Question about cholesterol meds for a type 1?

Type 1 and LADA
#1

So I have recently gone to a check up, and the doctor I saw didnt even let me explain everything about my condition, I am a TYPE 1 diabetic insulin dependant, I told most of what I was going thru these past months, and she suggested for me to start taking cholesterol meds and some other meds, and my question is: is it necessary for one with type 1 to take what seems to be type 2 meds??? Like cholesterol meds
I was once put on metformin by another doctor because “my B.S. was high all the time” and literally when I went back to my old endocrinologist she threw them out and said I didnt need it…

I would like to hear any similar situations if any, I would appreciate any feedback since I would like to put my concerns out there before being drugged without any motive for it.

Thanks

#2

i think if my doctor suggested i go on a statin or other meds, i would try to first lower cholesterol with diet, keeping in mind that the heavily prescribed dietary guidelines often do not work to lower cholesterol-the low fat thing. i would read up on gary taubes. he is a medical journalist very interested in nutrition, obesity and illness, including high cholesterol.

i would do a lot to stay off any oral medications that are unnecessary. saying that, your situation is yours and you might need them? good luck with your decision.

#3

The US government is at this very time coming out with new nutritional guidelines, (finally!) validating that eating food containing cholesterol is NOT what causes high cholesterol in humans. What they DON'T explain is that by reducing carbohydrates you will improve your lipid profile. Try it. BTW you can and should also make sure you eat enough fats - including saturated fats like butter, not removing the fat on your meat -- for energy and satiety.

#4

Having diabetes and high blood sugars can lead to cholesterol abnormalities as our bodies attempt to shuttle high blood sugars into body fat. It isn't a T1/T2 issue. It is a misconception that Metabolic Syndrome (of which abnormal cholesterol is one symptom) is a T2 thing, it is a diabetes thing. This has been studied and the occurrence of Metabolic Syndrome and abnormal cholesterol in T1 is frequent. That is why they made up a guidelines that All diabetics should take a statin.

But there is a huge amount of controversy about cholesterol and statin use. The current guidelines are to basically put everyone with diabetes on a statin even though they most likely won't benefit and may well be harmed by the statin. Women have not been shown to benefit from being put on a statin, no matter what their cholesterol. And if your cholesterol is in a normal range, what exactly is the point?

And the biggest issue, if you really are experiencing abnormal cholesterol and your blood sugars haven't been very good, your doctor should be having an "aha moment." If you normalize your blood sugars, maybe all your cholesterol abnormalities will just disappear.

ps. I had a terrible experience with statins. No drug is totally safe, the whole point of a drug is that it does something. Unfortunately that something may also harm you.

#5

Just to weigh in a little on this- I've been Type 1 since I was 9, have never had high cholesterol (so I've never been on statins) and I started Metformin about 6 months ago. It's now not just for Type 2s. I saw my A1C go from 7.5 to 6.5. It does take constant monitoring with my Dex bc at first I had quite a few lows due to decreased basal requirements. For me the 1 percentage drop was worth it bc I plan to get pregnant in a few years.

#6

My cholesterol is high and I stopped taking statins after ten years of using it. I still have not read the "smoking gun" study that unequivocally demonstrates a causal connection between high cholesterol and heart disease, not merely an association. Going to the hospital and dying is a strong association but not a causal relationship.

In fact studies have shown that taking statins does not lead to a longer life. I've even read one study that showed a geriatric high-cholesterol population had a higher survival rate then a low-cholesterol group.

All these emphatic recommendations that all diabetics should take statins come from medical panels littered with doctors with glaring conflicts-of-interest.

#7

More troubling to me is the newer research regarding Lp-PLA2 as an indicator of heart disease:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoprotein-associated_phospholipase_A2

Again not necessarily causation, but high correlation between an elevated Lp-PLA2 and heart disease. I have high LDL and just had my Lp-PLA2 tested. I was so crossing my fingers that it would be low, but it's in the range that indicates a significantly increased heart disease and stroke risk. I haven't been to a cardiologist yet, but I fear when I do I'll be having the statin discussion again. Bottom line, I don't want to have a heart attack or stroke, but I also don't want to mess with all my lipids if I don't have to.

#8

I haven't heard of this blood marker before. Perhaps I should get my doctor to order it on my next set of labs. So, it shows a high degree of correlation but not causation. It's frustrating from a patient perspective to wrestle with the trade-offs between drug side-effects and the uncertainty inherent in a blood marker like this.

#9

I think it's much more directly linked to actual atherosclerosis. There are quite of few resources that talk about it if you Google it. Here's one blurb from a much larger explanation:

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of systemic inflammation that can improve risk stratification; however, it is not specific for cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a specific marker of vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis.

https://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/testguide.action?dc=TS_Lp-PLA2

#10

I was just in to see a cardiologist who stated that I should be on a statin. She said that since I have diabetes I will eventually be on one. My cholesterol was 180 last checkup; although LDL was over 100. I mentioned about side effects and she said Simvastatin had the side effect of muscle aches, but was prescribed often because it was cheaper than Lipitor. Apparently now Lipitor comes in a generic form that is suppose to be more affordable and she claims has less side effects.

#11

I had this test and I had a very low result. My doctors universally dismissed the result. I actually think inflammation matters, but most doctors don't.

#12

I've been on statins since diagnosis without any ill effects. High cholesterol runs in my family so I was neither surprised or distressed by my doctor's recommendation. Even well controlled Type 1s have a somewhat elevated risk of heart disease so dealing with high cholesterol is certainly not just a Type 2 issue.

#13

I agree, Brian, that chronic inflammation, is probably a central player in cardio vascular disease. Did the doctors dismissal give any specific reasons or just a general thumbs down? Sometimes doctors cling to dogma longer than their less educated patients.

#14

While, cholesterol issues aren't type 2 exclusive, do you know if you ACTUALLY have high cholesterol? If you don't, don't bother, if you do? Try other things like diet and exercise at first.

I've never had high cholesterol , always quite perfect, actually? So if my doctor told me to go on drugs for that I'd be like k bye. I'm pretty sure he won't , as so far no? I've not been put on any extra medications other than what I actually needed from him . I'd suggest possibly looking into someone else if the doctor gets insistent about it when you don't actually need them.

#15

If you don't have the condition, for example, high cholesterol, it is much easier to say "don't take the med." For those who have an abnormal test, it may not be such a simple matter. Diet and exercise works for some but not others. If the no-med approach does not work and if you have a strong family history of the condition, then I think the person whose life may be affected needs to carefully look at the pros and cons of whatever the medical recommendation is and decide. If the decision is to try the med, one can always stop a med later if it proves not to help or if side effects occur. Or, you can start it if alternative strategies do not work.
The Lp-PLA2 test is newish and not available everywhere. The blood may need to be sent to a distant lab, depending on where you live. It's clinical relevance has not been fully established. Lots of info at http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/lp-pla2/tab/test. At least that is where I go to learn about lab tests. It does look intriguing.

#16

Hey there girl. I actually just got told by my doctor that I need to be put on cholesterol medication as well. I always ask a ton of questions so away I asked.. He then told me that many type one diabetics(especially if you've had it for more than ten years)the chances of us getting heart disease increases. Therefore, in order to try and prevent heart disease, he suggested I begin a cholesterol medication. I was not thrilled at first, but after reading statistics and doing my fair share of extensive research on diabetes and heart disease, I decided to comply with my doctor. This may not be the case for you, but I find there is usually some logic to the madness that doctors seem to have to us sometimes. I hope this helped settle your nerves a bit. Oh and by the way, I had an extra step in between: my doctor made me get birth control before starting me on the cholesterol meds because apparently the meds can cause major birth defects. So that's another foreign thing floating around in my body that I had not really considered getting before and raises a whole new set of questions and concerns. Good luck and best wishes to you.

-Daniela

#17

I have had side effects on Lipitor and cannot take it. I am on 10 mg of pravastatin and when the dosage was increased, I had muscle aches. They all can give you side effects.