Statins - are they really necessary?

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chocoholic

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
38
Location
London
Hi my mum is worried she may have a urinary tract infection and I think it may be related to the simvastatin she's been prescribed.

I've looked up statins and apparently they are a great idea just before heart surgery (interestingly it is supposed to prevent postoperative delerium), but I can't find information as to how statins help if only a small amount of heart disease was present and the aortic stenosis was caused by rheumatic fever. My mum's been talking to her friend who has had problems with statin side effects and she is now asking whether she herself needs to take them (her friend stopped because she was so fed up).

I was just wondering if anyone here has had similar experiences.

Ps. apart from this my mum is doing very well and is even planning to cook sunday lunch tomorrow. She wanted to sweep the floor today and I told her I am not sure that is a good idea yet. I think she is hinting to me to hoover but i am exhausted after getting my car stuck in the snow this afternoon after shopping and feel like I need to go into hibernation...! (it's subzero temperatures here by the way and a very unusual snowy winter for the UK).
 
I take statins now and I took them before OHS. I had totally clear arteries in my pre-op cath so I am not sure if the statins do me much good in that way. But my cholesterol tends to become high--stress perhaps? So, I take statins. I read somewhere once that statins can help prevent alzheimers. My mother died of alzheimers. So, maybe that is why I keep taking statins... (It is my internist who likes me to take statins.)
 
I had never been on a statin before my surgery, but it was added afterwards as a prophylactic, I was told. About a month or two after surgery I had my cholesterol checked, and when it showed good results, my cardio let me stop it.

As an aside, they also put me on a medicine against acid reflux for a while afterwards. My surgeon said they didn't want to risk having that problem in addition to the healing pain..
 
I take Crestor 2.5mg every other day. It makes me sick and I know it does, makes my stomach hurt and bad taste in my mouth. My cardio wanted me to take 5mg a day, I told him this is all I can do and it helps 42% so I read. I can't do the other ones at all, he wants me to not get stopped up as he puts it, wants valve clean! So I just make myself do it. I can't wait till my next test maybe I can quit crestor for a while :)
 
I have some soreness, but not too bad. Since I had tissue valves, AVR, MVR, the surgeon recommended taking these as there is some evidence suggesting they will extend the life of the valves. Something to do with minimizing the calcification on the valves. I take 10mg of simvastatin, which is very mild.

Neal
 
Chocoholic -

What kinds of problems was your mum's friend having that she attributed to taking statins?

'AL Capshaw'
 

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