Statins

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This week's edition of the Radio 4 programme "Inside Health" had an interesting article on the use of statins.

Apparently the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) wanted to link payments to GPs to the prescribing of statins to people with a lower risk of a heart attack or other cardiac problems, until a number of GPs complained.

Here is the link to the programme - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b067x7gb. The article starts a little over 16 minutes into the programme.

Dave
 
Drs get REALLY shirty when you decline statins. :-)
 
Love em, wouldn't do without them.
 
I've just had a bigish run in with my GP over statins.
GP I normally see sent me for a blood test, but officially I'm not registered with her but someone else in the practice. When the results came back my registered GP rang me and went into overdrive on the strong arm tactics to get me to go on statins. When I refused he told me that I "could have a heart attack tomorrow" if I didn't go on them right away.

Then I found out that they get paid £50 for sending you for the blood test, £50 for talking the results over with you and a further £50 if they prescribe statins. No wonder he was so agitated.

I demurred and went to see my lady GP who told me just to cut out fatty foods and don't go on a booze bender 3 or 4 times a week. Did that and everything is now OK.

I later found out that on Jan 1 this year all the parameters for prescribing statins were reduced by 50% at a stroke, just to get more patients taking them. I also found out that GPs have to prescribe to over 70 patients before 1 will see any benefit. That's all well and good if you are the 1, but the waste in time effort and money on the statin programme is staggering.

Can I get anyone to look at my bad back? No chance - there's no money left.
 
Iv'e been taking statins for quite a few years now and my cholesterol level had stayed at an acceptable level (4.5). However, at one appointment with my Doctor, I asked her if I should try and manage without them, she said give it a try for a month and then have another test, which I did, but was shocked to find my cholesterol level had almost doubled. Back to taking them and everything is now fine.

I still have a test every year, just to ensure that my Liver function is OK, which can be affected from taking statins.
 
killwilly said:
Iv'e been taking statins for quite a few years now and my cholesterol level had stayed at an acceptable level (4.5). However, at one appointment with my Doctor, I asked her if I should try and manage without them, she said give it a try for a month and then have another test, which I did, but was shocked to find my cholesterol level had almost doubled. Back to taking them and everything is now fine.

I still have a test every year, just to ensure that my Liver function is OK, which can be affected from taking statins.
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Over-all Cholesterol level, or LDL?
 
Mine was only 5.5, but they do some calcualtion based on their estimation of your lifestyle and if it comes out at over 10 then you are likely to die. Last year you would live if you were under 20. I was at 12 but now I'm just over 10. Won't be going on statins.

Did you see there's a new drug just come out that has all the benefits of statins but none of the side effects? You won't be precribed it. Stains cost about £40 pa. This drug costs about £400 pa. Verboten!
 
viv1969 said:
Over-all Cholesterol level, or LDL?
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Total Cholesterol Level.

I had used to have my test first thing in the morning after fasting all night, but then she suggested I had a test within a couple of hours of eating, which I did, but it didn't make that much difference.

I should also add that I changed my diet significantly due to high blood pressure, which I am also taking medication for. Both the statins and BP tablets a quite low dosage.
 
killwilly said:
Total Cholesterol Level.

I had used to have my test first thing in the morning after fasting all night, but then she suggested I had a test within a couple of hours of eating, which I did, but it didn't make that much difference.

I should also add that I changed my diet significantly due to high blood pressure, which I am also taking medication for. Both the statins and BP tablets a quite low dosage.
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Statins only have a (possible) bearing on LDL cholesterol.
You might be surprised if you got a breakdown, although many docs aren't keen on telling you.
 
I recently had a long chat with a friend who is a GP and his private answer was don't go on them unless you have to, long term issues still not understood especially liver functions.

He said a lot of people were using them to much as an option to pursue unhealthy lifestyles, he checked my cholesterol and was getting up there at 6 and recommended some changes to food habits and lose weight and drink less.
I am due a test in a few months time.
 
Mr Bump said:
recently had a long chat with a friend who is a GP and his private answer was don't go on them unless you have to, long term issues still not understood especially liver functions.
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I had understood the same
 
I was prescribed statins after Angioplasty but they caused no end of grief for me.
They can adversely affect muscles and tendons, causing leg pain, and are thought to also cause liver problems and memory loss in some people.
On statins my cholesterol was 4.9, the highest it's been off of them (several years now) is 5.5 and I would never take them again.
 
That was basically what I was told. A woman four doors up from us has been on 4 different varieties and had problems with them all. She's not taking any now.

My GP told me that there is absolutely no doubt that they work and do what they are supposed to - reduce cholesterol. But, and it's a big but, the side effects are not totally understood.
 
I was prescribed Simvastatin but it stopped me sleeping entirely - I mean not at all all night - so I stopped it and started sleeping again. I didn't realise it was the statin causing it until a chance conversation with a friend. Apparently Simvastatin is the cheapest so popular with doctors.
 
Many of the side effects of statins are reportedly non-reversible, so even if symptoms may seem to improve after stopping taking them, the damage caused is thought to be permanent.
 
On simvastatins for about 5 years no ill effects at all. My total cholesterol was 7.2, diet and exercise got it down to 6 and my doctor was pleased. As I got older my risk level had increased so I went on statins. My total cholesterol is now 4.8 with my HDL at 2.1.
 
Suvv said:
On simvastatins for about 5 years no ill effects at all. My total cholesterol was 7.2, diet and exercise got it down to 6 and my doctor was pleased. As I got older my risk level had increased so I went on statins. My total cholesterol is now 4.8 with my HDL at 2.1.
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And LDL?
 
I think they have the capacity to do a great deal of good for the right people, evidence seems to be they are being over prescribed without knowing the full future effects.
My personal opinion is to manage these things as much as possible within a healthy lifestyle and then go onto medication if needs must. However it seems a lot easy for doctors to persuade people to take a daily pill than lose weight or change there diet etc.

On a side note my wife was diagnosed with over active stomach acid a few years ago and popped on some daily medication.
She has no been able to drop right down on that just by diet and reduction of alcohol.
 
Just stopped taking statins without consulting my GP. I had been on them for a few years but recently was getting bad leg pains. I had side effects with Simvastatin when my GP tried me on those so I flatly refused to take them and then as I have said I was on atorverstatin for years until my leg problems started. No more for me.
 
The statins farce doesn't surprise me.

Back when I worked in accountancy practise one of my more eye-opening tasks was doing a detailed deep-delve audit of the expense claims used by a large pharmaceutical company's sales reps.

I can't say much without breaking the confidentiality clause in my contract, but as an example of the kind of "entertainment" expenses being lavished on GPs, I'll give you two words: massage parlour.

Ewww.
 
All medications have side effects for some people . I had a tia and I have been on on simvastatin for three years.
and have had no trouble.
However I regret not being able to eat grapefruit, which will cause muscle damage.
I am on a strong antibiotic and a fairly high dose of steroids as I have a bout of pneumonia. Both of these are rather nasty but short term.
but luckily I caught it early this time and was on medication with in a few hours. As a result I am off my statins which could be dangerous in this mix.

Most doctors know what they are doing, and give you the best possible advice.
If you don't trust them change doctors...no problem.
 
Llamaman said:
I can't say much without breaking the confidentiality clause in my contract, but as an example of the kind of "entertainment" expenses being lavished on GPs, I'll give you two words: massage parlour.
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Having spent much of my working life in that industry it does't surprise me. Although I never saw anything that could match those word on expenses, some of the things we did see were extravagant to say the least. Helicopter taxi from Nice to Monaco anyone?
 
Llamaman said:
The statins farce doesn't surprise me.

Back when I worked in accountancy practise one of my more eye-opening tasks was doing a detailed deep-delve audit of the expense claims used by a large pharmaceutical company's sales reps.

I can't say much without breaking the confidentiality clause in my contract, but as an example of the kind of "entertainment" expenses being lavished on GPs, I'll give you two words: massage parlour.

Ewww.
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Such entertaining is Strictly banned now. Some gp like my son in law, will not even see sales reps.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Such entertaining is Strictly banned now. Some gp like my son in law, will not even see sales reps.
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I'm glad to hear it. Are they still pulling the "honoraria at conferences" routine?

I'm sure it was only a minority of GPs who were unduly influenced, and the example I gave was extreme. Some of the others were just bizarre: a teddy bear, a set of cooking pans... it was like being on the Generation Game.
 
Llamaman said:
I'm glad to hear it. Are they still pulling the "honoraria at conferences" routine?

I'm sure it was only a minority of GPs who were unduly influenced, and the example I gave was extreme. Some of the others were just bizarre: a teddy bear, a set of cooking pans... it was like being on the Generation Game.
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Probably not so much. The pharma industry seemed to clean itself up from about 2000 onwards. An gets a very hard time for pulling stunts like that. Having said that I was often required to meet key opinion leaders in the medical world when setting up and running trials. Those meetings didn't really have a budget
 
I would definitely miss grapefruit, which may cause muscle damage, but I'm certainly not about to take a medication which is routinely unnecessarily prescribed, when my LDL level is well within acceptable levels.
 
The freshly qualified quack (and I use the derogatory term deliberately) who misdiagnosed my brain tumour as diabetes wanted me to go on statins as part of the treatment for the diabetes but I declined. Have since discussed them with a couple of other doctors and nurses who assure me that I don't need them at all.
 
Llamaman said:
I'm glad to hear it. Are they still pulling the "honoraria at conferences" routine?

I'm sure it was only a minority of GPs who were unduly influenced, and the example I gave was extreme. Some of the others were just bizarre: a teddy bear, a set of cooking pans... it was like being on the Generation Game.
Click to expand...

He does not go to conferences either, but does attend a few medical seminars.
 
viv1969 said:
I would definitely miss grapefruit, which may cause muscle damage, but I'm certainly not about to take a medication which is routinely unnecessarily prescribed, when my LDL level is well within acceptable levels.
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Son in law says it is not worth the risk. As for some people it can be exceedingly damaging. Problem is no one knows who.
 
I've never had high cholesterol, infact very low but still take them. Yum!!
 
gramps said:
I was prescribed statins after Angioplasty but they caused no end of grief for me.
They can adversely affect muscles and tendons, causing leg pain, and are thought to also cause liver problems and memory loss in some people.
On statins my cholesterol was 4.9, the highest it's been off of them (several years now) is 5.5 and I would never take them again.
Click to expand...
I take Simvastatin, I always get a pain in my legs and I get very forgetful. Wonder if its the statins, or just my old age :thinking:
 
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