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General health

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Original poster

Statin side effects

30 replies

Brinny · 17/04/2026 22:11

Has anyone had side effects from statins 10mg dose, feeling sick headache. Dizzy spells .

OP posts:

mantez · 18/04/2026 20:32

As a staunch statin dodger, I had a cardiac calcium CT as part of the work up when investigating my arrythmia. That measures plaque in the arteries. I had cholesterol above the upper range for many years at that time.

I had a zero score on the CT, the best there could be. I am late 60s now so will take the chance of not taking them after that result.

LoserWinner · 18/04/2026 21:51

I’m on 20mg Atorvastatin. Never had any side effects at all.

Daisymay2 · 19/04/2026 08:31

Lostallhistory · 18/04/2026 17:04

How quickly did the dry eyes appear. I have recently started taking atorvastatin and my eyes are so dry now that I struggle to open them when I wake up, I have to rub them to get any moisture going.

Show quote history

Within days as I recall. Mine isn’t as severe as yours but I have found that using preservative free eye drops recommended by the optician and eye ointment at night were game changers.
I filled out a yellow card for the MHRA as GP, optician and pharmacist had not heard of dry eyes as a side effect. It might be worth doing one. For some reason Rosuvastain doesn’t give me the same issues.

Original poster

Brinny · 20/04/2026 22:45

Booooooooom · 18/04/2026 12:52

Atorvastatin made my head feel all cloudy and gave me terrible insomnia. Of course the GP touted the line that it might not be the statins so I am having a month off and I already feel better.

Stopped taking them last week today Dr has said it takes a while to get out of system, but the nausea has gone , a bit lightheaded still but not as bad as last week, So fingers crossed I stick to my diet and benecol. Thank-you all for your stories, it makes you feel your not the only one , but to add to this story I also to day had dark small discharge from left breast. , no lumps but referral today Dr says unlikely to be cancer but as she sqeezed was a spit of black discharge so hoping its just menopausal. Like a bus all come along at the same time.

OP posts:

Original poster

Brinny · 20/04/2026 22:54

Trotula · 18/04/2026 20:15

The GP should also check your QRisk
score as it’s not just the cholesterol
levels but many other factors.
You can do this yourself.
Statins are not the holy grail; diet and exercise are also important.
Some people think that taking statins means you can eat high fat foods but they are likely to cause plaque in the blood vessels.
I fought against high cholesterol
with diet and exercise for years but as it continued to increase to 8 agreed to medication, maybe too late as the following year suffered a clot in a vein in the eye causing permanent sight loss.
It’s not as simple as Im not taking statins, it’s a much bigger picture.
https://qrisk.org/

Yes I looked at the results of test , they are border line. Blood test in two weeks to see if they have reduced my cholesterol total was 6 , I do excersise and weigh 8st , and 67yrs young lol but want to stay healthy , thankyou for your response 😊0

OP posts:

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