@David_dns@caprifoglio This is a decision I am struggling with. I am a very active person, always have been. Diagnosed Type 1 4 years ago. My cholesterol has always been elevated since labs were drawn starting in 1989. I have never been on a statin. Most recent lab values:
Cholesterol 258 reference range50-200
Triglyceride 96 reference range <200
HDL cholesterol 53 reference range 35-85
LDL (calc) 186 reference range 0-100
Chol/HDL 4.9 reference range 0-4.44
I already have problems with muscle pain, weakness for which I ignore and continue exercising. I just started a low dose Levothyroxine for ? hypothyroidism. (According to PA it is subclinical whatever the heck that means. My TSH is 9.25, but t3 and t4 are normal range.
I just have no desire to be on a statin, and I wonder, if my triglycerides are good, do I really need one?
(My mother was on pravachol for years, never did it lower her cholesterol, but she had terrible side effects. She was not diabetic but had Polycystic Kidney Disease.I do too, but so far my kidneys are ok, BUN and Creatinine are fine )
From reading Dr. Bernsteinās book I wonder if maybe the LDL really isnāt a problem, as he discussed āfluffy LDL as being a non-issueā.
Any thoughts you care to share I would greatly appreciate reading.
JoAnn2 I really think you need to deal with your particular circumstances and get doctors who are equally interested. I wouldnāt take any other information as evidence of anything. Iāve heard of Bernstein but honestly, he is not in my body and therefore, whatever. Taking statins if you can tolerate them AND they are helping you is no oneās business but your own. Ignoring your symptoms is never a good idea, whether taking a statin or not can help you. You need to get to the bottom of that. Womenās health issues ARE different from menās, and unfortunately for the reason I mentioned above, they have never been taken seriously - EXCEPT around the reproductive field, and even then the technology goes for the babies more than the mother (http://www.npr.org/2017/05/12/528098789/u-s-has-the-worst-rate-of-maternal-deaths-in-the-developed-world), so honestly, check into what could be causing your muscle pain and weakness and donāt rule any medication out that could help you get better.
That is my honest advice. Take care of yourself, and make your doctors work with you based on YOUR body. Everything else is irrelevant.
@JoAnn2, I also struggled with the decision for quite some time, which is why I shared my update. The only reason I agreed to even try was when a calcium scan showed with certainty that at 52 I already have visible signs of atherosclerosis. Iāve been T1 for six years, am a lifelong exerciser, and have a BMI of 19. Nonetheless, my body and my apparent genetic predisposition have set me up for heart disease. Iām taking a small dose of a statin only two days a week and it brought my LDL down. Perhaps you could consult with a cardiologist and determine whether there is reason for you to be concerned about your heart and whether your LDL should be a concern.
UPDATE July 5, 2017: Well, so much for the smooth ride. About a week after posting the message about my success, I started to experience muscle pain in my hips and my BG became more difficult to control. It seemed to be an increase in insulin resistance. As an experiment, I stopped the statin 10 days ago and as of today, the pain is pretty much gone and my BG seems more like before. Iāll be consulting with my cardiologist, but I was so hoping it wouldnāt go this way.
Without getting into the whole diet/cholesterol/CVD debate, which is ongoing, Iāll just say this. Obviously Iām not a doctor nor qualified to give specific advice; but according to the generally accepted ānormsā, those numbers, while not extreme, are cause for concern in some degree. The one thing that really caught my attention in your post was the mention of muscle pain. Muscle pain and spasms are among the most frequently-mentioned side effects of statins (ones that I experienced personally), so itās certainly an area in which to tread carefully and with caution and due diligence.
Cholesterol chart for adults
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, these are the acceptable, borderline, and high cholesterol and triglyceride measurements for adults. All values are in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).
Total cholesterol HDL cholesterol LDL cholesterol Triglycerides
Good Less than 200 40 or higher Less than 100 Less than 149
Borderlin 200ā239 n/a 130ā159 150ā199
High 240 or higher n/a 160 or higher 200 or higher
Low n/a less than 40 n/a n/a
By looking at your numbers your total cholesterol is too high
Your Triglycerides (total fat in the blood) look to be good
Your HDL (referred as happy cholesterol) are good
Your LDL (Bad cholesterol) are too high
A statin will help you correct the levels that are not good.
As I said both my wife and I have been on a statin since our being diagnosed with heart disease. My wife takes 10mg Atorvastatin, and I take 20mg of Rosuvastatin. I take a higher dose of a statin because my cardiologist wants my number to be below total cholesterol of 150. My wife doesnāt have a really high cholesterol, but her Endo wants her to be on a statin to be safe than sorry. Now as others have said everyone is different and you have to decide what works best for you.
Iām suffering from type 2 diabetes and Iāve been taking Lipitor for past 1 year. I havenāt noticed any fluctuation in my sugar level.
However, I have read an article where it says In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lipitor for the purpose of lowering cholesterol. Following its release, scientists found that more people who are on statin therapy are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes compared to people who are not on statin therapy.
In 2012, the FDA revised safety information for the popular statin drug class. They added to the warning information that a āsmall increased riskā of high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes has been reported in individuals who use statins.
In their warning, however, the FDA acknowledged that they believe the positive benefits to a personās heart and cardiovascular health outweigh the slightly increased risk of diabetes. They also added that people on statins would need to work more closely with their doctors to monitor blood sugar levels.
