What was your experience taking statins?
October 29, 2020 1:40 PM Subscribe
My doctor has me taking the second-lowest dose of Rosuvastatin (Crestor) after a blood test unexpectedly revealed I have very high LDL and total cholesterol. I'm going to do this for three months, then do another blood test. Can you tell me what it was like for you to take statins? What was good, what should I look out for?
I trust my doctor and am not looking to second-guess her. Anecdotes very welcome, also thoughts on what I should be doing to get off it eventually. I'm middle-aged, unremarkable weight, cis female, healthy overall.
I trust my doctor and am not looking to second-guess her. Anecdotes very welcome, also thoughts on what I should be doing to get off it eventually. I'm middle-aged, unremarkable weight, cis female, healthy overall.
I have been on Crestor for 12 or more years. Lost track of when I started. I think the highest dose. I started on Lipitor but it had some negative side affects such as pains in my leg joints. Switched to Crestor and have not looked back. My goal was to get off of it one day, and that is still the goal, but I need to lose weight and eat differently I think if that is ever going to happen. I have had naturally high cholesterol my entire life so the chance I go off a Statin is not high. I take all my pills in the morning when I get out of bed. I have not noticed it one way or the other except that it has lowered my cholesterol to an acceptable level. My heart doctor thought that everyone should be on a statin even if you test normal. I then asked him if he was on one. He was not. He is about 6' tall and is skinny, maybe 160 lbs. Maybe. OF all the pills I take, and I take for high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood thinners for my stents, the Crestor is the last one I want to get off of. First the blood pressure ones.
posted by AugustWest at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by AugustWest at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
I take atorvastatin (Liptor) 40 mg once a day and have for . . . 2 years?
No side effects at all, no problems. (To be perfectly honest, I have also not gotten around to getting another blood test to see if it's had the desired affect either . . .)
50's cis male, higher BMI, overall healthy, job that (in normal times) keeps me fairly active.
posted by soundguy99 at 3:18 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
No side effects at all, no problems. (To be perfectly honest, I have also not gotten around to getting another blood test to see if it's had the desired affect either . . .)
50's cis male, higher BMI, overall healthy, job that (in normal times) keeps me fairly active.
posted by soundguy99 at 3:18 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
I took Lipitor (atorvastatin) for a few years. I did not have any noticeable side-effects. After I went vegan, I didn't need it anymore. My lab numbers are now excellent -- better than they were when I was taking Lipitor.
posted by alex1965 at 3:34 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by alex1965 at 3:34 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
My doctor was going to put me on statins. I was reluctant since I didn't want to add more prescriptions to my regimen so I started taking 1000mg of fish oil daily and my blood pressure and cholesterol levels have all come down to a low normal range without any change of diet or exercise. They have remained down for over 4 years and I never did start the statins.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:55 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:55 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
I started taking BP medication and atorvastatin an unremembered number of years ago. I switched doctors in 2018 and the new guy added a fish oil pill every morning because my triglycerides were still high even though my HDL had gone down into the recommended range. Maybe worth mentioning is that when I first saw this doctor I had a relatively new exercise habit and had lost about 15 pounds since the start of it. I've lost another 20 pounds since then (well, I lost more than that, but the pandemic cut down my exercise and I gained a few back). Now every time I see my doctor he seems to consider trying to drop one or both medications as a test, but then he decides he likes my numbers where they are.
I never noticed any new side effects from the atorvastatin.
posted by fedward at 4:12 PM on October 29, 2020
I never noticed any new side effects from the atorvastatin.
posted by fedward at 4:12 PM on October 29, 2020
I took simvastatin for a number of years. No side effects that I remember. I lost a ton of weight and I was able to come off.
posted by kathrynm at 4:19 PM on October 29, 2020
posted by kathrynm at 4:19 PM on October 29, 2020
Your description fits me. For the past 5-1/2 months, I've been taking the same statin prescribed to you. Before that, I tried everything to lower my numbers through diet and exercise over the course of a couple of years. I have high HDL (the good kind), so I thought I could lower my LDL (the bad one) through lifestyle changes. I lost weight and have kept it off, I dropped some unhealthy eating habits and have stuck to them, I still exercise daily. But it made no difference and in fact it got a bit worse. :( So my doctor said to try this. When we checked a couple of months later, my high LDL number had dropped to normal. I don't experience any side effects from the statin.
posted by Avalow at 4:26 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Avalow at 4:26 PM on October 29, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have had my cholesterol measured only once, when I was suffering from untreated pernicious anemia, and it was extremely high: LDL 4330.
I mention this as an example of high cholesterol which wouldn't have been helped by statins and had no relation to heart disease, of which my hematologist said I had no trace. I think it might be worth your while to investigate the effects of any other health issues you might have to see whether they could be partly responsible -- in my case I knew I had celiac disease and a range of other autoimmune problems -- because there are too many anecdotes of doctors themselves developing brain fog and muscle problems from statins for me to accept unqualified exonerations and exculpations of statins at face value.
posted by jamjam at 5:13 PM on October 29, 2020
I mention this as an example of high cholesterol which wouldn't have been helped by statins and had no relation to heart disease, of which my hematologist said I had no trace. I think it might be worth your while to investigate the effects of any other health issues you might have to see whether they could be partly responsible -- in my case I knew I had celiac disease and a range of other autoimmune problems -- because there are too many anecdotes of doctors themselves developing brain fog and muscle problems from statins for me to accept unqualified exonerations and exculpations of statins at face value.
posted by jamjam at 5:13 PM on October 29, 2020
I was proscribed high dose atorvastatin after very high LDL and overall (320+). I refused to do the high dose due to concerns about negative impact on existing musculoskeletal challenges (chronic tendonitis and other issues in lower legs, ankles). So i took an "old lady dose" (Dr's words) for a couple years. Then... one of my coronary arteries blocked, I had surgery, got a stent. Joke's on me!
After the MI, I was put on 80mg atorvastatin. I had no problems for the first 2-3 months. It brough my numbers down somewhat but not as low or as fast as my cardiologist wanted. Then when my physical activity was increased via the Cardiac Rehab (gym at the hospital, cardio and weights), I started having problems with my lower legs, achilles, and ankles. At one point both my achilles were swollen and hot and one ankle swelled up like a grapefruit. On crutches. What the actual hell. The Dr. at the Urgent Care was completely mystified, until I had told her about the history of the MI and the meds I was on... she called her cardiologist brother in law, who just happened to be in the same practice as my own. He said, "Tell him to stop taking the atorvastatin." Which I did and my ankle got better in single-digit days' time.
I've been on Repatha for about 6 months. My lipid numbers are stellar. My cardiologist is happy. My insurance provider probably is not, as it is very expensive, and I think my cardiologist fudged some test results in order to get me on it (shhhh...). But it did the trick and my ability to walk is no longer quite as utterly effed as it had been on atorvastatin. THAT SAID, I definitely DO NOT believe the atorvastatin *caused* my problems... I brought a loooong history of chronic tendon problems. So, if you don't have such, you in all likelihood would not encounter such an issue.
Listen to your Dr. Take your meds. If one doesn't work, ask to change to another. Take it from a dumbass: treat your high cholesterol seriously.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:30 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
After the MI, I was put on 80mg atorvastatin. I had no problems for the first 2-3 months. It brough my numbers down somewhat but not as low or as fast as my cardiologist wanted. Then when my physical activity was increased via the Cardiac Rehab (gym at the hospital, cardio and weights), I started having problems with my lower legs, achilles, and ankles. At one point both my achilles were swollen and hot and one ankle swelled up like a grapefruit. On crutches. What the actual hell. The Dr. at the Urgent Care was completely mystified, until I had told her about the history of the MI and the meds I was on... she called her cardiologist brother in law, who just happened to be in the same practice as my own. He said, "Tell him to stop taking the atorvastatin." Which I did and my ankle got better in single-digit days' time.
I've been on Repatha for about 6 months. My lipid numbers are stellar. My cardiologist is happy. My insurance provider probably is not, as it is very expensive, and I think my cardiologist fudged some test results in order to get me on it (shhhh...). But it did the trick and my ability to walk is no longer quite as utterly effed as it had been on atorvastatin. THAT SAID, I definitely DO NOT believe the atorvastatin *caused* my problems... I brought a loooong history of chronic tendon problems. So, if you don't have such, you in all likelihood would not encounter such an issue.
Listen to your Dr. Take your meds. If one doesn't work, ask to change to another. Take it from a dumbass: treat your high cholesterol seriously.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:30 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]
There is some research that shows that low Vitamin D levels can be associated with more aches and pains on statins, so at my latitude (New England) I usually ask folks to be on a regular over-the-counter Vit D pill if they aren't already. Also, rosuvastatin is often more well tolerated than atorvastatin among the 'high potency' ones. *IANYD TINMA
posted by cobaltnine at 6:03 PM on October 29, 2020
posted by cobaltnine at 6:03 PM on October 29, 2020
Have you had a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan? (See, e.g., here and here.) My understanding is that cholesterol testing is used as a rough proxy to gauge possible heart disease, but it's not the most reliable metric; a CAC scan shows actual build-up in your coronary arteries (since, heart disease-wise, you can have high cholesterol and in fact be fine, or low cholesterol and have a problem). Whether or not you go on statins, might be worth having a CAC scan to try to get a better handle on your actual risk, which hopefully will help with the longer-term strategy questions you ask about. I think insurance usually doesn't cover CAC scans (although you should check), and it's usually a few hundred bucks.
posted by ClaireBear at 6:16 PM on October 29, 2020
posted by ClaireBear at 6:16 PM on October 29, 2020
Been on daily 20mg of atorvastatin for several years. No issues. I had elevated triglycerides which I tried to fix with diet and exercise first. Triglycerides didn't budge. I have a family history of high cholesterol though.
posted by LoveHam at 4:35 AM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by LoveHam at 4:35 AM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
My husband got put on a low dose (maybe 20 or 40mg) of atorvastatin probably 6 years ago or so after a high cholesterol test. Dr suggested cutting out cheese and things like that, but we eat very little meat and husband is slim (5'10", 140 lbs) so subsequent blood tests went down with the statin -- high cholesterol is genetic in his family. Husband periodically mentioned wanting to get off the statin just because he doesn't like having to take pills, and then boom! He had a stroke 4 years ago, at age 44. He's now on 80mg of atorvastatin and probably will be for life. He doesn't mention any side effects from the statin. But seconding the advice to listen to your doc, and it might turn out that you can't get off the statin ever.
posted by jabes at 8:42 AM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 8:42 AM on October 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
My dad was on statins and developed a persistent cough, when he asked the doctor it turned out that side effect was common, but no one warned my dad about that. he went off statins and the cough went away. ask about side effects.
posted by evilmonk at 11:22 AM on October 31, 2020
posted by evilmonk at 11:22 AM on October 31, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
As for 'getting off it eventually' -- depending on the person, like me, I really can't. I've had high cholesterol since my 20s (I didn't go on meds at that time, but when I got to middle age and type II diabetes that changed) so in my case the problem is my body's handling of cholesterol, not something that can easily be fixed by diet change or exercise or something.
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:29 PM on October 29, 2020 [2 favorites]