Here again for some knowledge and benefit from your wisdom. In February I was told that I have a number of heart conditions. One is two partially blocked arteries. I am waiting for an Angiogram and stents if needed, semi urgent. I go to Europe the end of this month so no chance of getting in until July now. I have no symptoms. Question, I am on 2.5 mg of prednisone about to go to 2 mg in a week, I have had stiffness in both shoulders for the past two weeks. I can’t tell if it is from the pmr or statins (on 5 mg of Crestor/rosuvastatin) I did flare about 3 months ago (before statins) when going from 2.5 to 2 mgs and followed flare protocol. A side affect of statins is stiff and achy muscles. Should I get a CRP blood test. I don’t know if stiffness is pmr or statin given I am on low dose of prednisone. Your thoughts.
statins: Here again for some knowledge and benefit... - PMRGCAuk
statins
Well I wouldn't be reducing before you go away whatever is causing it. .. and even if it is your PMR, a blood test may not show it up yet - they do have a habit of lagging behind symptoms.
You could try a week of extra Pred [so add 5mg as flare protocol] and if it makes no difference then you can drop back down to current dose without a problem. If it does make a significant difference, , then suggest you follow protocol through, but drop back to 3mg for a few weeks... not straight to 2.5mg
Thank you makes sense thank you
If you are heading this way in a few weeks I wouldn't be reducing the dose at all! Try the flare protocol as DL says.
I don't know about Canadian travel insurance, but over here most insurances would consider being on a waiting list for surgery that wasn't declared in advance as a get-out for them and refuse to pay out if you had claim so I would check up on that if you haven't already done so.
Good advice. I realize if I have a heart issue while traveling I am not covered. I have no symptoms and my doc and cardiologist have not told me not to travel just said know the risks, which I do.
Have you declared it though? Insurance companies are quite handy at refusing to pay out for anything if they can claim that you didn't make a full declaration!
Yes I have thanks
👍 That's OK then! Where are you coming to?
I take a statin, atorvastatin and haven’t found it gives me muscle aches. I found this out by stopping them for 6 months which made no difference to my PMR.
Enjoy your holiday
Hi Skier321. I'm interested to find out why you've been put on statins fairly recently . I've been looking into their side effects as a friend if mine (78 yrs) has been taking them for a few years and is struggling with various complaints, especially memory and cognitive behaviour. I read that they are not recommended for the elderly - so wonder if that is true?
Who says they are not recommended for the elderly? There is a lot of controversy and various claims have been made about statins, most of which are not true or only partly true.
This study
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....
concludes
" Statin treatment is effective in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events [45]. Statins should be prescribed with caution in elderly individuals, who may present more frequent side effects of the treatment than younger people, because of the multiple associated comorbidities and drug interactions. In conclusion, despite the possible side effects of the therapy, elderly patients should receive statins to avoid a cardiovascular event, such as myocardial infarction or stroke. Prevention of a first or recurrent cardiovascular event is the most important goal of statin therapy, which may considerably improve morbidity and mortality in older people"
It may take trials of several different statins to find one that suits a particular patient and doctors really need to listen when their patients report adverse effects.
Thanks PMRpro. My friend was prescribed them some years ago as she had raised cholesterol. We're clutching at straws as it's so hard to see her struggling mentally 😪
She could ask to stop them for a while to see if it is them causing the confusion. If it improves, then either try different statins or one of the alternatives which are now approved for use on the NHS.
Has your friend had a full set of blood tests, most specifically, as the surgery usually leave them out, Vitamin B12 , Folate and Vitamin D , but also Full Blood Count. Ferritin/ Iron. Kidney Function (electrolytes) and Liver Function.Many medications reduce how well you absorb nutrients , even if you have a good diet or take supplements, particularly in the over 60's. Statins, PPIs, Steroids , Pain Medications , all have this effect so there symptoms can creep up over time.
Vitamin B12 or Folate Insufficiency ( low borderline test levels) and Deficiencies cause all sorts of serious symptoms including joint and muscle pain and numbness, brain fog and confusion, coordination problems , palpitations and dizziness to name just a few.
They can also cause Anaemia which has similar symptoms too.
Often it is not the medication that is causing the side effects in itself , but the effect on the way the stomach works and your overall nutritional level especially if the person also takes PPIs or a lot of antacid medications each day too.
Yet, GPs often neglect to do the 3-6 monthly blood tests on regularly taken medications , and they never seem to join the dots and consider giving B and D vitamins tests so the problem lingers on , gets worse and causes these sorts of neurological symptoms.
I'd suggest your friend requests these test if they haven't had them in the last three months.
Request a copy of the test results, GPs will often state your test is normal when it's at the very low , or borderline end of the ranges and this can still be the cause of your growing symptoms, and should alert people to make changes in diet or supplements to speed up the recovery.
If your friend is Deficienct they need to be given a course of B12 injections, according to treatment guidelines, not just oral tablets because they have neurological symptoms.
They should get loading doses then be kept on injections every three months.
If it's Folates they should get a daily oral supplement.
The increase in these often reverses long term or recurring bouts of Anaemia or Vitamin D deficiency.
They should also get an Intrinsic Factor/ PA blood test for Pernicious Anaemia.
Also , double check if they are drinking enough fluids each day , and see if their kidney tests show that they may need to adjust the amount of sodium or potassium in their diet, which are also common causes for Over 60's to begin to suffer episodes of memory loss and confusion.
It's always good to get the more simple things ruled out first, and not always assume a medication is at fault if someone has been on them long term with no previous issues.
Bad Press Stories can do very detrimental things.
New medical research is actually indicating that Statins may help reduce the risk of Dementia and Brain Health issues rather than the causing them and that they may help as a Preventative in the future.
Hope they get some answers soon, please give us an update it would be interesting to know what pans out. Take Care , Bee
Very many thanks for your detailed reply. I'll pass that on to her daughter who is obviously very concerned x
Cardiologist put me on statin and aspirin 81 while I am waiting for angiogram as not sure how bad the blockages are. I probably won’t get into hospital till July now. Health care system is backlogged here in Canada
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