Best statin?

[lolliespalooza]

My GP wants to start me on a statin. I have said I will think about it and need to go back in 2 weeks.

What I've read is that there can be side effects but sometimes changing to a different statin stops them.

What is the difference between the different statins the GP can prescribe? Are some just cheaper or more expensive? Which one should I ask her to prescribe me?

Interested to hear in others experiences of this especially if you changed statin after starting on them.

I am on a statin called Atorvastatin. But I ask the pharmacy for the generic one which is cheaper. I have never noticed any side effects at all.

They start you on the cheaper ones and if you have side affects move you onto different ones until they find one that suits.

Everyone can react differently to the same drug so you may be fine on a cheap one and have side affects on an expensive one. Most drugs are a bit of trial and error.

I'm on Atorvastatin 10mg, which is a tiny dose - haven't noticed any side effects at all. Some people experience side effects with one station, but not another, so it may be trial and error.

I’m on 20mg atorvastatin and I’ve been taking it for about 3 years. I’ve had no side effects whatsoever. My mum was also on it for about 5 years but then she started to have abnormal liver enzyme results so they had to change her onto one of the most expensive statins. It’s similar to the contraceptive pill, where they put you on the cheapest version first.

You will have annual bloods done to check it’s not affecting your liver and to check it is actually reducing your cholesterol level.

The main difference between the different statins is how effective they are. They can be high, medium, or low intensity. If the statin is for secondary prevention (you already had an adverse cardiac event) a higher intensity will be required. For primary prevention, a lower or medium intensity may be sufficient.

Then it’s down to patient preference. Most Statins must be taken at night but Atorvastatin can be taken at any time of day. This makes Atorvastatin a better choice for people who find it easier to remember to take in the morning.

Atorvastatin is actually more expensive than Simvastatin but Simvastatin is only low-medium intensity.

I've tried a few statins over the years the first one was Simvastatin I had no side effects from taking it but it didn't lower my cholesterol.
Then I was given Pravastatin which made me sick and give me awful cramps in my legs.
Finally, I was given atorvastatin which did help lower my cholesterol but the dose has had to be increased over the years I'm now on 60mg