the point of taking statins?

[sayitis]

my husband has taken statins for 20 odd years been at doctors constantly - is diabetic, had full bloods taken three monthly.Was seen in early march and had bloods taken - results good within range. On 15.3 he had a heart attack. Needed a quad bi pass. IF his statins were working so well- Why did this happen? ARe we being duped by the pharmcutical companies as that should not have happened! Who is bweing treated here - the producers of statins for they sure as did not work for my husband!

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Hello sayitis.

Well I am dubious about medications myself, always have been.

I was not very reluctant to agree to take urso back in Dec 2010 when I was diagnosed with PBC but knowing that they can apparently bring down the liver function test (LFTs) bloods I decided to give it a go. Nearly 3 and half years later I am still taking urso due to the fact that I can see with the LFTs they are quite stable though not normal as yet.

With statins it seems a bit of a hit and miss thing and from what has recently once again been in the news with regards to statins then I do think that perhaps with some patients they will either go through the net or it not be as successful. Normally people who suffer heart attacks or who may be prone tend to also take aspirin daily. MY brother-in-law started feeling like a very old man a few years ago and he was only 47 at the time. Heart checks produced results that he needed bypass surgery. He actually had a double bypass. He was taking high blood pressure tablets for a few years prior to the heart problem but since he has continued on those (he said he wanted to come off them but that wsa given a no-no by the doctor) and he is also taking aspirin and another drug that I can't tell you what.

[sayitis]

My point was that the cardiologists said "You have a diabetic heart!" DUH, so why wasnt other testing done to find out where it was all going. Why did it take a quad bi pass to show he needed help? The cardiologist said this condition is a "widow maker!" DUH again. Why when we have been married 45 years is this the first time I am hearing this - He is a type 1. Why isnt preventative medicine being practiced? I am in Australia. I just feel duped. You have all the bloods done regularly, try to keep within the diet range and are still guzzumped at every turn. My husband has been in hospital since 15/3. Sepsis, collapsed lung, kidney failure, MRSA infection, cellulitus, and so it goes. All these things are post cardiac surgery. It isnt working for the plebe in the common ground. But comes back to the story - we are all being put onto statins to reduce cholestorel and it isnt working, though the bloods say it is right! Something is very wrong.

[Kind_of_crazy in reply to sayitis]

Hi, sayitis,

Here in the US, statins have been getting a lot of bad press. Statins are a class of drugs that have been developed to treat a symptom (in this case, high cholesterol) - not the disease (i.e heart disease). High cholesterol is just one of the risk factors of heart disease. As you have so sadly learned, one can have perfectly normal cholesterol levels and still have a heart attack. Statins are also terrible on the liver and are known to increase liver enzymes.

All that statins do is lower your cholesterol. They have tons of terrible side-effects. Statins use is one of success stories of pharmaceutical advertising. I'm sorry you and your husband learned this the hard way.

I am personally horrifed by the people here with PBC who are being prescribed statins when higher cholesterol numbers are one of the symptoms of PBC , but, in PBC, higher cholesterol is not as dangerous in the normal population.

All that said I do wish you and your husband the very best.

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Here in the UK too statins have been in the news over the last 6mths or so.

The people I do know that are on them tend to be the retired. My husband's stepmother is on them for apparently lowering cholesterol. Hers has been put down to the fact that she is also a smoker, has since she was a young adult.

My cholesterol checked out a it higher than normal back in 2010 the year of diagnosis but the hospital doctor showed no concern and I did find out later on that it tends to be the good cholesterol that can be high with PBC. That's not to say that we can't be high in the bad cholesterol but my theory is that if urso deals with cholesterol formed gallstones then it should also aid in the dissolution of cholesterol in PBC.

I know I have no intentions of ever being put on to a statin but it has to be understood that I am one of these people who just do not trust doctors through past experiences. I know they can be wrong in a lot of things and that's why I will questions certain things. I often find doctors don't like a patient wanting to know certain things or ask certain questions but it's tough as at the end of the day it would be me taking the tablets/meds and not them.

Thinking about it, I did think that beta blockers were for heart problems? Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

I am sorry to read of your experiences sayitis and do wish yourself and especially your husband as the previous poster also stated, 'the very best'.