My dad has been diagnosed with Parkinson's - effects of statins?
Posted , 11 users are following.
Hi
I might be completely off the mark with this but will give a shot anyway - I am interested in your opinions.
My dad is 73 years old. He has just been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. He has been on simvastatins for around 3 years now. The decline in his health has been noticeable for this time. He has slowed down a lot but I just put it down to getting older.
He has always been active and lives a healthy lifestyle - no alcohol, no smoking, lots of daily exercise. But he has slowed down loads.
Now, 1 in 4 Parkinsons diagnosis are wrong - could it be that the simvastatin might, just might, be causing all this?
Yes, lots of his symptoms are pointing towards Parkinsons - for example he has lost lost of movement in his dominant, right arm (or naturally doesnt use it), it does not swing much when walking, has aches and pains (back and hips mainly - but has a history of this), he has lost his sense of smell, and his lips tremour quite considerably when he is resting. He has become shaky. Could these be symptoms of simvastatins? I have done lots of googling and there is of course 100s of google results on the dangers of statins and maybe I am being unrealistcally optmistic but if there might be a chance that it might not be Parkinsons, but there is hope until it can is ruled out.
?I say ruled out - his GP (whichever doctor he sees on any given day) said it defintely is not the statins. By all accounts he was incredulous when my mum asked if it could be the statins.
He replied with pretty much everyone in that waiting room is on statins..(Sorry I can’t use inverted commas – my keyboards delete button and inverted commas aren’t working for some reason..) The same GP who said he has slipped a disc a month or so ago (turned out to be a muscular problem that went after a few days, and said he definitely did not have Parkinson’s a few weeks before that. Another issue here is that my parents are not the type to ask questions and push matters. They will just accept what is being said and take anything that has been told them.
Since his diagnoses he was told that the Parkinson’s nurse would be in touch within days and visits would commence. Not heard a thing yet. I think it is a disgrace. Anyway I digress, sorry.
I could type loads here, but I am aware that it is a lengthy and boring opening post. I am happy to answer specific questions that may help you help/advise me. I just want some guidance here, based on your experience and expertise and opinions
Many thanks for your time.
0 likes, 56 replies
andrew10135
Posted
Hi,
Thank you everybody for your contributions. I am grateful for your time and it is interesting to read the replies.
I am not sure where to go with this, being abroad. I can only advise my parents based on what I read on the internet and other people's thoughts.
My mum and dad have an appointment at the doctor's this week apparently.
Do you think this is the right thing to do?
I will ask my mum to find out my dad's cholesterol results for the last 3 years - my mum did say that it was not dangerously high initially when he was prescribed simvostatins but as there was a history of strokes in his family. If this is the case then I am going to suggest he comes off them and to get the doctor's advice as to how to do this safely (although the gp sounds useless).
I haven't posted on the Parkinson's section yet (as advised previously on here) but defintely will do.
It is knowing what to do for the best. I want a doctor to actually look into this much further with my dad, but know they won't/can't. He is just a statistic through the door.
Also, he is still waiting to hear about his first visit from the Parkinson's nurse (that should have been weeks ago)..
sara2727 andrew10135
Posted
I know how you feel. It is confusing as my husbands symptoms are exactly as described on the Parkinsons website but then it sounds like that these symptoms are possibly same as side-effects from Statins.
Good luck and let us know.
I am going to put it to the Parkinsons consultant tomorrow but sadly I think they will not even acknowlege this as a possibility. I will let you know.
Chilaah andrew10135
Posted
I like your description of "just a statistic through the door". I agree.
More and more of us are taking responsibility for our health and not reliant totally our the medical profession.
kris31739 sara2727
Posted
Hi, I just read your comment about your husband and just wondered if your husband does have Parkinson's or was it something else?
My husband has been sick for 8 weeks and awaiting official diagnosis but may be Parkinson's but not sure I believe that and he is also on statins.
doreen71825 andrew10135
Posted
Hya Andrew and all As I have allready stated I had stopped my Atorvastatin.
I also bought some of the Co-Enzyme Q-10 30mg tablets, and started
taking 1 of these each day. I also started drinking lots more water.
I have also been out walking for approximately 30- 50 minutes each day.
Although I was very very active every day allready. My head has felt so
much clearer and I have not been so shaky.
As of today I have been to the hospital. It was a young man and 3 students
Sat watching. He had me doing a few different movements with my hands
feet and legs. He also had me walking up and down the corridor. Asked me
to count backwards from 100. I can normally do this easily but I think I
was so anxious I did stumble half way through. He concluded from that
I DID NOT HAVE PARKINSON'S. He asked some other questions about my
career etc. I am 75yrs old as of today. I am going to continue taking 1 of
the Q-10 as although this sounds like good news,I told him I would not take
Stations ever again. I should be over the moon, but still feel in time
it will manifest itself as Parkinson's. My long term female school friend
is very ill in hospital. I know it took them 1yr to 18 months to diagnose
her. Good luck to all of you. I have to visit my doctor next week for results
of the blood tests that he took earlier this week, I will keep you all informed
as to the results of these. Doreen
andrew10135 doreen71825
Posted
Hi Doreen,
Many thanks for replying and contributing to this thread - makes for an eye-opening reading..
That's great news regarding your latest tests when the conclusion was you do not have PD. Let's hope it stays that way.
Good luck. Enjoy your weekend.
Andy
andrew10135
Posted
Thank you everybody for your continued help.
I have encouraged my dad (from abroad) to get an appointment and get all his cholesterol readings from when he started the statins to the latest one. If his levels weren't high to start with it will give me more opportunity to suggest he comes off them. When we spoke a few days ago, he was scared to come off them - I think he thinks he will have a stroke if he stops taking them.
Anyway, it was a positive chat and I will wait to see what the results have been before I take it further with stopping the statins suggestions.
Andy
TrishaT andrew10135
Posted
Hi Andrew. I'm slightly older than your Dad and stopped the statins last November, I haven't had another stroke nor did I have any withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking them. The longer he is on them the more damage they will do and the instruction leaflet in the statins I took said that they were not suitable for people over 70. Get him off them!
loxie TrishaT
Posted
Totally agree with you Trisha. Ditch the statins immediately - there are rarely any 'withdrawal' symptoms, the half life is short. Any minor problems from stopping are going to be nothing compared to the damage being done while taking them. I have a cholesterol count of 9, for many years the same, I would rather risk a stroke or heart attack than not be able to live my life due to chronic pain, mental incapacity and immobility whilst taking this poison.
doreen71825 TrishaT
Posted
Hya Trisha. not sure if I have said this. I told my doctor, and said I
had every one of the first symptoms on the leaflet. let alone any
more. I highlighted that I was 75 years old. His response
Was they couldn't tell everyone to stop taking them.
TrishaT doreen71825
Posted
doreen71825 TrishaT
Posted
The doctors will never as far as I can see, tell anyone to
stop taking them. I am not sure if I have noted previously
but I was on Simvastatin and ended up at A, and E with
several days of numbing pain at the back of my legs. This was
some years ago. I took nothing for a few more years and was fine.
Then I was not feeling great. I had been caring. Doctor decided
to have my bloods checked. This time given Primvastatin.
Again, A and E after some time pains and aching in my left
arm also it was feeling numb. Thought I was having a heart attack.
had all B M,s done nothing wrong at all doctor at the hospital
gave me pain killers. This has been over a period of 10 yrs.
I have nothing at all wrong with me not even high blood pressure.
I received a letter asking me to go for a review of my health
from the surgery and this is now what has occurred.
I do however, know a lady who takes lots of stuff including
Simvastatin she is 78 yrs old. Very active. (not as much as
what I do). Also has several glasses of wine every day and
previously smoked cigarettes. Lives in a very small property with
no stairs. Whereas I am running up and down stairs constantly
as my toilet is upstairs. So it really is an individual thing.
TrishaT doreen71825
Posted
Hi Doreen,
Like you I ended up in A&E, twice in two weeks I had to call for an ambulance because my whole body started shaking and wouldn't stop, I was terrified. Once at A&E all tests proved normal and none of us linked it to the statins, it was my sister who started investigating on line who decided it was the statins causing all the problems, she took my to the GP who said to stop them but tried to get me to take another variety. They don't give up, do they?
I have an upstairs bathroom too and I know what you mean but then the exercise is probably doing us good.
I have two friends on statins, one mid 70's, the other mid 80's, neither of them have had any trouble with them and I'm sure they think I made it all up but that two weeks of Atoravastatin was the worst two weeks of my life and it has had lasting effects that I am wondering if I will ever get rid of.
doreen71825 TrishaT
Posted
allready. I have been out walking every day.
Drinking at least six glasses of water.i.e..2 morning afternoon
and evening. I have only had 1 small kit Kat and a
couple of biscuits my friend gave me. I have hardly ever
had no sugar and butter, margarine etc as when my
husband had diabetes in the late 1940,s it was I believe what
his family were told to cut out.
I have been taking a couple of pain killers in the evening for the
pain that I had at the side of my temple. This had been
disrupting my sleep, and I feel so much better. I am hoping
this has also gone now. Am going to try sleeping without
these tablets. Over this last weekend I got constipation which I
have never had as I have apricots cut up with my porridge
every morning. Also I developed a horrible sore cough which
has of today has almost subsidized. Having been on a health
site and done more reading about these tablets and cholesterol
all of these things are known side effects .
Suffice to say the fog has gone, and I have only lost in separate
conversations 2 words as of today. Will keep you all informed.
TrishaT doreen71825
Posted
It all sounds good Doreen so you are obviously doing the right things, we seem to be following the same path. I must say that I have never eaten so many vegatables in my life!! The cake, chocolate and biscuits I haven't really missed and I discovered oat biscuits which seem to be OK. It does seem to take some time to rid your system completely of the statins and I am not back to normal after three months but most certainly feel so much better.
I am slowly getting used to less sugar but it has been a struggle, however I can now actually taste the coffee rather than having a cup of sugar. Water I also struggle with so you are doing far better than I am, hopefully it will be easier when the better weather comes both for water and walking.
Strange that you should mention the pain in your temple. I always slept on my side but for weeks following the statins I was getting severe pain in my ear and temple so had to try and sleep on my back which wasn't too successful. A couple of nights ago I chanced my side again and had no problems.
We are all on a learning curve with this but at least we all know never to take statins again!!