Rosuvastatin HELP

[Slky]

After taking Atorvastatin and it making me ill iv started Rosuvastatin 5mg I was ok up until day 12 and then I had the most horrendous headache that pain killers wouldn't move, after speaking with pharmacy he told me to stop for a few days, the headaches went but I'm.now told I need to start them again , does anyone know or have experience on whether these headaches could pass ... I'm just sooooo fed up of it all , cholesterol & statins are taking over my life and I'm on the brink of being depressed by it all... please if anyone can help with advice on these headaches I really would appreciate it.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

If you believe you are experiencing side effects from statins that are affecting your quality of life then you should discuss with your GP on the basis that you might be statin intolerant. And if this is the case and the medical opinion is that you need to take medication to manage your lipid profile there are other forms of medication available to try e.g ezetimibe, and your GP should be sympathetic to your situation to allow this to happen. However in the end if lipid management medication gives you side effects that are significantly affecting your quality of life, then you, and only you, has to decide whether you just put up with the side effects or whether you just accept the perceived increase in heart health risk should you decide to discontinue taking them.

[Slky in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Thank you... I do want to stay on statins but only if I can tolerate them. and they dont make me ill to that degree. I'm taking one every other day now for the next week then start back on them every day. My gp is a waste of time so I see the in-house pharmacist now... when the first statin I had made me ill, pains in every part of my body, his reply was " its up to you what you do" and he didn't offer me anything different but the pharmacist has but he said if I can't tolerate Rosuvastatin the next thing would be injections every 6 months which I will not be willing to do... you seem very noligable, if you have high cholesterol does it mean that in the future you will definitely have a stroke or heart attack? This is what I'm being led to believe and its worrying me.

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to Slky]

NoIf you reside in England your GP should be adhering to the NHS England 'Statin Intolerance Pathway'. If you web search for it it comes as a pdf down load. Although it has quite a lot of medical jargon if you study it there is a section within which covers alternatives to statins should you be found to be truly statin intolerant, subject to eligibility. Inclisiran, which is likely the injection you mentioned, is an expensive option compared to statins and other meds and is therefore not the default as far as I am aware. But ezetimibe on its own can be prescribed as far as I am aware, but it is apparently not as effective as taking a statin. But because it works in a different way to statins it is often prescribed as a top up to the statin, for people with very high cholesterol, like me, and since I have been taking it it has certainly lowered my cholesterol further. My suggestion to you is, if you cannot tolerate statins and are offered Inclisiran, I would take it. It is an infrequent injection, and the 'official' reported side effects are few, and people on here who take it seem to agree with that. If you search Inclisiran on this site you will find several posts about it, some specifically about side effects.

[Slky in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Many thanks for the reply... I appreciate it

[Scho1]

Hi, I too suffered the dreadful headaches and could not tolerate rosuvastatin. Speak with your GP there are so many others available to try.

[Gillypops66 in reply to Scho1]

my doctor and I have battled for 18 months to find a statin that didn’t affect me adversely. I had two stents fitted December 2022.

My new doctor at my surgery is working with me now. Her conclusion was given the risks of heart attack /stroke versus the dreadful effects of statins it wasn’t worth losing quality of life!

So I’m just on aspirin now. Bisoprolol - cardiologist said I didn’t need as have no angina. We are working on my health overall, losing weight, healthy diet, I do a lot of hill walking.

We are reviewing in a few weeks. I couldn’t see the point of surviving the surgery ( an artery tore on inflation of stent) only to feel ill all the time on meds.

I already have arthritis and fibromyalgia, so having more pain was unacceptable for me.

Only you can decide which approach to take, but you need to work with your doctor so it’s an informed choice.

Good luck!

[Slky in reply to Scho1]

Iv been told because iv tried to two different ones I can't try another one has there's no point. I did try Etzimbe but only for 2 days then stopped because they told me I would have to have Atorvastatin added to it and I'm not ever taking that again ... thank you for your reply

[Scho1 in reply to Slky]

That’s so not right keep pushing or see another doctor if you can

[nextadventure in reply to Slky]

As others have said, you CAN use ezetemibe and other additional medication without using a statin. They may not be as effective as a statin but they do help. Better to start with the tablets, because if an injection caused problems it can't simply be stopped. Hope you are also receiving and acting on dietary advice. Best wishes

[Slky in reply to Scho1]

Did you find one that suited you in the end?

[Scho1 in reply to Slky]

Hi yes after trying several.

[Slky in reply to Scho1]

Oh good , I wonder why I'm only being allowed to try two! ... thank you for replying

[Scho1 in reply to Slky]

Don’t give up keep on at your doctor. I’m lucky I have a good one who was willing to try me on numerous ones.

[andybarn]

i had atorvastatin then rosuvastatin and am now on simstatin due to side effects of muscle ache.

[Slky in reply to andybarn]

Hi, I was told simvastatin is the worst for side affects by the pharmacy but everyone I speak to who's on it doesn't seem to have any problems.. did you get headaches off the Rosuvastatin?

[andybarn]

no headaches for me, only muscle pains

[JohnWesterdale]

What else does the statin affect? Depletion of coq10 at least, and who knows what else. The calcium in crestor ( rosuvastatin Calcium is it's name) is intended to calcify/stabilize plaques. What does that change? For me, crestor gave me trouble with brain fog and memory. Am on diet and exercise program now, but learned I have apolipoprotein B overabundance. Need to get HDL out of thirties at least. Medical research is changing our awareness of Atherosclerotisis, medical practice has to catch up. Remnant bits seem a likely KPI now?

[Jedi14]

I am making a total disclaimer here, I can oly guess what's happening. I've been on statins for several years and cannot relate to any headaches! I think something has triggered something and you are connecting it with meds?

I think you should immediately see your GP.

[Slky in reply to Jedi14]

I have seen my gp , many people get side affects including headaches, your lucky if you havnt had any

[MountainGoat52]

After trying Atorvastatin, Pravastatin and Simvastatin, all having affected me in one way or another, I was persuaded to try Rosuvastatin. Initially the dose prescribed was 10mg every other day. I got bad headaches, but after a couple of weeks these went away. Some months later I got onto taking it daily without any issues.

You may wish toconsider taking it every other day or even at a reduced dose to acclimatise yourself to it. Speak to your GP. For me personally, it is a far better medication than the others I had been prescribed.

[Slky in reply to MountainGoat52]

Many thanks

[DWizza]

I went from 80mg artovastatin (a list of side effects that I put down to the statin, terrible brain fog, aches and pains , zombie/vsgue , spaced out episodes… and I felt fantastic when I did a trial of not taking it for about 2 months. Then tried pravastatin 40mg and zombie episodes came back after a week . Now on 10mg rosuvastatin and been very good since April 👍🏻

[Slky in reply to DWizza]

Thank you for reply.. I'm on 5mg every other day at the moment since the headaches so far not to bad tho I am getting little down moments, I'm supposed to start taking them every day from tomorrow but im not going to yet im going to give it another week.. if i get any worse I think I will have to consider stopping them all together ... I'd like to have my cholesterol tested while taking every other day just to see where its at but I have to wait 3 months apparently