Hi TuD crew,
Any long standing T1Ds on a statin? Crestor, Lipitor, etc..? Just wondering if this is "normal" like an ACE or ARB for organ protection. Potential side effects can be radical.
Many thanks!
Links to Additional Resources on Statins for all types of Diabetes
Stopping Statins and Rebound High Cholesterol
Many Doctors will say they put everyone with Diabetes on a statin. I had a doctor try to get me to take Lipitor when my total cholesterol was just 90-100 same as a new born baby, he said I was a PWD so I needed it....I'm 60 and my Lipids have always been normal so I would not consider taking one. My wife has high cholesterol no diabetes and takes Crestor...
After being diadnosed with high cholesterol my Primary Care Physician put me on Lovastatin. He said it was because we wanted my cholesterol to be in the safe range for a person with diabetes. My Endo agreed and has left me on the Statin.
I've had T1 for about 7 years and have been on Simvastatin the whole time. I had always run on the high side and mother had very high cholesterol but with diagnosis I took the plunge. I personally haven't had any problems with side effects.
Maurie
I was put on statins when my cholesterol went over 200, but I'd had a heart attack many years ago in addition to being diabetic, so it was probably the right choice for me.
I've been on Lipitor for about 10 years and have had no problems at all.
Ruth
I now take Lipitor. No problems. My cholesterol was not that high, but my doctor is now making all of his age 40 and higher Type 1 patients take it. No side effects.
I too take Lipitor and have for years; no side effects. I used to have problems with high cholesterol and blood pressure but those went away when I was diagnosed with Type 1 and lost the weight I needed to, but I just stayed on it.(I'm 65) My cholesterol was fine for quite a while but I just got back some labs and see that my HDL is high (92) but the other numbers are fine. Not sure what that means or if there is anything I can do about it.
My endo put me on lipitor initially and then simvastatin and I was constantly achy and fatigued. I read another post on here from someone else about statins and was alerted to the fact that myalgia (muscle pain), fatigue, and mental fuzziness were all side effects of statins. Literally within a couple weeks of stopping them my symptoms all resolved and I have stayed off all statins. In fact now my medical chart states I am allergic to them. My lipid numbers and cholesterol actually improved when I got off statins and on to a slightly lower carb diet.
Zoe - I think the HDL is the one you actually want to be high. While the value may have been accompanied by an (H) the reality is that's a great HDL number. It's when the LDL number creeps up above 100 that could lead to problems. My endo loves it when my HDL number is that high.
That's what I thought, Clare. I use the mneumonic of HDL - should be high and LDL for should be low. But It lists the reference range as "40-60" and so flags my 92 as "HI".
Yes, my cardiologist a couple years ago told me my cholesterol numbers were great for my age, but more recently I have gotten these numbers listed as out of range. Could be a lab difference?Yes my last set of labs have the same notation. My HDL was 88 and they tagged it as "H" my endo said it was an awesome number so I'll go with what she says.I looked it up online as well, the higher the better as far as HDL goes and the lower the better for LDL.
There is a genetic test called SLCO1B1 that can determine if you'll have the myopathy to Simvastatin. My dad has been on Lipitor for about 10 years and hasn't experienced any major side effects.
Thanks, Clare. That's what I had heard as well and actually used to think of it as "good cholesterol" (which you want high) and "bad cholesterol" that you want low.
Also, in terms of taking or not taking statins, what nobody is mentioning is genetics. When I first had high cholesterol my doctor had me restrict and give up several things and it just went higher until I started taking Lipitor, so she concluded it was genetic (definite family connections). But as I said I was overweight then and don't know where I'd be if I didn't take it now that I'm at a good weight. On the other hand, my other numbers are marginal and I have no side effects that I'm aware of so why not? (Not pushing it on people who feel strongly, just stating my thought processes in my own case)
I stopped taking atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) this year after taking it for about 10 years. I have not had a heart attack so my use is for primary prevention. I don't buy the medical case for statins. While I know that statins can lower cholesterol, both total and LDL, I don't believe that high cholesterol causes heart disease. Current accepted clinical practice just treats a number. I don't see any definitive proof that it prevents heart disease.
Take the case of network TV newscaster, Tim Russert. He had completely normal cholesterol number yet died of a heart attack. Being a high income individual he had the best medical care that the US system has to offer. He was not alone. A significant percentage of heart attack victims have normal cholesterol. Conversely, a lot of people that have high cholesterol never have a heart attack. If high cholesterol caused heart attacks then studies would clearly show causation. They have not. Correlation does not mean causation! If you are statin proponent, please cite the study that shows causation.
Almost all the major studies that have been done have been funded by big Pharma. Many of the researchers have clear conflicts of interest, yet they sign on to these studies. These researches receive significant speaking fees from big Pharma. More importantly, their research gets funded.
Finally, many of the studies exclude any initial participants that show some of the side effects that statins are known for. If these people were counted in the final results, the side effect numbers would be much larger.
As a T2, forgive me for intruding.
Just a couple quick points. I was on lovastatin for about 6 months after Dx--am one of those who did have horrible side effects, which on top of fibromyalgia and arthritis was not acceptable. I chose to use as my guidelines Very low triglycerides and Very high HDL.
When I took over as primary caregiver for my dying mother (she was in her late 80s), I studied up on the various prescriptions she as on. I found a post here, from our member, Libby, about her 90-year-old dad going off his statin due to a hospital stay for other problems. The result was increased lucidity.
After careful research, my sister and I took the info to Mom's doc of many years. He had us wean her off the statin and guess what? Within 10 days, her dementia diminished and our last 3 months with her were significantly more coherent and fun and just plain easier.
So. Do what you need to do, but take care as you age!..Blessings!..Judith in Portland
Thank you all very much for the replies!