I know that several people take statins. I thought you may be interested in New European Guidelines which ‘Drastically’ reduce statin eligibility. In fact they essentially “eliminate a statin indication in women.”
STATINS: I know that several people take statins. I... - PMRGCAuk
STATINS
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piglette
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Snap - saw it the other day but it has just appeared in the inbox and I was debating posting it!
Hope the spare cardiologist here has read it - it will at least save the argument ...
It is what we have been saying all along!
Very grateful! Ammunition. GP pressure the other week.
Some doctors aren't happy because it is so different from the UK guidelines ...
Interesting. I have just been offered statins - in an a text! - following my first blood pressure annual review with my new GP surgery. I’m certainly not going to go on them (I’m already on 4 different prescription drugs, one taken just to reduce side effects of one of the others) and I’m a bundle of symptoms and side effects: at least not without a discussion about my test results - I haven’t even been told what they are! - and possible alternative approaches.
You can and should be offered your test results by law in UK. Just ask for them.
I think we need to be careful about avoiding statins without them my husband would certainly be dead.
I am sure I have read something that indicates that Statins are much more effective for men. Sorry I can’t be clearer, maybe someone remembers the research paper?
PMRpro often quotes this - and has linked studies re age certainly. Sure she'll link anything if she has it to hand...
I knew it was a reliable source.
Good morning l would just say that I spent many weeks at Bournemouth heart club attending talks and gym sessions and the comment that statins are less suitable for women never came up.
You seem a bit rattled by me. Sorry, that is never my intention. I am just a patient muddling along. I am so glad that your husband’s life was saved by Statins.
Apologies if l have upset you. I certainly didn't mean to. I have just had a bit to much contact with strokes, heart attacks and death on my side and my husband's side of our families. Thank you for doing your best
I can see that. Thank you.
That is probably because it doesn't fit with their mantra.
I has been said for some years that there is little protective effect of statins in women who have not previously had a cardiovascular event. This changes for women AFTER they have had one or if they are at high risk, they protect from a second event, and they protect men from a first event as well as subsequent ones. The data were pooled in the clinical trials and there probably weren't as many women. It is well known that women and men react differently to many drugs and present very differently in cardiovascular events. But studies almost never reflect that fact.
There is of course the usual range of papers presenting evidence for and against. Statins increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and both times I tried a statin I had a massive PMR flare. So for me - thanks but no thanks.
Statins are excellent in some cardiovascular circumstances, it was just unfortunate that people gave them a bad name for over egging them.
That is very true at one time just about everyone was advised to take them. Maybe with an almighty push from the pharmaceutical companies.
That is still the case - and they have been trying to extend the age range even further, Very often they are medicalising normal things by saying everyone over 45 should be on statins. One problem though is that in older patients, some are made ill by having too low cholesterol - just as the increasing lowering of the recommended BP levels makes many elderly patients dizzy and liable to fall because the blood flow to the brain is reduced. That also can lead to poor peripheral blood flow and lack of oxygen supply to the feet and hands, Not always good.
I saw that yesterday - obviously costing too much? How cynical am l?…..
A few weeks back, during a telephone chat with GP (his request not mine 😱), he asked whether I would "like" to go on statins as a preventative measure for something that might or might not happen. I politely declined.🤷♂️
I wish I had been given the opportunity to take statins years ago as I would not now be fighting Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD).
Is there any research to say if statins prevent that please? I'm interested in this topic
I am sure there is. I can only report that the statin I take for the last year, Rosuvastatin Calcium, has reduced the cholesterol produced by my liver, along with with a blood thinner/dialator, that takes away the pain in my legs and reduced my lipid panel numbers so that I can again walk and perhaps not have a stroke or lose my foot or leg. I have been on pred for six years, now down to 3-/2 1/2 mgs, originally 15.
I am 84 but my cholesterol levels were high years ago when my MD negated the idea that I should worry about the numbers because of my active physical condition.
I don't think you can say that with certainty although it is said they help reduce symptoms.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl.... The sad thing is statins are an excellent drug for cardiovascular problems. It was just the whole thing got out of hand it being suggested everyone over forty should be on them if I remember rightly.
I've been thinking they're a Big pharma scam for years as they are prescribed to a very wide population solely based on age but I've had fierce debates with GPs who say they save lives by preventing strokes and heart attacks. They genuinely believe that statins work so can't understand why people wouldn't want them. One pointed out that in the last generation people were far more likely to die of strokes and heart attacks than they do these days, average life expectancy has gone up and people are living longer and it's due to preventative measures like this. Hopefully continuing research will reveal the truth, they probably do help some 'at higher risk' people but I don't need to take them just because of my age.
I may well have read this wrongly but as far as I could see the author of this study was against the new guidelines and felt that the US and UK guidelines should be the ones being used.
I think you are correct. But I have a fight with one of the cardios here - these guidelines might help me in my refusal to take statins as they make me ill!!!
I agree and hope you can convince her/him. I can see very little if any point in doctors trying to make patients take a possibly preventative drug if it is already know they will make the patient ill. If the downsides of a drug far out way the upsides then not taking it is a no brainer.
Dr Malcolm Kendrick mentions the fact that statins do not help women over a certain age and refers to a lot of research in his book “The Great Cholesterol Con”. There were court cases against him and the BMJ by people who had a financial interest in promoting statins. He also wrote “A Statin Nation”, which is quite an eye opener. Both books are very easy to read and quite amusing.
There is also not felt to be any benefit for over 75s ...
Dr Kendrick really goes into great detail on that. I do remember the court case on statins where the defendants were labelled “statin deniers” whose “deadly propaganda” had endangered lives. …”. I think we have discussed it on this board.
In the Telegraph today “ Stay on statins for life or risk losing heart protection benefits, research suggests”. digitaleditions.telegraph.c...
That makes for an interesting read, although they talk about people being on 40mg. I've only ever been on 5mg so guess it's probably neither here nor there for me.
40mg of what though? The figures for the doses do vary widely.
Just says 40mg daily dose. You have also piqued my interest as I just assumed Statins were equallish, but looking online I see that Atorvastatin and Rosuvastatin are called higher intensity statins. Apparently 20mg of Atorvastatin is the Nice recommendation or up to 80mg for Pre-existing CVD. Not sure where my 5mg sits in that.
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