Statins - side effects

[softlips]

Yes I am no doctor or scientist but I read these things and I am 100% convinced that Statins for the vast majority of people given them (including my mum at 73) is a total waste of effort and cash.

32 years working in cardiology and cardiac surgery I'd have to disagree.

[ianrobo]

Yes I am no doctor or scientist but I read these things and I am 100% convinced that Statins for the vast majority of people given them (including my mum at 73) is a total waste of effort and cash.

32 years working in cardiology and cardiac surgery I'd have to disagree.

Why ?

Please quote one study that was not funded by big pharma that shows any significant benefit ?

Please quote the science of cholorestrol levels that shows they are a problem ?

I know a cardiologist and I have talked to him about this and he is revising his views on this whole topic. Is Dr Asseem Malhorta a colleague of yours, wrong ?

[mjr]

Yes I am no doctor or scientist but I read these things and I am 100% convinced that Statins for the vast majority of people given them (including my mum at 73) is a total waste of effort and cash.

32 years working in cardiology and cardiac surgery I'd have to disagree.

Why ?

Please quote one study that was not funded by big pharma that shows any significant benefit ?

Can you quote one study of statins that was not funded by big pharma that showed there was no benefit?

Please quote the science of cholorestrol levels that shows they are a problem ?

I'm sure you can search for "Lipid Hypothesis" as well as softlips.

I know a cardiologist and I have talked to him about this and he is revising his views on this whole topic. Is Dr Asseem Malhorta a colleague of yours, wrong ?

I don't know if he's a colleague of softlips and the jury's still out on whether he's wrong, but a doctor with a diet book ("The Pioppi Diet: a 21-Day Lifestyle Plan") to sell has an obvious conflict of interest, doesn't he?

[Bsteel]

This study may add to the understanding, however it's not due to complete until 2020.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT02547883

[ianrobo]

32 years working in cardiology and cardiac surgery I'd have to disagree.

Why ?

Please quote one study that was not funded by big pharma that shows any significant benefit ?

Can you quote one study of statins that was not funded by big pharma that showed there was no benefit?

Please quote the science of cholorestrol levels that shows they are a problem ?

I'm sure you can search for "Lipid Hypothesis" as well as softlips.

I know a cardiologist and I have talked to him about this and he is revising his views on this whole topic. Is Dr Asseem Malhorta a colleague of yours, wrong ?

I don't know if he's a colleague of softlips and the jury's still out on whether he's wrong, but a doctor with a diet book ("The Pioppi Diet: a 21-Day Lifestyle Plan") to sell has an obvious conflict of interest, doesn't he?

He has been saying the same thing for years, now I could quote two studies including a randomised one at you that shows Statins have no benefit but I guess it does not matter to you All you think is high cholesterol = bigger risk of heart disease and nothing will change you for that.

[mjr]

I don't know if he's a colleague of softlips and the jury's still out on whether he's wrong, but a doctor with a diet book ("The Pioppi Diet: a 21-Day Lifestyle Plan") to sell has an obvious conflict of interest, doesn't he?

He has been saying the same thing for years, now I could quote two studies including a randomised one at you that shows Statins have no benefit but I guess it does not matter to you All you think is high cholesterol = bigger risk of heart disease and nothing will change you for that.

x2 - 1. do you think he wrote that book overnight? and 2. I suspect you can't really quote two studies not funded by big pharma that say that else you would.

I don't know whether the lipid hypothesis is true or not, but as long as you can keep the other markers in check, most of the treatments (statins excepted, notably) seem to have little down side.

[ianrobo]

little down side ? We have a guy I just replied to commenting on them. The side effects are well known.

I do believe he Lipid hypothesis and my own N=1 shows it works. Maybe I should get full bloods to see my GP go into apoplexy ha ha

[ferrit worrier]

I've just picked up on this topic as Mrs Fw has started on statins , now got aching joins as well as the arthritis, pins and needles in fingertips, head aches, is there a way of self monitoring cholesterol levels?

Malc
,

[Mick F]

Hi Malc.
Sympathies for Mrs FW.

I wish there was a way of self-checking, but I'm afraid it needs a lab to analyse the blood sample.
I wonder if it's possible to self-test a urine sample like you do with diabetes?

I had a blood test a week or so ago, and I'm off to the specialist at Derriford Hospital on Friday this week for another consultation. Last blood test I had, there was no report, so I expect it was normal.

[mjr]

I've just picked up on this topic as Mrs Fw has started on statins , now got aching joins as well as the arthritis, pins and needles in fingertips, head aches, is there a way of self monitoring cholesterol levels?

Yes, there's a pack of strips that you squeeze a drop of blood from a finger pinprick onto and read the colour off to see the total cholesterol level, or there's a few home testing machines like the blood sugar ones which I think is what pharmacies use for their £10 tests, but it's relatively expensive and inaccurate and what's it going to tell you anyway? Is Mrs Fw willing to tolerate joint pain, pins and needles and headaches for the somewhat-debated benefit of reduced blood cholesterol levels?

If the statins were GP-prescribed, return to them, reporting the pains, see if they'll retest bloods to look for any of the enzymes and hormones being thrown out of range, as well as the cholesterol level, and whether they want to try another statin, another drug type entirely or refer to a specialist. You may also want to look at the leaflet included with the statin carefully, especially the "How to Take" section - I've been told of a few instances of GPs starting people straight on high doses (40mg or so) of Atorvastatin in particular, which seems to increase the risk of side-effects.

[Mick F]

I've been told of a few instances of GPs starting people straight on high doses (40mg or so) of Atorvastatin in particular, which seems to increase the risk of side-effects.

I started on a high dose of Retuvo-something and I had shoulder and thigh pains, so went back to the doc.
He put me on 80mg Atorvastatin and that's where I stayed for ten years with symptoms increasing slowly over the years until I rebelled and stopped taking them.

Cholesterol rocketed sky high.

.............. go back to page one.

[cotterpins]

After taking five different medications for heart and type two diabetes for over twenty years I gradually started getting stomach discomfort, and slight indigestion, which eased with tablets. Over that period the pain got worse until eventually it started to really hurt and wake me up at night and only eased after a dose of salts. Doctor gave me a one hour before breakfast pill which cured my problems. For years we've only drank instant coffee until my daughter gave us a gift of some new fangled coffee pods which was about the same time I started to get mild stomach/bowel discomfort. For weeks now, no coffee, no pre-breakfast tablets, no indigestion tablets, no belly ache! Thanks to the coffee-chain shop which enlightened me to the answer when I was doubled up with pain half-hour after drinking coffee . . . I normally drink tea or chocolate in kaffs.

[Mick F]

I had a blood test a week or so ago, and I'm off to the specialist at Derriford Hospital on Friday this week for another consultation. Last blood test I had, there was no report, so I expect it was normal.

Saw the doc.
Absolutely fine!
I didn't see the results, but he told me that my good cholesterol is 5.0 and bad cholesterol is 3.2. He said that before I started on the injections, my bad cholesterol was 8, so the 3.2 is what was expected because the injections reduce it by about 60%.
Success.

He's discharged me and all I need to do is keep up with the injections fortnightly, and have a check blood test every six months.
The injection pens will be delivered to me at home every three months.

[durhambiker]

statins reduce the risk of a heart attack by 28%.......what does that mean?.. what parameter is reduced exactly..

[ianrobo]

Yes it is the express but this article looks at studies (yes I am skeptical of them !!) and shows little benefit of Statins

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/hea ... ase-stroke

Dr John Abramson, a specialist in healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School, reviewed a study originally published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

He found 217 patients would need to take the drug to prevent one non-fatal heart attack while 313 people would need treatment with statins to prevent one non-fatal stroke.