Discussion
Morning all!
My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.
Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?
Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!
My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.
Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?
Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!
American Heart Association suggest statins for four main groups of people:
People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.
Family history is also part of the overall picture.
People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.
Family history is also part of the overall picture.
Panamax said:
American Heart Association suggest statins for four main groups of people:
People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.
Family history is also part of the overall picture.
I understand I fit most of those categories People who don't have heart or blood vessel disease, but have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, or who smoke.
People who already have cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. This group includes people who have had heart attacks or strokes.
People who have very high LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
People who have diabetes.
Family history is also part of the overall picture.
Grumps. said:
Morning all!
My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.
Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?
Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!
I have been taking Atorvastatin since 2010 when I had a TIA. Current dose is 10mg. No side-effects & cholesterol now 3.3. Hasn't been above 3.6 in last 5 years & has been as low as 2.8 .My doctor has decided that I should start taking statins and has prescribed Atorvastatin and I understand why he has recommended them.
Does anyone else take these? Any side effects?
Seeing the current push for them it would be interesting to know some real world first hand experiences!
Edited by Glosphil on Saturday 4th February 12:49
My doctor prescribed statins some years ago but, after a while, I wanted to come off them as I don't like taking drugs for the sake of it. My cholesterol was a little high, as was my weight so, as part of my diet I started eating half a red grapefruit a day, and my cholesterol dropped back to normal again.
For those who do take statins, don't eat grapefruit by the way.
For those who do take statins, don't eat grapefruit by the way.
My mum was on statins for around 8 years and last Christmas she developed statin induced necrotizing autoimmune myopathy.
It's a very rare side effect I think but very nasty.
She went from being totally fit, out walking every day and always busy to bed bound, unable to move her arms or legs and struggling to breathe or swallow, within 2 months.
She has since recovered to perhaps 80% of where she was thanks to a very switched on GP, a great NHS consultant and incredibly fortuitously a world expert on this condition who just happened to be in the UK working alongside him at that time.
As with any drug there are outliers who suffer the worst side effects but it's worth appraising yourself of what can happen.
It's a very rare side effect I think but very nasty.
She went from being totally fit, out walking every day and always busy to bed bound, unable to move her arms or legs and struggling to breathe or swallow, within 2 months.
She has since recovered to perhaps 80% of where she was thanks to a very switched on GP, a great NHS consultant and incredibly fortuitously a world expert on this condition who just happened to be in the UK working alongside him at that time.
As with any drug there are outliers who suffer the worst side effects but it's worth appraising yourself of what can happen.
When I had a over 50s health check a few years back my Total Cholsterol was 5.58 (HDL 2.25) and I brought up the question of statins with the GP. She was non committal saying the potential positives of taking them need to be weighed against the negatives which I presume is side effects.
Whether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?
To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.
Whether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?
To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.
Armitage.Shanks said:
When I had a over 50s health check a few years back my Total Cholsterol was 5.58 (HDL 2.25) and I brought up the question of statins with the GP. She was non committal saying the potential positives of taking them need to be weighed against the negatives which I presume is side effects.
Whether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?
To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.
Apparently my QRISK score is 12.5% although for my age “normal” is 9.8% so it isn’t really a massive difference. I guess that score and cholesterol at 5.8 and high blood pressure means I’d benefit from a statinWhether my LDL score of 3.30 and QRISK2 CVD 10-year risk score of 4.4% had something to do with it I'm not sure but I got the impression it's not just about having a high cholesterol?
To counter this my over 50s pal went to see his GP to be put on them when there were no alerting factors as his view is anything he can take to prevent a serious body malfunction all the better.
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