That’s a very generalized statement.
If a statin caused me to develop peripheral neuropathy, then I would consider it foolhardy to not consider other options to reduce cholesterol levels.
As it is, I’m a diabetic, and I don’t take a statin. My LDL was in the low 80s last time I went to the doctor. At that level, I can’t imagine taking a statin that might have serious side effects (life threatening or not). There’s just no need.
So Dave, what do you suggest I do? I am one of the few who have horrible side effects from statins. I would like to live a healthy life for at least 15 more years.
But they can have quality-of-life-ruining side effects, and not too many people want extra years if those include intense muscle or nerve pain. There is almost never a one size fits all approach to medicine, including for this.
Technically, we don’t actually know that the effects of statins have anything to do with lowering LDL cholesterol. We know they do that and we know they have cardio-protective effects, but it remains unproven that lowering LDL is the mechanism. Other scientific theories suggest that statins’ anti-inflammatory effects are responsible for the improvement and the lowering of LDL is essentially a side effect. It may well be that cholesterol is way less important than inflammation, and we are all paying attention to the wrong biomarker(s) and thus focusing on the wrong lifestyle changes as well.
Would you rather have PN, or be dead or disabled by a heart attack?
Watch your diet I suppose. And keep your fingers crossed. Have you tried every statin? I already mentioned that I can’t take Pravastatin, but I’m fine on Simvastatin.
oh good grief, there are 35 million people on statins.
What does that have to do with what I said? I’m not saying anything about how many people it’s a good fit vs not for. Just that for some, it’s not going to be, so a blanket approach isn’t going to work, as evidenced by this group right here.
What about what she said makes her sound remotely at risk for a heart attack? If like you posit, it is about LDL, her numbers are already excellent anyway, better than what many people get on statins. It’s not at all clear that statins would be an improvement, and I don’t believe there’s been any sort of clinical trial for people with numbers that low to see if statins bring additional clinically significant benefits.
Yes, I have tried all of the statins. I guess that I would rather eat almost no fat, exercise, and try to get my cardiologist to do enough testing so that I can keep a close watch on my arteries. When my cholesterol numbers are analyzed it shows that I have few of the small dense particles which make LDL dangerous.
I don’t want to take a medication which I know is harming my body and lowering my quality of life. I have not tried the injectable cholesterol nor other meds which might lower cholesterol. The injectable drugs have not been used long enough for me to feel good about trying them.
Love ALA. took it for years but got off the radar for it. Even if you don’t need it, its a great supplement.
Thanks Lisa, I checked the local grocery store for it and then when they didn’t have it I forgot about it. I will order some today.
And Dave there are millions of people who take the blood pressure med you couldn’t take. I am glad that you found another med which doesn’t make you miserable. My husband takes a statin, but now he is pre diabetic due to the statin. All kinds of people have side effects from statins. My elderly neighbor has been taking a statin since they first came out. It didn’t keep him from having a heart attack a few years ago.
I am on at Atorvastatin,. I have been on it for a month. I am watching for side effects. My LDL was 76 and I discussed with my endo and primary care doc
why is this necessary. The explanation given to me was that as a diabetic my blood is stickier and that it is easier for the cholesterol to stick together in a clump and build up. If a piece of the clump breaks off and lodges in a inopportune place then I may have a heart attack. I have PN no meds needed as it is sporadic and not painful. Will discuss with doc
@Marilyn6,
Me too. I will put it on the list again. Podiatrist send it will not hurt me but the science is still out whether it is effective.
That’s a ridiculous comparison. The world is not black and white.
There’s absolutely no reason I should be on a statin at my age. My diabetes is well controlled, my blood pressure is low, and my cholesterol is ideal. I exercise regularly. My doctor said the same thing when I mentioned it to him at an appointment awhile ago. He said if my cholesterol were higher then it would be different.
And there anti-vaxers out there, as well. I try not to argue with them, as it seems to be a religion of sorts.
Fine, you are giving an anectodal comment. I understand.
I had to switch statins because of elevated AST and ALT numbers that was caused by Pravastatin. So I switched to Simvastatin, a drug which my doc explained worked a bit differently and likely wouldn’t cause a repeat of the liver numbers being out of wack, along with weakened leg muscles. He was right–I’ve been on Simvastatin for a number of years with no issues at all.
So I understand that not every drug it suitable for every patient, but to dismiss them ALL out of hand and to urge others not to consider a statin is IMO, reprehensible.
Your experience and opinion is as anecdotal as anyone else’s here.
Again, not really seeing the relevance to your posts. My point is that statins work very effectively for many, but aren’t well tolerated by some and there isn’t sufficient research to know a.) their actual mechanism of action, and b.) whether they would actually help someone with already very low LDL (medical recs to take them anyway are just based on the conjecture of why not, seems like it might). So absolutely, worth trying them for many people (I’m actually trying to convince my brother to get on them on present, since he seems likely to benefit). None of us urged anyone not to consider them nor dismissed them out of hand… All we did was react to your own blanket statements, including “IMO, it’s a bit foolhardy to be a diabetic and not take a statin” with our own statements that it is going to vary by person whether it ends up working out or being necessary.