Statins

Hope you have filed an "adverse reaction" report - it doen't have to be done by a doctor, patients and pharmacists can also file them and without them they never will identify the true incidence. It is not until drugs are being used in the general population that it is possible to identify the correct incidence of anything - but GPs will tell you "you don't need to report that it is known...". Yes, "known" - but not the true incidence. 

I googled atorvastin tendon rupture and it didn't take long to find a report looking at the incidence! I had achilles problems due to Medrol plus quinolone antibiotics - GP said "oh, I've heard of it but never seen that". Well you have now!!!!!! I spent 9 months on crutches. 

I don't CARE if it is rare - that DOESN'T mean it doesn't happen. Like they tell patients "this NSAID is less irritant on the gut than ibuprofen" LESS is not the same as NOT. 

 

Dear All

Better to have a small heart attack than a big one but any heart attack is serious and, apart from anything else, puts one at a greater risk of having a second heart attack. 

Few people on this forum want to take medication.  I was perfectly fit prior to my heart attack and took nothing.  I ate a healthy diet and exercised daily.  Post heart attack, it's a different matter.  We can do our best re keeping fit but we are not in control of heredity.  I personally am prepared to continue on a moderate dose of statins.  Liver enzymes currently fine.  The way I see it is that, if I die at some point in the future of dodgy liver enzymes or any other side effect of statins as opposed to a heart attack - well that's the way it goes.

Wonderful that you, Richard, are playing tennis two months after your attack.  Does your ruptured Achilles tendon relate to statins?  Unlikely you will ever know as medical opinions about everything are always divided.   You could, like Lynn, ask your GP if your statin could be reduced.That might help re muscle pain.  Wish you and you tendon well. 

Thank you,doc has reduced the dosage to 40mg,she said to try it for about 2mnths.

 

Hi Eileen, yes submitted a yellow card to flow into the statistics however I have not had any follow up to my submission.

The issue I have now is that the usual procedure for treating achilles tendon rupture is surgery to stitch the two ends back together, the hospital would not consider this treatment for me as I had had a heart attack less than two months before the rupture, with non surgical treatment being a weaker repair.

That being said I am now discharged and am free to participate in sports again however while I am on statins I just dont have the confidence to push off or lunge as I had previously done.

Thanks Alex, the doctor put me on a dose of fluconazole as well which apparently is a no-no when taking statins, unbelievable!!!  Google that for interactions with Atorvastatin 80!  Funnily enough I had some very abnormal liver function results a couple of months ago but returned to normal now.

I think that yes my achilles tendon rupture does relate to the use of statins and my GP has finally accepted that it 'does seem logical'.

Have a cardiac review in a couple of weeks and hoping that the dose of statins will be reduced; will keep you all posted - thanks for the good wishes.

Hope it goes well for you Lynn, all about finding the balance of enough of the medication to prevent further cardiac problems, but not so much as to cause muscle pains.

When did you have your heart attack? 

I tried to get my dose reduced a few times this year and each time they have not reduced it, hopefully they will when I have my review later this month.

Yes - unbelievable indeed.  Have just googled fluconazole and statins.  One has to keep alert at all times.  I myself am hoping I don't bleed to death at the dentist's this week.  He seems to think that it's okay to continue to take the anti-platelet medication during a root canal!

Too bad re your rupture.  Will they consider surgery later on or won't you need it by then?  Good luck with the cardiac review.  I saw my consultant only once after my MI and then they discharged me into the hands of my GP. 

There shouldn't be too much bleeding with a root canal surely?

I am on a relative of warfarin because of atrial fibrillation and my INR runs at about 2.3 most of the time. Last year I realised I couldn't put off having an upper wisdom tooth out any longer and asked a local dentist about it. In the UK it would probably been done in hospital - not here! I decided to go with this dentist as he was across the road from the hospital - I confess I was fairly panic-stricken about it.

It took 10 minutes, I didn't bleed much at all and it healed fine. And the neck and back pain that I suspected wasn't unconnected to the tooth - gone!!! The man was absolutely right.

On another note - I now google ANYTHING a doctor suggests, if I haven't already challenged them at the time and seen appropriate evidence. My antibiotic/Medrol/achilles problem gave me a rather unpleasant year despite both GP and pharmacist KNOWING I took Medrol so the abx was a No-No. 

Hi Alexandra - I've had a few root canals done - theyre not very nice and in my case my nerves were super sensitive and it took a massive amount of anaesthetic injections to get them calm enough to do (7 in total for one tooth! - ouchies).  Normally though there isn't much bleeding as the tooth roots are not extracted, just the nerve removed from within the root.  The last one I had done didnt bleed at all - even though it did hurt to hell and back lol.  Hope yours is much less painful.  If the dentist is aware of your medication and thinks its fine, then it really should be ok.

Thanks to you and EileenH for your responses.  I'm sure I'll be fine at the dentist!

Good night to all

Alex

 

Dear All, Just to let you know,i was admitted to hosp on Tue night.Was getting worried as was getting Chest Pains,so my husband called 999.Was in overnight did lots of tests and thank god i was ok.Seems i could now have a Gastric prob.Before my Heart Attack i should of had the tube down my throat as i was getting pain when i had eaten,but i felt better so did not go.This sounds like the prob again,so when i have changed my GP i will go and get it sorted