Statins, take or not,

[Harrywogan]

Hi, may have asked this before so forgive me for repeating it again, doc giving me the chance to reduce cholesterol on my own before statins,I've heard a lot of people on them get sore muscles and with PMR thy can be sore enough, is there one we can take that doesn't affect us xx

[pegpowell]

I take 5 mgs Rosuvastatin twice a day and have no muscle aches or pain for over two years now. That is a very low amount for me a 100 lb woman. Most people take it once a day but I also take 100 mgs Cilostazol twice a day which helps the blood go through more easily. My MD seems to think it eases the pain. The combination certainly lowered my lipid panel of cholesterol et al. I have PAD and this mediation took the place of surgery.

[Bcol]

Morning HW, I've taken 5mg of Rosuvastatin for many years now with no problems at all. However, that was the third if not fourth one that I tried, the others did give me horrendous muscle/joint pain. You will find a range of posts on the forum with some for and against them. You may need to experiment to find which one works for you.

[Janstr]

I’m on 30mg atorvastatin (just increased from 20 today) Ive been on 20 since March. I’ve had no aches & pains with it

[prunus]

All I can say is I would not touch them. My late husband was given them by Harefield and they destroyed his muscles.

[Poshdog]

Hi, I tried Atorvastatin - muscle pain, so was changed to Rosuvastatin (forgive spelling) - more muscle pains.... now taking Ezetimibe, which seems to be a 'non-statin' statin and am fine with that. Blood test next week to see if it is working 🤞

[Loyd]

Hi for what it’s worth I have been taking 40mg Atrovastin for 3 years and no muscle pain. Not a big drop in cholesterol so may ask doc if I should just come off them. Hope you get help.

[Miacaro45]

I could not take any statin. My doctor put me on Zetia and, for the first time, my cholesterol went down! Ask your doctor about this drug.

[Pixix]

I have taken Atorvastatin for over ten years (bad familial cholesterol). It dropped my cholesterol down from 11 to normal range. This was well before PMR, & I have had no side effects at all. But I’m sorry to say, we are all individuals & you’re search for ‘one we can take that doesn’t affect us’ is impossible, I believe! We may be a group with PMR/GCA in common, but that’s all we have in common! Some will say ‘x’ is great, some won’t, that’s happening just in a few replies!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It is a very individual thing - some get on with one, others with another. I tried 2 statins, bith made me ill but in different ways, Now I am on ezetimibe/Zetia which has brought my cholesterol down some but not as much as most statins would, It works better when used together with bempedoic acid. How available it is in the UK I don't know.

[Longtimer in reply to PMRpro]

After numerous blood tests 2 weeks ago my GP rang to say my cholesterol reading was high..6.1, need to go on statins. I said as you know at the moment I am in a lot pain and don't want to chance adding to it, she readily agreed!.....She said do you want to ring in January or me ring you to review the situation. Obviously it was she ring me!....I said you won't have the long wait for an answer!......I really must learn to behave!

[Harrywogan in reply to Longtimer]

Hi longtimer have to say same happened to me blood tests them phone calls from receptionist then a letter to say contact surgery my cholesterol was up to 6.5 mayb to many cakes lol x

[herdysheep in reply to Longtimer]

🤣🤣

[Mary63]

I’m on 80mg of atovastatin with no pain. Lowered my cholesterol well. Stopped for a while to see if I could manage without it. Soared to 10. So restarted it and came back to 5 ish very quickly.

[Orange_2022]

You could try Plant Sterols (Biocare and other supplement providers make them). Helped get my cholesterol down which had been raised by Pred. If you know any nutritionists they can probably give you a discount code...

[Viveka]

It is always better to try natural ways of reducing first because Statins cause problems for some people, and why have more medication if you don't need it?

A cholesterol reducing regime is likely to bring other benefits because it will improve overall heatlh eg likely to reduce weight.

Also it is a matter of assessing risk factors for heart issues like BP and weight. If your GP is relaxed about Statins that sounds good. Some GPs are ridiculously evangelical about them.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Viveka]

What do you class as natural ways of reducing cholesterol? Dietary measures rarely work since most of the cholesterol in the blood is produced by the liver.

[Viveka in reply to PMRpro]

Plant sterols, reducing saturated fat, losing weight, more exercise. I'm doing it now so will tell you the results in January!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Viveka]

Plant sterols, fair enough. Weight loss and exercise, possibly. Diet - doubt it. Good luck!

[Viveka in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks, it's harder this time than when I did it for pre-diabetes two years ago.

Also, kefir - I make it myself. Temparamental stuff - sometimes nice, sometimes horrible - but seems like there may be health benefits...

[PMRnewbie2017]

Statins are considered by NICE to be first line treatments. It is possible to get Ezetimibe and Bezafibrate in the UK but generally the protocols say statins first. Atorvastatin is the one which NICE recommends as the initial statin. GPs are supposed to treat according to the guidelines as a means of standardising treatment for all. If a patient is unable to take a certain medication then of course they can change the treatment.

[sennetta]

Like Prunus, I wouldn't touch them either. They have been proven to lower cholesterol, but interestingly the death rate due to coronary heart disease apparently has not gone down. So the bottom line is, it looks like they might just be a meal ticket for the manufacturer?

[Koalajane]

I have taken Atorvastatin for 6 years with no problems

[Kendrew]

Hi Harrywogan,

I've been on and off statins for most of my adult life and although diet, exercise and plant stanol yogurts (in combination) initially brought it back down naturally, it was a much too disciplined-a-regime to sustain indefinitely.

Also, the older we get the harder it becomes for our metabolism to do this work alone and the cholesterol level slowly begins to creep up again.

I did a lot of research regarding statins and cholesterol and as Pro already said its extremely difficult to change the levels naturally as the body has its own 'set' level that is unlikely to decrease.

I've been on Atorvastatin for a good few years now, and haven't experienced any related muscle pain. I was changed to this statin from Simvastatin because Simvastatin had caused some issues.

There are many arguments for & against the use of statins and there are studies that both support & contradict their efficacy in preventing heart events.

However, I personally feel that with a strong family history of coronary occlusion & atheroma, until there's more conclusive evidence to support the thought that they don't have any significant effect, I'm not prepared to risk the potential consequences of not taking them.

It's a very individual decision based on our own individual circumstances though.

[Harrywogan in reply to Kendrew]

Thanks so much Kendrew , haven't had a cake biscuit or bum and very little cheese and yogurt, but the red wine is very good for reducing lol, went a walk with my very fit daughter and she walks fast came home with my toe bleeding then bird pooped on my head the joys and IAM knackered lol

[Kendrew in reply to Harrywogan]

Well you've not lost your sense of humour! 😄

[Harrywogan in reply to Kendrew]

Hi Kendrew,had to let know after my walk with my daughter well nearly a run, I really think it was to much for my 71 year body, I think now IAM in on my way for a flare very sore hip and limping,down at 2mg and fly out to Germany think I'll need up pred for 5 days and don't really want to ,but needs must, xx

[Kendrew in reply to Harrywogan]

Sorry to hear that, but I think your strategy to increase the pred short term for your trip sounds like it might be necessary.

I increased my dose by 2mgs for three days for my son's wedding and it enabled me to have the most wonderful time free of fatigue. I then successfully returned back to my previous dose and I'm so pleased I did it.

[Harrywogan in reply to Kendrew]

Yes that's my intention,never again will I walk with her, and the bird that popped on me was not lucky lol xx

[Kendrew in reply to Harrywogan]

Hahaha 😂

[nallufl24]

I can’t take statins. I get terrible side effects. There are many new drugs todaythat reduce cholesterol that work differently than statins. I personally take a drug called rapatha. But you can also take Zetia. I’m not sure what you can get in the UK but it’s worth asking your doctors.

[Dossy]

Hi I'm on my 3rd brand of statin due to leg cramps but my GP has taken me off them for 6 weeks and apart from a few twinges in my feet I've been fine. The cramps were excruciating. I've got an appointment with GP thisafternoon so will see what she advises. She had mentioned when I last saw her that there were alternatives. I had a heart attack 3 years ago which makes me a bit nervous about stopping statins completely

[Linny3]

I was on Lipitor for a few months when my hair started falling out really bad. So much so that I bought a wig to be prepared for the day when my hair looks really bad. Went to dr. And stoped the drug. Within two weeks I stopped losing my hair. Apparently Lipitor is the one statin that can cause hair loss.

[Harrywogan in reply to Linny3]

Thanks linny3 won't take that cx

[Body_bonkers]

I took Simvastatin once and felt like I'd been hit by a train. Given the increased risk of diabetes and dementia not keen to repeat !