Atorvastatin

[Lulu_Lollipop]

Hello everyone, hope you are all as well as possible.

I had a stroke in August 2019 and before that had major brain surgery for a large aneurysm in 2017. Since the stroke I've been taking Atorvastatin (40mg), Clopidogrel (75mg) and Amlodipine (5mg). I was prescribed those by the consultant to help prevent further strokes, but as far as I know my bloods were OK. I've faithfully been taking them. My bp generally low naturally, but I've had crazy spikes (232/116 was my record) so I'm happy to play safe.

I have been doing my very best to feel as well as I can - had physio until the lockdown closed the department, but I still do it at home. I'm a regular walker, always have been. But I feel so constantly achey, painy, rickety, graunchy. I am now wondering if that is all post-stroke (left side stroke, right side issues) or could it be down to Atorvastatin?

I rang my GP yesterday to chase up a lot of long-awaited things (Neuro-rehab appointment, still waiting) and I mentioned my the above about Atorvastatin and she is sending me a form to have a blood test. My blood has not been tested since last year. I am glad that's being done, would love to know what my cholesterol levels are and whatever else the test will tell us.

Grateful for anything any of you can tell me about your experiences with this drug.

[Kirk5w7]

Hi, i have tried a number of statin medications and each one of them has resulted in the side effects you mention.

I have a brain injury that limits my ability to exercise so i cannot afford to take a medication that further limits that ability.

In short the side effects caused me to age prematurely, aches and pains, shuffling when walking, slowing me down, causing breathlessness etc etc. So, i will not take them, statins that is and will attempt to reduce my cholesterol with my diet.

Strangely my diet is the same as my husbands and he has no problems with cholesterol levels.

We are all different but perhaps a change to a different statin will help.

Janet

[Pairofboots]

Hi, I've heard subjective reports re statins. I am on simvastin (considered as an old statin), the GP was going to change it to atorvastatin, because that is in the prescribing guidelines, but felt that as simvastin was doing ok, he didn't change it.

As Kirk5w7 said I have aged in a manner of speaking, I hadn't related it to statins, just thought it was how I am.

I was relatively fit before my stroke, although I had a number of high BP readings, but these were never followed up.

Having low BP can be as bad as high, but spikes are more worrying as they will find any weakness in the pipeline. So that is an area that needs some answers.

I'll have a look into statins, if I find anything concrete, I'll let you know.

[Lulu_Lollipop]

Thanks very much, both. Useful comments. I will see what the results are like when I have the blood tests.

[Pairofboots in reply to Lulu_Lollipop]

I'm not a great believer in Dr Google, but I put " statins" into the search, walking came up. Numerous credible papers came up citing undesirable effects.

Ok, it could be fitting the evidence to the symptom, but my walking has steadily become more problematic in the nine years I have been on statins.

It also suggested links to autoimmune disorders, and diabetes. I know I have developed an autoimmune problem causing hypothyroidism, and at my last M.O.T. I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic. So it is something I will raise with my GP.