STATINS

We're indoctrinated with the "pill for every ill" syndrome. People going to the doctors and not being happy unless they come out clutching a prescription. So much easier to swallow a tablet than take stock of ourselves and steps to better our own health where possible. That and blind faith in the doctor. Meantime the drug companies grow fat and obscenely rich. But at what cost to the patients on the receiving end? Or so it appears to me.

Modern medecine has it place, fighting diseases, helping the sick recover, warding off potential health threats. And thank God for it. But where does one cross the rubicon?

Playing upon the fears of society we are inundated with warnings over high cholesterol/high blood pressure. The silent killers. A stroke lurking around the corner. A heart attack that stalks and strikes. Compounding fears.

To those on statins/ bp medication that fare well? That's wonderful; and no one begrudges them that. But when one reads the posts on this site, of those whose lives and health have been literally destroyed, that is truly heartbreaking.

Neither I nor anyone else should shoulder the burden/responsibility to tell others not to take statins. Each individual must choose his own path. But at least on this site, with your posts and the posts of others, we are forewarned and thus forearmed when making that decision. We gain a knowledge we did not have the luxury of when first prescribed statins. Each and every comment posted here is invaluable in helping others either decide, or share what I deem to be the devastating effects statins have on some people. I would never take another statin, bp medication ever again nor would I wish those whom I love to take them either.

For me,( and it appears for countless others,) they have diminished the quality of my life.

There's already been an investigation. The pharmaceuticals witheld a lot of the research showing those possible side effects. They got caught now , but we're only required to add these things to the warning fact sheets as possible side effects. I think , the pharmaceuticals , the F.D.A , here in the U.S. , and probably some doctors are on the payroll. Way too much money involved to keep it honest and in the best interest of the patients.

Hit very large nail on head Helen.  I have a very good friend who has high BP and high cholesterol and recently developed type 2 diabetes.  He jokes about 'loving my pills' - ie he feels he can live how he likes - smoking, taking sugar in tea, eating erratically, not exercising, because he has his magic pills to cover all the resultant issues from bad practice.  He's not overweight and isn't a junk food addict but his lifestyle is far from satisfactory and as far as I can make out, as long as he pops a pill for the latest problem, he doesn't see the need to change his habits.  Unfortunately he is not alone in these views.  I'm pretty sure that the struggles I have with my GP's in understanding I dont want yet another prescription, I want to find out the cause of my ill health and if I need to alter my lifestyle, I'll do it immediately, is that they have become so used to the steady stream of patients demanding a 'wonder drug' and handing it to them because it's easier, quicker and probably cheaper than counselling that person to change bad habits.  I had no knowledge of statins when first told to take them, I just knew I didnt want to leave the surgery after a scant 5 minute appointment with yet another prescription in hand and I did try to ask what I could do as 'self help' and was told a curt "nothing, its hereditary, changing your diet wont help, youll have to take these for life".  I believed it. I believed my doctor knew best.  I was naive not to do any research on the matter before my health started to be affected.  I certainly learned a lesson.  How many times I've visited my doctor and the prescription form is already being written out before my backside reached the seat of the chair......I dont accept that now.  I refuse everything unless they the doctor can convince me it's the only option - they normally cave in, which goes some way to proving that quick fix pharmaceuticals definitely ARE NOT the only option in many cases.

When I had a small aortic aneurysm detected many years ago I asked the consultant the best way to stop it from causing problems he said ‘Statins but you wouldn’t like them as they would probably give you the runs’

Most can cause neuropathy, stomach, skin and sleep problems the lists are endless. One type of antibiotic causes tendon pain and plantar fasciitis. Thyroid drugs are much complained about and the much prescribed seemingly now cure all drug Metformin originally for diabetics seems to cause most of its users stomach pain and diarrhea. When I asked the nurse at my GP practice what the most complained about drug was I was only mildly surprised when she said Tamsulosin (Flomax) the alpha blocker prescribed to improve urination in men with BPH as apart from causing eye problems and can make cataract surgery more difficult it eventually causes various sexual difficulties.

Yes by men, I said. She replied ‘No by their wives’   

"warding off potential health threats"

That's why they prescribe Statins:-)

Lol, indeed they do! Not quite what I was thinking of but hats off to you!

Read the related information on the right of this page It does warn you.

https://patient.info/health/statins-and-other-lipid-lowering-medicines

https://patient.info/medicine/atorvastatin-tablets-lipitor

I'm still very quick at 82 despite all the meds i've taken for the past 16 years and spare parts I've been fitted with. I've gradually cut out most and now am down to a PPI and Warfarin. I stopped my BP med three weks ago with my GP's consent to see if I really need it. That has gone OK until today when it has stayed up at its morning level.

I'm trying to get on a trial to have an LAAC device fitted so that I can stop warfarin.

Aw, you're just a boy! Interestingly I was reading online,( Diasbled World,) how blood pressure tends to rise naturally with age. The acceptance levels for many decades was 100 plus your age." Lowering blood pressure by just 5 points can mean billions of dollars because one of the top 10 drugs prescribed in America is for hypertension, ensnaring millions into the drug prescription trap."

But that which fascinated me was the findings that high blood pressure, as defined by the drug industry and doctors, is not a given death sentence. It was also stated that clinical trials involving hypertension medication shows no increased lifespan amongst users when compared with non users.

Food for thought.

Doubtless the arguments for and against statins and hypertension drugs will rage on

I've always had GERD type symptoms that feel like a heart attack coming on that I ignore. In 2000 I went to my GP for something for it. She took my BP and it was 210/110 and sent me to the chest pain clinic. Soon I'm on Meds that do not agree with me and I fail the stress ECG test and have an angiogram that is clear so they say false positive.

I've had another two false positives since and offer to bet them a month’s salary that the next angiogram will also be clear but I get no takers.

Many years and meds later they say white coat hypertension or labile hypertension but keep on taking the tablets.

I eventually see a consultant at a Hypertension Centre who does every test in the book but finds no cause for my hypertension. He thinks that I am not actually hypertensive but have peaks and so by medicating me I get more than the usual side effects and it is lowered too  much.

I've cut down on BP meds and now just take Losartan that seems not to cause obvious side effects.  At my last clinic appointment I suggested that we were not getting anywhere and asked if he wanted to see me again. He said he did. I asked if I should stop Losartan but he said to continue with it. 

Speaking to my GP we agreed that I should stop it for a few weeks to see what happens.

In my Granny’s day she always said that BP was a 100 plus your age.  There was a mention is another post about vascular dementia.

 My mother was said to have that but that was another medical excuse.

She was a fit active 80 year old with a very good memory. She was found to have a tumor in a kidney that they wanted to remove in June of that year. She told them it would have to wait as she was going to Canada for the month of August. She went on her own and travelled around Canada visiting relatives. I spoke to her on the phone on her return and she was full of her holiday and said that she would tell us all about it when we went to Scotland after her operation to look after her for a couple of weeks. We never heard about her holiday as after her operation her memory was gone. They  denied it being an effect of the anesthetic and said she must have vascular dementia and have had it for some time.

It got to the stage where she could not look after herself and we had to put her into a retirement home. Apart from her memory she was fit in other ways after the operation and she was the only one in the home not on any medications. She lived until she was 92 and it was the effect of a broken hip and the need for a second hip replacement as the first one was probably botched that finished her off.   

Sadly, there appears to be a "Damned if I do, damnded if I don't !" belief where statins/bp medication are concerned. Those with high cholesterol/ high bp readings are left with the agonizing decision whether or not to take drugs to control either or both.An intolerable dilemna I'm sure you agree.

There appears to be much dissention amongst medical professionals all over the world concerning what is considered to be "healthy" levels of readings and at what point to intervene with drugs. The medical professions needs to get its act together, pool resources,data and feedback, to safeguard those who look to them for help as opposed to writing prescriptions willy-nilly.

Personally, I neither smoke nor drink, my bmi is bang on and I never eat junk food but cook from fresh ingredients ever day. All I know is both my cholesterol/bp readingswere, according to my gp,  high and I left the surgery, armed with drugs and a fear that any minute now I was going to keel over and die.

And thus began almost a year of hell where, from being a lively, healthy, energetic woman I was reduced to the exact opposite. A year of my life plagued by a whole host of side-effects that left me feeling ill and drained and frightened.My blood pressure dropped like a stone( much to my gp's delight because I was now in the "healthy " range ) and I could scarcely move for fear of passing out.

Five different prescriptions later, in an attempt to find a drug that did not generate in me appalling side-effects, I thought to hell with this! It was the best decision I ever made.

My life was overshadowed by a feeling of impending doom, concerned over my high cholesterol/bp, I dutifully swallowed medication. And for what?

I don't think about it now. If I keel over then so be it. At least my life has a quality denied to me by drugs. I don't think for one minute my decision to stop medications will shorten my life by so much as a day. And if it does, well, in the interim, surely quality is far more precious than quantity?

But that's just my take on things

I couldn't agree more with your comments. I have had the same experience being told that

Sorry hit the wrong button there. My GP put all my reading into his computer and told me if I didn't take BP medication I would have an 11% chance of a stroke or heart attack. I was terrified and readily accepted a prescription for tablets that I went to having to change through all different side affects. The one I currently take Lasarton has faired the best, although more recently I had to double the strength as my BP had become immune to it!! A month on from that blood tests have shown that it's affecting my kidney function. And my cholesterol is on the high side. Well it's 4.5 I don't think that reading warrants taking anymore poisonous drugs

Personally I find it alarming that 4.5 is regarded as a high cholesterol reading! Were that me I would researched that and at the same time research kidney problems induced by medication. They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and ignorance is bliss..hum, well not where our health is concerned it isn't! I was on losartan/hydrochlorothiaze 100/25 and as stated my experience was negative to say the least.And I must add this was the first time in my life I have ever experienced medication side-effects so it's not as though I had prior issues

Goodness me, the more I read the more I find it truly disturbing!

Hi Loxie - just a note to thank you for recommending Aqueous Lotion for excema resulting from statin use. Problem fading and I'm grateful.

Hi Wayne, so very glad to hear it's been of help.  I use only that or E45 now, both are cheap and very effective - waste of money buying overpriced miracle creams and potions.  I picked up on Aqueous from my mother in law who was given it by the hospital. Hope the problem continues to fade away. 

I so agree Helen.  Before the pharmaceutical industry saw what a money spinner statins were, it was considered okay if cholesterol was at 5 or even 6.  I have a friend who has been told by her GP that she should get hers down to 3 !! How ridiculous, 3 is totally unhealthy, it's starving the brain of essential requirements.

Cholesterol is produced by the body for a reason - it's not just there as an accident.  It's needed for production of steroid hormones (ie oestrogen, testosterone, etc).  It's needed for the body to produce bile, which aids digestion and enables absorption of many vitamins, eg A, D, E, K, it helps produce cortisol which regulates the body's blood sugar levels and defends against infection.  Last but not least , in a recent study available on the NIH Public Access site, researchers showed that in the elderly, the best memory function was observed in those with the highest levels of cholesterol. Low cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for depression and even death. - See more at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18757771

Artificially lowering the level of cholesterol 'just in case' is not just poor medical advice but bordering on dangerous. 

I posted a reply which is being moderated because I included a link to a research study.  Here's hoping they allow it - it's not gossip or sales promotion just an NHS study which is enlightening about cholesterol and a healthy brain.

Thank you so much for that! It beggars the question of what are the consequences of interfering with nature and is it, in certain areas necessary, or are we "self harming" in our quest to stay healthy according to drug company guidelines? Surely the first line of defence should be assistance and guidelines from the doctor to assist us in healthy living practices as opposed to medicating ourselves willy-nilly?

The more I learn the more alarmed I become

Well apparently the Gp's do, or so it appears. That really concerns me. Whereas we once had the confidence to take that which our gp prescribed, now with alarming reports that are emerging we are having to question everything.

Disturbing to say the least

My INR doubled in a week and the clinic nurse could not understand why and did not adjust my dosage. It took me three weeks to seach out the answer and present it to my GP. He had not known either and when he looked up BNF the warning was not cleary stated.

I challenged the pharmacist where I get my medications and she said she thought everyone knew that.   

Yes it is Derek but the truth behind it's devasting side effects for pregnant women was part of a terrible cover up at the time. 

Re the Amiodarone I had bad reactions to it the first time I was in AF. This time the registrar said that I could get by on Bisoprolol until I had my cardioversion but he forgot to put me down to have the procedure. Actually he previously forgot to refer me for my heart valve replacement before going on a month’s holiday to his native country. I found that out for myself when phoning the hospital where the operation was to be carried out for an expected date. When I phoned hospital 1 they said he was a bit behind with his paperwork. When I said that the other hospital said if he faxed my referral to them today they would fit me in to an appointment with the surgeon. They then admitted he was not there.

I then had this appointment with the assistant registrar (a Bimbo would you believe called Sabrina if you are old enough to remember one of that name from 1960's TV.) She noted that I had previously had problems with Amiodarone and was adamant that I could not have a cardioversion unless I had been taking it for eight weeks. So I had to agree to take it.

The whole consultation with her showed her lack of knowledge of cardiology that my GP wrote a letter of complaint.

And another tid bit about Amiodarone. After heart bypass a I was put on amidarone. 8 months later my cardiologist asked why I was still taking it. Told him no body told me to stop and they continued giving refills. He said no. Should have only took them for 2 months after bypass . Turned out the Amiodarone killed my thyroid gland. So , I've been on thyroid meds every since. Happened in 2004.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/clinical/cardiovascular/experts-in-row-over-study-claiming-high-ldl-cholesterol-is-healthy/20032068.fullarticle

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the article that was pasted in full here as it may breach other website's copyright. Please do not paste whole articles in posts. You can add a link to it and this will be approved as long as it complies with rules for posting links. If it doesn't then links can be exchanged via the Private Message service.

Hi Helen - just reading your post re: "Damned if I do..."  Your situation with statins has eloquently described mine exactly. I had always been fit and active with no health probs and then I needed a doctor. Well! Statin use over 2 years saw me frail but bloated with a litany of ailments as if I'd aged 20 years overnight. Worse, the doctor just dismissed them and my concerns. I threw him and the pills away. A year later, I am beginning to feel like my old self again and if I keel over, so what! Quality of life returning and not a whit of fear over impending death which - I understand - is the price of life. Every morning I must stop myself bounding out of bed, throwing open the windows and shouting "I'm alive!" to no-one in particular.