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Shall I take the Simvastatins?

Posted , 14 users are following.

Jackofall
Jackofall

Hello, I am new here....I've had consistently high cholesterol. The lowest reading I've had is 6.8. I am currently at 7.3 after coming down from 8.6 (I've been 9.something in the past!) My doctor has prescribed Simvastatin (10mg). I had decided to give up and take them, but then I discovered this site and read about all the bad experiences people have had with them. I have also read 'The Great Cholesterol Con' by Dr Malcolm Kendrick....He says that high cholesterol is good for you, protects against cancer and is nothing to worry about, unless you have a low reading! Who is right? Do I play Russian Roulette with a heart attack or stroke, or Russian Roulette with a drug that can have nasty side effects, including what seems like permanent ones...I can't believe the people here would just write a lot of lies...I'm psychologically paralysed. I can't make a decision. The statins sit in my cupboard. Can anyone advise me? I'm taking benecol products plus 3000mg of Omega 3 now. Will this make a difference? I've got another blood test in February to see the effects of the statins. My doctor will definitely have a go at me if I tell him I didn't take them.... Really worried and stressed! Please help!

0 likes, 38 replies

38 Replies

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  • Jackofall
    Jackofall

    Posted

    Hi Julie01285, That sounds so awful! I am so sorry for what you are going through and clearly, a large percentage of what you are suffering seems to be due to the statins. I have just looked up the side effects of Lipitor. Itching, peeling and hives are listed, among many, many others! I know what I'd do if in your situation. I would stop the statins completely and take my chances. They are just making everything so much worse.  

    I hope things improve for you. Wishing you health and well being...

  • sueisobel
    sueisobel Jackofall

    Posted

    One can troll true the Internet and always find an answer to whatever ails us .i have had both knees replaced and am in more pain than ever.  Needless to say I am on a high dose of opiate pain relief. I also have high cholesterol. My GP has put me Simavastin.  In the last few months I get terrible cramps and recently my pain level has increased to the point of not being able to cope.  Seeing the thread about Simavastin I stopped taking them and went back to my GP and had a long chat. Upshot is yes I have high cholesterol (which is not due to lifestyle or diet) and yes I do have to take statins, however.  Since I have stopped taking Simavastin I no longer get cramps and my pain level has gone back to acceptable. I am having a 2 week rest from the statins, look into how I can tweak my diet and then go back on the statins.  My point is that not all drugs are suitable for all people. People do suffer from high cholesterol and it is something that should be taken seriously.  If one drug does not suit, then get your GP to change it. What is the point of taking something that makes you worse. To all of you out there on Simavastin, don't necessarily stop taking them, but do go to your GP and change to something else.  The cholesterol co is fine reading if you don't have issues.  Me, I want to live long.
  • william67301
    william67301 Jackofall

    Posted

    Hello Jaco, i am in the same boat as you with readings. I was put on 10mg Rosuvastatin about a year ago and took them for about 6 months. I started for the first time in my life feeling old with cramps and pains and lethargic all the time. I then started getting very bad dizzy spells and was practically bed bound with severe bouts of vertigo and nausea ! I was diagnosed with Menieres disease(inner ear abnormality)by an ENT spcialist.

    From being the healthiest person i knew i went to being old, lazy and spent half my life in bed and almost unable to work. The vertigo was severe and i was given medication to help but always felt like i was half dead and was always wanting to throw up.

    I never get sick and this whole episode seriously affected my quality of life. I felt like i didn't want to live anymore.

    My cholesterol was at 7.2 when this all happened and my doc said take the statins otherwise you will have a heart attack !

    I kept thinking to myself why did this change occur !? Why all of a sudden am i sick ? Could it be the statins causing all of this ?

    I then started my research and found people on the internet with the exact same experience as me. Same side effects and nausea and vertigo ! I found 10 people that had almost given up the will to live cause of the intense nausea and vertigo. Once you have been there you will understand !! Worst experience of my life !!

    So.... i stopped the statins about 7 months ago, went through about three months of cold turkey where the vertigo got worse and i could hardly get out of bed without falling over. 6 months in i was back to a 7 reading on my cholesterol and my energy levels were coming back. Im still on medication to help with the vertigo but it has improved immensely and i'm weaning myself off the medicine. Some people on the internet say they never recovered. I feel i was only on the statins for six months so i was lucky. I can feel my body is recovering. My joints are all clicking and a bit messed up from the statins but i feel i got out in time. I went to a cardiologist and he did a few tests on my heart and said i am fine with no blockages.

    My doctor would not acknowledge what the statins did to me ! I changed doctors until i found a doctor that would listen and help me recover from this nightmare.

    I share this with everyone out there to tell you of my horrid experience with statins. The medical industry doesn't know enough about cholesterol. People with readings as low as 3.5 are having heart attacks with clogged arteries !

    I am 1 of 4 kids in my family. My brothers are all older than me and we all have the same condition with a high cholesterol reading. I am 49 yrs old and my brothers 53,55 and 57. My eldest brother at 57 has a reading of over 9. My parents had the same condition and lived long lives with no heart related issues.

    This is my experience. Read and gain knowledge off the internet. It's your life and your decision. I'm not telling you not to take them. I'm just telling you what happened to me. I hope i will recover fully one day from the statin damage. Only time will tell !!

    Good luck.

    Regards.

    Wil.

     

  • Jackofall
    Jackofall

    Posted

    Hi William,

    After the amount of reading I've done, I know that when your doctor said 'take the statins or have a heart attack', he was showing his ignorance or was lying. Doctors just obey their masters - the drug companies. Show them the undeniable evidence that low cholesterol is clearly associated with heart attack and they have nothing to say or call it 'reverse causation' - high cholesterol suddenly becomes low cholesterol after a heart attack. This sounds like a truly desperate attempt to deny damning evidence against their cherished and profitable hypothesis. On top of this denial of what's clear and obvious is another one - that statins don't have side effects. Apparently there are none according to the doctors and nurses I've spoken to. All the people on this forum and all the others I've read about and seen on the DVDs are all mistaken, even though recovery is marked when the statins are stopped. The doctors and drug comapanies are not just in denial, they are lying because their profits are more important to them than people's health. It's a terrible lesson to have learned, but I believe that it is true.   

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel Jackofall

      Posted

      Hello Jackofall

      I agree with you that GP's are guided by drug companies, up to a point. Some of them do listen to their patients (mine does).  One can read every single medical forum on this subject and still be none the wiser, but, what may agree with one patient can be potentially poisonous to another.  They are not miracle workers, they can be extraordinarily arrogant at times, but with the internet open to all, they do have to start listening to their patients.  Instead of telling the doctors what is wrong with you, tell them the symptoms.  If you meet them half way they do tend to listen.

    • Powerwalker
      Powerwalker Jackofall

      Posted

      Interesting discussion.   I'd like to make two points. Firstly, it's worrying to hear that several contributors are in dispute with their doctors. Why? Doctors are paid by the tax payer to provide a service, not to dictate to patients. If you decide not to take statin then tell your GP - they can't force you - simply STOP taking it and DON'T order it on your repeat prescription. What  could be simpler?  I took different forms of statin and was crippled with pain in my legs, neck and shoulders so I stopped and told my GP I'd done so. After almost a year I still have pain in my achilles tendons and have spent over £300 at a sports injury clinic.

      Secondly, I don't agree with those who say that high cholesterol is not a problem. Compare cholesterol with the  fatty substances in your sink drain pipe. The fat sticks to the side of the plastic pipe and builds up causing a blockage. The same thing happens to your arteries (plaque) if your LDL cholesterol is too high.  This is particularly relevant if you don't exercise and you eat too much saturated fats.  Moral of the story is stop statin, control you diet and exercise (if you are able).

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel Powerwalker

      Posted

      How many years were you on statins, if you just stop, it still has to leave your system, that will take time.  Sometimes it has nothing to do with diet. Personally, I have a very good healthy diet, I cannot exercise as much as I would like as I am disabled, but I try.  There is such thing as having a cholesterol problem and it has nothing to do with ones diet. Other than that I agree with you.
    • Powerwalker
      Powerwalker sueisobel

      Posted

      I was on Atorvastatin 20mg from September 2013 to June 2014 followed by Pravastatin 10mg from July 2014 to September 2014. My cholesterol LDL last year was 4.85 and has risen to 5.2 this year. My GP wants it to go down to 3 by taking more statin but I have said no to that.  I am not sure of the extent of your disability but glad you are doing some exercise. Any exercise is better than none so well done. Also, it's great that your diet is good so my advice is to stay clear of statin.
  • Jackofall
    Jackofall

    Posted

    As I've mentioned before, 137 000 patients admitted with heart attack all had LOW cholesterol, not HIGH cholesterol.     
    • Powerwalker
      Powerwalker Jackofall

      Posted

      You can prove anything with statistics but I prefer to use common sense. If your cononary arteries are gummed up with plaque as a result of high cholesterol then you are more at risk compared to someone with low cholesterol.
  • Jackofall
    Jackofall

    Posted

    yes, I too prefer common sense. When people are having heart attacks and they have been proven to have LOW cholesterol, is it common sense to argue that HIGH cholesterol causes heart attacks?

    It's an assumption to argue that cholesterol cloggs up arteries. Why do people with high cholesterol also have no evidence of clogged arteries? I'm one of them. I've paid £90 for someone to check my arteries by ultrasound and my arteries are just fine. High cholesterol, no clogging - common sense interpretation? 

    • Powerwalker
      Powerwalker Jackofall

      Posted

      There are always exceptions to the rule. If cholesterol doesn't block arteries, what does?? I always thought that you needed an angiogram to determine if your coronary arteries are norrowing with plaque. At least that's what I had two years ago when I had a minor heart attack. This was followed up with an echocardiogram (checks the function of the heart) and an MRI scan.
  • Jackofall
    Jackofall

    Posted

    I think it's one of those things were you have to make up your own mind. I have read everything I can find on the dissenting view and watched two very powerful DVDs on the subject ('Statin Nation' 1 & 2). I'm not medically qualified seriously don't presume to know mor ethan doctors. But there is plenty of evidence written by people who ARE medically qualified, such as Malcolm Kendrick who presents evidence that cholesterol doesn't block arteries. There's plenty of evidence that cholesterol levels follow a 'normal curve'. Some people have high levels, some have low levels. There's just too much to discuss on a forum, so I can only suggets that everyone reads all the dissenting views and then makes up their own minds on this very important topic.

     

  • sueisobel
    sueisobel Jackofall

    Posted

    The original thread of this conversation is whether or not Simavastatin causes cramps and increased pain levels when one is already in pain.

    One can read every book on this planet regarding blocked arteries, cholesterol, low or high and still be none the wiser. Every doctor, consultant, expert has their own opinion, that is why a little knowledge can be dangerous. Online self diagnoses can be frustrating and scary, 

  • dambesta
    dambesta Jackofall

    Posted

    I was prescribed me the same Simvastatin and dosage yesterday and haven't taken it yet. I found it odd that my doctor didnt mention anything about the side effects or possible liver damage. Just wrote the slip and handed it to me. I've heard about statin drugs and I really dont want to take them. I'm 31 years old.

    I work out at the gym hourly per day lifting weights and cardio so I dont want it to inhibit my preformance and ability to walk there and back home. Especially since Ive been committed to weight loss for about a month now.

    My diet isn't the best even though I try to eat healthy. I think my cholestorol levels are to blame from my increase sugar intake from fruits. I want go the "common sense" route by eating healthier to see if that helps before taking any statins or prescription drugs.

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel dambesta

      Posted

      It is the brand Simvastatin that causes joint pain and other rotten side effects.  Not all statins are the same.  Sometimes your cholesterol is inherited.  Sometimes diet alone will not lower your cholestorol.  reducing your cholesterol levels will reduce the likliehood of you having a stroke or heart attack. Don't believe everything you read in the press.  Years ago it was tomatoes, eggs, butter, nowadays apples are the bad guys.  You can be on the best diet in the world and still have high cholesterol.  Doctors prescribe what they think is best, it is up to you, the patient, to tell them it does not agree with you or makes you feel bad/unhappy.  How else are they going to know if you don't tell them. Ask your doctor for a different brand and see how you are after, say, 6 months.  If adverse side effects occur, try another brand.  If you really do not want to take pills, then you really have to change your diet. It is not the now you have to be worried about, but the future.
    • dambesta
      dambesta sueisobel

      Posted

      I switched my diet to healthy fats from veggies, fish, and nuts but still keeping it within my daily allowance. Also staying away from fast food, bakery goods, and junk food. Ive been consuming more sugar since my last blood test in the form of smoothies and fresh fruit (probably what caused my LDL to spike) so I'm limiting it to 25 grams or under. There's more I've added and removed from my diet but thats pretty much the jist. Oh and consuming more leafy vegetables and seeds as well.

      If weight loss and diet doesn't show any improvement in 3 months then I'll have no choice but to take statins. It's just a crappy time for me to start taking them considering the risks of mobility interferring with my determination to workout 7 days a week.

    • sueisobel
      sueisobel dambesta

      Posted

      You sound as if you have been spying on me.  I only have to look at food and on goes another pound!!!!! I eat fruit during the day when at work, it's a convenience food.  But it is also a lot of sugar.  Try using fruit like melons, more juice/fluid.  Apparently it is good for you as you can add it to the amount of fluid you intake. Have you upped your kale, celery and spinach; its amazing how much you can put into your smoothie.  I too have moaned to my doctor.  She says carry on, but little and often. You don't see fat animals (Well we do belong to that species)  Dont forget, changing your diet will change your metabolism, so be patient. Remember, there are pitfalls in healthy foods.  My boss is 75, looks younger than a fifty year old,  has switched to a low/no carb diets (mainly for the same reason as us)  goes running every day and admits he still needs to take statins, he has no adverse affects, so there must be a brand out there that works.  Am not going into the pros and cons of statins here  as there is a thread on this site  already.  I cannot suggest a particular brand for you to take, although I am going to suggest one to my own doctor.  Continue your diet, read up on the type of nuts and seeds you should/should not be eating.  If you are not on any medication, try a 3 day detox.  Its long enough to jolt your insides and get your metabolism working better.  There is a lot of fluid per day involved (and certain foods,incs a diet sheet/menu thats not boring) but not a painful exercise. You sound like you are doing everything right, so have faith in yourself.  You can read books and watch dvds/videos til the cows come home and just get depressed.  Go with your gut feeling, but keep upbeat about it.  Getting stressed will only take away the enjoyment of food.  Be like a naughty kid once in a while and have a pre-made dessert (there are loads of healthy ones that are good for you)
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