Simvistatin upset my stomach. I take Lescol and have no problems, so far.
Medical People: Lipitor vs Zocor (Simvastatin)? Which do you recommend??
by AudeSapere 28 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
recovering
Please make informed choices when deciding whether to use statins or not. You should only make the choice after careful consultation with your own personel physician
-
AGuest
I am not a medical expert by NO means, but I would like to weigh in, if I may (may you all have peace!).
I am an insulin diabetic. Other than my blood glucose, my "numbers"... ALL of them... are impeccable. As good, if not better, than an athlete in top shape. GOOD numbers. And so, I was on nothing but insulin and aspirin. Until about a month ago.
My new doctor decided to put me on a "lose dose" (10mg) statin, Lovestatin. Things were kinda "funny" though, right from the start. My Diabetes Nurse Practitioner (who brought it to my doctor's attention that I WASN'T on a statin which was/is virtually unheard of for insulin diabetics - but who knew? Certainly not me...) was the first to give me a "warning." Giving me the gravest of looks, he warned of a side affect that affects the muscles and told me that if I felt ANY pain or unusual fatigue that I was to STOP taking the drug ASAP. He said that this was because the damage... was irreversible. BUT, he said, although my numbers are good, because I am a diabetic, my risk for stroke is still higher than they'd like. "So, let's try it."
Okay, I'm a big girl. I know virtually all drugs have SOME side effects, so I'll be careful.
Then, I get to the pharmacy... and life's good... until the Pharmacist calls me over for a consult. No problem, I've had drug consults before. So, he looks at me with this "Man, you must be REALLY sick" kinda look and says, "Okay, look, you're doctor prescribed this medicine because you're cholestrol is too high." I said, "Ummm, no, my cholestrol is fine." He says, "Oh, okay, so you've had a stroke?" I say, "Ummmm, noooooo... no stroke." So, then he says, "Well, then I'm not sure why he's prescribed this. How old are you?" I tell him (no, I'm not telling you, not right now)... and he says, "That's strange. We normally only dispense this drug for people who somewhere between 67-70 or so." I just look at him. I mean, what am I supposed to say?
So, he then says to me, and I kid you NOT, "Okay, this is off the record, 'kay?" and, like my NP, starts giving me this very serious run-down on side affects and symptoms I should be aware of. Took a good 6 minutes! He gets done and as I'm turning away to leave he says, "Look, be real careful with that drug, okay?"
So, now, I've got the chills. I get home later... but I can't take the dang medicine. Too spooked now. I let a couple days go by and then I decide, hey, I'll cut 'em in half and only take 5mg. Smart, eh?? Yeah, smart, sure. So, I take 1/2 each day for two weeks. And then one day, a little over a week ago... I can't get up. I mean, I am SO tired, that I virtually laid on my sofa for 3 days. Sure, I get up to "do" stuff, but I had to take a day off work... and then just pretty much laid around the weekend. I thought maybe I was "coming down" with something... a cold, etc.
And then that Sunday evening... I began to ache. I told my husband, "Oh, cold weather must be coming!" and when he asked why, I said, "Because my legs ache real bad." He just says, "Oh," and neither of us think of it again. Until... it's time for bed and I go to take the day's dose. I had that little piece of pill right on the tip of my tongue when I heard my Lord say, "Do NOT take that pill, child! Spit it out!" And I did. I didn't take another one.
And so I go back to my doctor the next week (you're supposed to have a blood test every few weeks to check your liver function and by now I should have been taking it 4 weeks, but only took it two because it took me a week to get up the courage, and then I stopped about 5 days before my appointment).
I tell him what happened (no, not my Lord's voice...) and he said, vehemently, "Stop taking it right now! Don't take tonight's dose!" I told him that I stopped some days ago and he virtually sighed with relief. Then he sent me for a blood test.
Results? Liver numbers... which have been PERFECT for DECADES up to now... are now "a little concerning." I have to go back and take another on August 17, to see if they changed... hopefully for the better.
So... you must decide for yourself, dear Aude Sapere (peace to you!). I would suggest you go online and do a little research, though, just to be sure. I am not tired or in pain. All of that stopped within a day of me quitting taking the drug. And perhaps I didn't take it long enough for any "damage" to be permanent. I will let you know, however, if/when my numbers return to their previous pristeen levels, if that happens... as well as if they don't.
But I am a bit ticked off about it.
Again, I bid you all peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA
-
Snoozy
What i question is that they always be sure ot say that it doesn't prevent you from having a heart attack or a stroke but it supposedly does bring down your numbers? What's with that?
They gave me zocor and I had so much pain/cramps I would literally cry. Then they gave me simvastatin and it is better. They recently gave my daughter simvastatin also. I often skip mine and I think it's because of the same reasons that SA gave. For some reason I am reluctant to take them. I don't think she takes hers either.
My cholesterol was 258 and it should be between 100 and 199. so it is 59 points over. Six months ago it was 170..(normal) so it went up.
Do you know what your points are? I wonder at what point they are concerned enough to think you should be on them.
I just can't see giving them to someone who's blood work is normal.
-
bluegirl78
Hi AudeSapere, I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist either, but I do work in the medical field as a Med. Tech. and I just wanted to say that I agree with everyone to be very careful of statins. I've heard nothing but bad things about how dangerous the side effects can be for some people. A good friend of mine started getting severe muscle cramping in her legs shortly after her doctor prescribed Lipitor for her. She didn't connect it with the Lipitor immediately, and the muscle pain and weakness got worse and worse until she couldn't even get out of bed. She stopped taking the medication, but missed two months of work and now has permanent muscle damage. Apparently she was one of the few who experience rhabdomyolysis (muscle destruction) as a side effect. What makes it really scary though is that she was only on it for a couple of weeks! So *please* look at all of your treatment options before you make a decision.
-
What-A-Coincidence
Physician's are bought and paid for by big pharma
-
AudeSapere
Finally got a chance to get back to this thread. Thanks for all the responses!!
15 years ago I was sooo leary and cynical of ALL docctors. I have come to have greater respect for those that I have chosen to be my care providers. I've got a wonderful network of physicians who have deftly taken me through some fairly significant and traumatic health issues so will absolutely re-consult with them.
The purpose of this thread was to get some annectdotal information from others 'in the know' either by virtue of their profession or from personal experience. So I appreciate the candor of those who took the time to both respond to this thread and those who pm'd me. Thank you!!
AGuest - Your story concerns me. I sincerely hope things get corrected for you. While I know that everyone's case is different, it helps to hear experiences like yours so I can ask better questions and be better informed.
recovering wrote: Please make informed choices when deciding whether to use statins or not. You should only make the choice after careful consultation with your own personel physician.
Excellent advise. I will reconsult with my doctors soon. Wanted to get a few more different opinions to help organize my thoughts & questions.
I think I need to do a little more research myself and formulate specific questions for my doctors. Three different docs are recommending statins for me. I have the meds in my possession but am still reluctant to begin taking them. This is not like me but I've never been faced with anything that required "for the rest of your life". And the ill-efffects are daunting.
One of the private messages I received stated that with Lipitor/Atorvastin you can get better results at lower dosage. I am thinking that lower dosage would also mean lower risk and/or severity of side effects... ???
I wonder if I can try to tweak my diet a little more. I KNOW I can increase my exercise/activity level. Wonder what harm there is in waiting 3 or 6 months and re-testing my cholesterol levels. Its been high for over 15 years. I have family history (both sides) of heart and stroke issues along with my brother having had heart attack 7 years ago.
I just had a stress-test with good results.
Does starting statins now help me in the long run or might it be fine to wait 1-2--3-or 5 years???
Need to get my list of questions organized and re-consult with my physicians.
Thanks again for all the responses. Please add more comments as appropriate.
-
recovering
You have made an excellent decision AudeSapere. Never rely on antidotal experiences alone. I hope you do your research and go prepared with specific questions for your Drs. We should never take medical advice solely on what we read on a message board. After all ,even medical professionals who may answer you on a MB don’t know your complete medical history (including labs, family history, other meds, physical exam results etc)
By the way I am a Medical professional and would never be so arrogant as to tell you what the best medication for you is.
-
besty
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a well preserved corpse, rather slam sideways into your coffin, body worn out, hair on fire, bottle Remy in one hand a crash helmet in the other screamin out ' WooHoo, what a ride'!
-
AudeSapere
recovering wrote: I am a Medical professional and would never be so arrogant as to tell you what the best medication for you is.
I wasn't thinking of getting an opinion as being arrogant. There are some treatments that different docs tend to avoid and others that they tend to gravitate to. I was trying to get better info on why one over the other.
With my doc appts last few weeks all 3 docs vascillated between the two drugs and even as to whether I should be on it or not.
During the appointments, we were also talking about other issues as well and I was not too prepared to discuss cholesterol but was sure confused when each doc separately waffled between the drugs. One even said he was leaning more toward Zocor but then his nurse came back to me with Lipitor samples. When questioned, he said that he changed his mind (again).
I don't understand the waffling. And I'm not sure how severe is my situation and how dangerous it would be for me NOT to take a statin. And why one over the other??
Really need to do more research...