Statin drugs to lower cholesterol are prescribed very widely and are generally seen as well tolerated. Although many people, especially younger individuals, seem to do well with low doses of statins, others report a range of side effects. We have written about cataracts, muscle pain and weakness, neuropathy and an increased risk of diabetes before, here and here.
It is frustrating and frightening for a patient when the physician fails to warn about potential reactions or, worse, denies that they are side effects of the drug once they appear.
Q. My husband is now on two types of diabetes medicine. He was never diabetic before, but he was prescribed Lipitor about seven years ago. He started to have high blood sugar levels.
A Google search suggested the Lipitor might be behind this. I have told him repeatedly that he should go off this drug, but two doctors have said there’s no link. They have kept him on all the drugs. It’s very frustrating.
A. Studies show that people taking statins are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes (BMJ, online, May 29, 2014). The most recent research suggests that drugs like atorvastatin (Lipitor) and simvastatin (Zocor) can boost this risk by as much as 46 percent (Diabetologia, May, 2015).
We are sending you our Guide to Managing Diabetes so you can learn more about drug-induced diabetes in general and statins in particular. There is also more data on lowering cholesterol with or without statin drugs in our Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health.
