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Statins Side Effects

Posted , 5 users are following.

usch
usch

It is very worrying that after so much adverse publicity regardinhg the - basically - oversubscriptions of Statins the NHS stiil seems to 'stick its head in the sand'.

I was first prescribed statins about 8 years  ago -Simvastatin - because according to the 'tick box' assessment process I was considered to be in the 'high risk' category.

I did not make the connection regarding my increasing lack of interest in anything, constant tiredness etc with statins but contributed those symptoms with other factors within my life, including getting older.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008, about two years after commencing the statin 'treatment'.

About nine months ago my GP prescribed me Avorstatin 40mg. The side effects started almost straight away, which included:- loss of muscle strength, muscle cramp, nightmares, severe depression of a kind I had never experienced before.

I still did not make the connection with taking statins until I came across the adverse publicity.

I asked my GP for a full review of my medication.

She said that I could stop the routinely prescribed anti-depressants but she could not advice me to stop Avorstatin. She further said that she had to advice me to take them but that I did not have to.

I did stop taking statins totally about 3 months ago, and I feel as if I am gradually 'thawing out'.

My nightmare have disappeared, so has my depression.

I still have muscle cramps from time to time.

There may be some permanent damage to my lower back/hip due to loss of muscle and inability to excercise. I used to be very active before my statin period.

I have a hunch that GP's are basically told by the NHS hirarchy to prescribe statins and to play down reported side effect.

It is very sad, but if the NHS will not listen, the only remedy will be law suits, which have started in the US already.

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • mike76241
    mike76241 usch

    Posted

    There is a young lady in our local bank, who was put on statins

    after a stroke,  its very sad to the quality of her life has deteriated so much

    over 12 months, there seems to be a bullying atitude amongst some GP's as

    she is told in no uncertain to stay on Simvastatin, what difference would it make

    to come off these for just 3/4 wks to be able to detect side effects

    we need more readers to come forward to strengthen our case in

    challenging this treatment

    • usch
      usch mike76241

      Posted

      Yes mike, I am in 'warrior mode' now.
  • margaretx
    margaretx usch

    Posted

    I to was put on statins,over the last two years I was prescribed two different ones.

    with both the side effects have been horrible eg muscle pain in my thighs,depression.

    The muscle pain was so bad I had to climb the stairs on all fours.

    i decided to stop taking them three weeks ago as the quality of my life was going down hill. The muscle pain is getting better but I think it will take sometime to get back to normal, I have bought a vibro exerciser to help stimulate the muscles in my legs too.

    I think more women have these side effects then men, of all the men I know that take statins not one have side effects but 8 out of the 10 women I know have the same side effects as myself. How come doctors are not warning of the possible side effects of these toxic drugs?

    • usch
      usch margaretx

      Posted

      I think they are directed by the NHS hierarchy not to point out side effects.

      The pharmaceutical companies think that they are covering themselves by having all possible side effects listed on an accompaning leaflet - in semi-medical jargon. This is too confusing for the average patient, I think.

      There is only one aspect that the clinical trails re statins proved, they do lower cholesterol. Whether this is always beneficial is not really clear. The side effects are being down played, I think.

  • len7
    len7 usch

    Posted

    hi usch... nice to hear from you. atorvastatin i was lead to believe was the est statin with less side effects, i think GPs just tell us what they think we would like to hear i think theres a big question mark on statins somthing maybe there not telling us. i know that they do not all agree on the effect of statins. i am still on 20mg of atorvastatin and i get tired muscles and back and front pain on my lower hand side had it for about 1 year now been to the gp about 6 times he say strained muscle on the inside well it seems to be taking a long time to get any better... i don,t know to me the jury is still out on statins. all the best....len7
  • Tafia43
    Tafia43 usch

    Posted

    I read that GP's are asked to get at least 60% of their patients below 5 mmol/l and when that is achieved they get a payment from central government,

    It was written in a book by Dr Phil Hammond.

    • len7
      len7 Tafia43

      Posted

      hi tafia e i think dr hammond did disclose somthing along those lines i d not understand too much about it but what i do know is on my last assesment my level was.5. 3 and he said we will not raise the dose yet somthing about my good cholestrol is  a bit down he said he did not have time t go into it with me , i was quite confused....len 7
  • usch
    usch

    Posted

    We really do need more transparency; all those 'preventative' measures are not hard core science but very  often bassed on biased 'clinical trials'.
  • len7
    len7 usch

    Posted

    usch. hi, i could not agree more but to be honest hell will freeze over before there tottaly honest with us, all we want is for them to say this is what this drug is this is what it can do to you the benefits out weigh risks by this much so then we can make a fully informed choice if we want to take the risk, were not given the choice just told i will put you on thease  and i will put them on repeat, then you go back and say im haveing terrible problems he says must be a virus, so now you have got the longest running virus youve ever had in your life,  you back and he says wll it could be the meds but i doubt it.
  • Tafia43
    Tafia43 usch

    Posted

    Can you tell us where we can find details of the US court actions please. Could be useful.
  • usch
    usch

    Posted

    lipitorlawsuit.co/lipitor-class-action/

    Unfortunately, UK laywers at the moment will not work on cases egarding Statins side effects.

    The above is a US link, where lawsuits are running. They will come over here, but it will take time.

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