints so far but it’s only about 3 eeeks in. I’m still having fatigue /tiredness and blood pressure dropping from 125/75 to 101/61 in the afternoons and falling asleep. So I’m trying to get advice as to whether the cause of this could be my beta blocker, should I be taking it at night instead of day time , could I halve the doses , or do I need to try another one or is there another cause … it is a bit of a quest to keep pushing GP and consultant for some answers and the process is always slow . Particularly the GP system of online submission, triage by a clinician (I can’t get through to the one fictitious that has a grip on my situation ) then receiving texts that have no context other than it’s against medical advice to stop taking the medication 🤦🏼…

I’m pretty sure my artovastatin was causing my aches and cognitive issue . There was no suggestion of reducing it from 80mg to 40mg I was put on another statin . I hope you get to the bottom of it soonest .

[Sunshineandflower in reply to DWizza]

Thank you so much. My husband gets cold now too, presumably from the blood pressure tablets etc. I hope you go on okay.

[Caminante2024]

Try to talk to your cardiologists to change the statin or take another cholesterol lowering medication. You don't have to suffer!!!!! Try Ornish/Esselstyn-diet and your LDL will go down by itself and you will be able to lower the statin-dose!!!! All the best and good luck!!!!

[Sunshineandflower in reply to Caminante2024]

Thank you for this.

[elliebath]

Not exactly the same reason, but my friend had a TIA (mini stroke) and was prescribed 80mg statins. A while later she questioned the doctor about such a high dose, and was told that reason for 80mg was because the clinical trial had only used 80mg, so there was no clinical evidence that a lower dose might be just as adequate. My friend stressed that she'd like to try a lower dose and be monitored. The doctor agreed to reduce to 40mg. and a year later her tests are still satisfactory and so she remains on the lower dose.

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to elliebath]

Within the NHS link below which leads to a pdf, there is a comparison table which shows the different efficacy rates for statins vs. doses as it affects LDL. In my case the increase from 40mg Atorvastatin to 80mg after my NSTEMI reduced my total lipids from 5.0 to 5.5 to 4.5 to 5.0.

gloshospitals.nhs.uk/docume...

[Sunshineandflower in reply to elliebath]

Thank you elliebath.

[Palmareal]

my partner had heart attack and stent inserted at the end of January. Nothing but trouble since in that it seems the medication has some effect in constant dizzy spells and light heads, so extreme that he cannot leave the house and isn't eating as much etc. He has been taken off ramipril altogether. On a recent hospital admission they said he had an ejection systolic murmur and following another visit to a different hospital on Friday who met with a fabulous consultant who has taken him bisoprolol for a week to see if it would be that causing the dizzy spells and he could not locate the murmur. Has anyone else had these problems? It would seem to me that the aftercare in our area following a heart attack and stent fitting is slack and everything we have had to find out i have found out from this site.

[Sunshineandflower in reply to Palmareal]

Sorry to hear your partner is struggling. My husband gets a bit dizzy now when he stands from sitting.