reducing steroids

[kingharold11]

As if reducing steroids is not enough to contend with my GP decided after a recent blood test to put me on statins Avorstatin think thats right also my blood pressure had raised itself so I had to have an increase in dosage. The result is I am back with foggy brain and I am so tired I want to sleep all night and day as well. I give up

[HeronNS]

Oh what bad luck. Have you consulted with a pharmacist about possible drug interactions and if there are ways to decrease the bad effects of having to take so many things? Of course without having to take yet another med!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Atorvastatin had me almost in a wheelchair after a week! Statins are well known (it is now emerging) for causing cognitive function problems in older patients. Some experts even claim they could be part of the reason for the explosion in dementia.

Have you already had a cardiovascular event? Is your cholesterol high? Have you tried reducing it by diet? I wouldn't take a statin again - but I got my cholesterol right down to acceptable range by cutting carbs and losing some weight.

[kingharold11 in reply to PMRpro]

it was 7.1 i wasn.t ill and am trying to loose weight but it is hard. lost 3 lb this week

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to kingharold11]

I would politely request to try the old-fashioned way first and forgo the statin for now. And did the GP do an assessment of your risk? The evidence is that statins don't make much difference to a woman who has not yet had a "cardiovascular event" - i.e. a heart attack or stroke.

The NHS pages are quite good

nhs.uk/Conditions/Cholester...

and they say diet etc first.

[piglette]

I believe doctors in UK get a payment per person they put on statins, so I suppose it is in their interest to encourage people to take them rather than suggesting diet.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

Really, how much do they get? Doctors tried to get me on statins, each time I went back to see them and told them how awful I felt, they tried another one. They all made me feel terrible. Theirs no way I will take them!

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

I think it varies on how much the government are pushing a particular item. I read somewhere it was fifty pounds for statins, but that sounds quite high to me. They also get incentives to do questionnaires like how much do you drink, smoke etc. So you go along with earache and you are asked how much you drink!

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

Wow, Big pharma make millions on statins, no wonder they want to get every body on them! They are not the panacea they are made out to be. I think one day they will be put onthe list of 'only use I absabsolutely' necessary'

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

They already are in one hospital in the US!

Big Pharma's published stuff about statins was based on pooled results for all populations which made it sound as if the whole world should be on them In fact, if you separate into male and female and then separate again for people who have already had a cardiac event it shows that men do benefit a bit whether they have had an event or not. Women who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke will not benefit from taking statins whatever their cholesterol level. Which had they said that would have removed about a third of the potential market.

What worries me more than the use of statins in patients with high cholesterol (and that is bad enough) is the idea they should be given to everyone prophylactically. I detest the concept of medicating the healthy - eventually these drugs will turn out to be even more with feet of clay but it will be too late.