After a slightly high cholesterol count my GP persuaded me to again try low dose statins.
it is 20 years since I last tried them with bad side effects.
So after three weeks trying them I have binned the Pravastatin.
I will update the doc tomorrow.
36 hours after the last pill I am feeling (my) normal again.
I endured several of the listed possible side effects and some were painful.
So in the interest of science I did try to see if the bad effects would stop.
I had hoped that new products would not have the side effects
Same key result as last time. Several other side effects noted this time.
I am one in a hundred that might be affected.
At least joint pain is now in the list of possible side effects.
I still read it is anecdotal but it was painful 20 years ago and was this time.
So medics are disagreeing with the manufacturer.
I am non smoking almost non drinking, cook a lot but no salt on anything except the path in winter so BP is good .
I guess exercise and diet is the key.
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Pravastatin isn't new, it is one of the early statins.
Atorvastatin and Simvastatin have similar side effect profiles.
Pravastatin and Rosuvastatin sometimes agree when the two above do not (sometimes they all cause issues).
Does has a significant effect on side effects - Pravastatin 10mg is about as mild a statin as you can get - if you got problems on that dose you're probably out of luck with statins.
The dose has a much lower effect on the benefit - ie. 10mg of pravastatin probably gives about 75-80% of the benefit you get from 40mg.
The benefit of statins is they reduce your risk of a heart attack/stroke by about 25% (ie if you have a 20% risk over 10 years, a statin taken daily will reduce it to 15%)
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About twenty years ago I was prescribed Pravastatin. I later developed dreadful pain in my right foot. The GP diagnosed a heel spur and recommended wearing trainers and buy a gel insert for my shoes. I had this for a few years and was quite debilitating. Some years later, about 2007 or 2008, I was on holiday in France and happened to read an article by Dr. Le Fanu in the Sunday Telegraph. He mentioned this problem that I had caused by statins. I stopped taking the Pravastatin and in a few days my "heel spur" disappeared. I stayed off them for about a week and decided to try them again in case it was psychosomatic. After a couple of days the pain in my foot recurred so I stopped taking the statin.
When I returned home I saw my GP who agreed the Pravastatin was a problem. He then prescribed this new statin which later turned out to be the generic Atorvastatin. Totally cured my "heel spur."
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Speaking to my pharmacist about the problems I was having with statins he suggested I ask my GP for a non statin cholesterol lowering tablet, he prescribed Ezetrol.
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I've been on statins for nearly ten years. I tried a few different ones in the early days and would give them a try for a couple of weeks and if I thought they were giving problems, then I'd give it a rest for a couple of weeks, report to my GP and he'd prescribe a different one. I eventually ended up on 10mg atorvastatin. I had low cholesterol before, it's even lower now!
My practice tried to increase my daily dose to 80mg - an eightfold increase! I refused and we reached a compromise at 20mg.
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>> Pravastatin 10mg is about as mild a statin as you can get
>>- if you got problems on that dose you're probably out of luck with statins.
>>
Thanks for the updates
It was the 10mg version.
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I am on Atorvastatin 40g and have been for nearly 2 years without apparent review. I have had a couple of blood tests for cholesterol (latest was 28 April) and assume the doc looked at those and saw no need to contact me.
Anyway I got a call today from the surgery reception as the pharmacist has noticed my cholesterol is “borderline”. In which direction the receptionist didn’t know but the doctor “hasn’t said it’s urgent”. Hmm hasn’t said it isn’t urgent though. I have the next available telephone slot with my doc on……..31 August.
As I don’t have any symptoms and I know they are busy I will live with this but it’s hardly great service. Exceptional times though.
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> the pharmacist has noticed my cholesterol is “borderline”.
Don't you have an NHS login or App? Your test results should be on there.
For me, if tests have been requested by my local surgery the results are available pretty quickly. It's a bit of a palaver if they've been requested by the specialist at the hospital though because apparently the hospital IT system cannot upload results to the NHS App system. They have to be sent to my GP who then has to upload them.
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>> said it’s urgent”. Hmm hasn’t said it isn’t urgent though. I have the next available
>> telephone slot with my doc on……..31 August.
>> As I don’t have any symptoms and I know they are busy I will live
>> with this but it’s hardly great service. Exceptional times though.
You can request an urgent telephone consultation if you are worried. Had one this morning - phoned at 08:30, got a call at 10:30 - off to collect the drugs from the chemist this afternoon.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 21 Jul 21 at 10:39
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Thanks for the comments. I know I could insist on an earlier telephone consultation but I don’t regard it as any emergency if the doctor doesn’t. There are people a lot worse off than me who need to take priority. It’s just irritating that it will be four months after the blood test before I get a doctor’s view. Routine care is clearly struggling.
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>> Thanks for the comments. I know I could insist on an earlier telephone consultation but
>> I don’t regard it as any emergency if the doctor doesn’t. There are people a
>> lot worse off than me who need to take priority. It’s just irritating that it
>> will be four months after the blood test before I get a doctor’s view. Routine
>> care is clearly struggling.
Its all about priorities, but I get your point, a quick review of notes and a telephone call isn't going to tip the system into the red.
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I'm supposed to have an annual blood test to ensure my thyroid drugs are still at the right level. While they're there the usually do the cholesterol, diabetes, PST etc (I think).
I contacted the surgery (via email, it's impossible any other way these days) as it is well over 18 months now since last test, but they say the local facility is only doing emergency blood tests, not routine. (I'm not sure I believe them as SWMBO had one not so long ago which wasn't emergency, referred by the hospital though not the GP).
They've not done that sort of stuff in our surgery for a few years now.
At the same time I requested a meds review, again supposed to happen annually alongside the blood test.. They responded that someone would contact me if anything needed changing. They didn't but I am not convinced that anyone has looked. It'd be nice to get some kind of feedback ( - yes, I can see my full medical record).
Used to get my ears cleaned out maybe every year or so but now have to go to Specsavers or somewhere where it's about £70 a pair. They still do it while you wait though, which is handy. :-)
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>> Used to get my ears cleaned out maybe every year or so but now have
>> to go to Specsavers or somewhere where it's about £70 a pair. They still do
>> it while you wait though, which is handy. :-)
>>
A friend living about 5 miles away had to have his done a couple of months ago. He too was told that the service was no longer unavailable at his local surgery, so he sauntered off to Specsavers.
I was more fortunate. Rang my surgery last week and have an appointment booked for next week.
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>>Used to get my ears cleaned out maybe every year or so but now have to go to Specsavers or somewhere where it's about £70 a pair. They still do it while you wait though,
What's the alternative, leave them there and pick them up later?
;>)
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>>I am on Atorvastatin 40g
I do hope you mean mg?
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Yes Tom, luckily I have no prospect of being a pharmacist
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Statins again. - Lygonos
