Hi, I had a stroke while visiting a friend in Leeds. I was blue lighted to Wakefield stroke unit and spent five days there before being transferred home to Wrexham hospital. This happened just six weeks ago.
It affected my left side. I had no use in my left arm and leg and also my speech was affected.
I’ve got the feeling batin my arm and leg and my speech is back to normal. I have a weakness in my arm and leg but am able to walk. I’m left handed and have had no choice but to use that arm as much as possible.
Initially I suffered with overwhelming anxiety but that seems to have eased. The main thing for me is not being able to sleep and the terrific pain and soreness in my joints and muscles.
My GP has changed my statins from Atorvastatin to Pravastatin but in truth it seems to be getting worse.
My cholesterol is 4.3 and my lipids 3.2. both very much as required. I’m wondering if I should come off the statins all together as I’m really struggling with both of these side effects.
Any input would be most welcome.
Hello I’m sorry you’ve had to join us .
You’re very early in your journey and so not surprising that you’ve a lot of questions without answers .
Statins definitely have a reputation and you can find lots written in the pharmacophias about their side effects .
Your cocktail of meds post stroke seems to be a religious protocol by the medical staff rather than one that’s thought through for each patient. So the statin is absolutely standard had a stroke give a statin. Very few of us on here, indeed any have medical training so our advice can only be anecdotal or experiential. What risk factors you’re truly exposed to will be better revealed by her blood chemistry tests and the decision to not take them has to be yours and your medical team .
There are other statins, it is possible that you are not really in need of them, there are also very many other causes of random pains sleeplessness and all the other post stroke factors that will be strange and new over the first year and will come and go if you follow a typical path .
You’re asking the right question. You’re asking it in a forum where you’ll get many opinions. Those opinions will help you make your decision perhaps .
Once again welcome, sorry you’ve had to join us, to lean on the collective wisdom here to ask, rant, cry, celebrate, contribute.
Ciao
@Pisceslady2023 hi & welcome to the forum. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us but you’re very welcome. Sounds like things are moving in the right direction for you which is great to hear.
There are many different statins out there so may be worth switching again. It is standard to put people who’ve had strokes on statins as it lowers risk of clotting i think. Talk it through with your GP as it may be they can reduce the dose, take you off them etc.
Have they explored other options for your aches & pains? It may not be the statins.
Wishing you all the best.
Ann
Thanks so much for all your input. It means a lot.
They haven’t explored other reasons for my aches and pains, maybe that’s something to think about. As you all say it’s early days indeed.
Thanks for the lovely welcome too.
Kind regards
@Pisceslady2023 Welcome to the forum so sorry you’ve had a stroke. This is a place of comfort and strength. I do hope you get some ease from whatever the cause of your pain. Please seek the advice of your GP. When I had my stroke I had the most awful shoulder pain on my affected side. In the process of changing statins due to muscle pain and weakness but I am willing to try others to have that protection. best wishes
@Pisceslady2023
Ezetimibe is a lower dose statin with little or no side effects. i take that and Atorvastatin, but luckily ok, no side effects. in terms of sleep, i found an app called balance, they have a sleep section. I put that on for an hour when i go to bed, i never hear him finish, i still wake in the night too, have you had a sleep test done,
Hi @Pisceslady2023 and welcome to the forum, I know I’m late but had no advice on statins to offer as I don’t have any real trouble with medications.
Just wanted to say that I think that is the best form of therapy/rehab you can give yourself. Using your affected side as much as possible no matter hard it is, you give it a go every time and then bring in the none affected side to lend a help hand. Even with things like drinking a cup of tea use your left and bring in your right hand to steady it…and never have a full cup 
I did do all the rehab exercises too no matter that they were repetitive and boring. But my main focus was on the every day things I would normally do if it wasn’t for this stroke. Things like washing the dishes did take a lot longer and it would have been so much easier to just leave them to rest of the family. But the brain is going to learn faster from the familiarity of those daily to day tasks I’ve done most my life. Whereas I found my mind would wander more if I were just picking up pennies or squeezing my hand exerciser or trying to walk along the kitchen tiles in a straight line. But it did provide for a lot of entertain and laughs with my family as I’d try to hang the washing on the line…though I did steer clear of ironing 
didn’t stop me from cooking though
The first 6mths is fast recovery, after that it slows down but doesn’t stop there. Though there will be many times you will feel there’s been no more progress and that’s your lot. But that’s when your body loves spring a surprise on you by giving you something back never even thought you missed 
I wish you well in your recovery and hope you find the right pain free statin
No I haven’t had a sleep test. Maybe that’s worth thinking about going forward
Thank you
Thanks so much for your input. And a fellow lefty too. As you say, I had no choice but to use my left and because of that it’s getting better. My writing is very different from before but hey ho I’m embracing the new me
The fatigue is draining I find
Sorry no, I’m not a lefty Definitely a righty but am ambidextrous
The writing will still improve over time, mine was atrocious to begin with, well actually, I just couldn’t write, so was tracing shapes a lot 
Took me right back to my first years in school when I was learning to write
Hopefully the fatigue will ease over time too. For some it hasn’t, for me it’s taken about 2yrs but don’t really notice it much anymore. For everyone it’s both different but the same.
In that first 6mths it’s best not to fight it if you can. Your brain is doing an awful lot of overtime healing, rerouting and remapping the brain. So nap when you need to, sleep when you can; no need to feel guilt or to apologise for it And don’t worry and tress about broken sleep; if you wake in the night or can’t even sleep, just go do something else for an hour then try again, and again, and yet again. It can’t be helped, your brain is busy doing things night and day. You can’t stop your brain from draining your system in order to get you better now can you If you’ve ever had a baby you know what they’re like in the first year and how many times you have to get up in the night for them to feed or just because they’re wide awake. Stroke survivors are very much like that in the first year, gradually you find yourself waking less and less as your brain grows
@Pisceslady2023 it might be worth it in the end, might solve the sleep,
Welcome to the group nobody would choose to be part of but which is wonderfully helpful ! My stroke was just over 2 years ago, affected my left side and was caused by high cholesterol. I’d had awful reactions to statins before it happened so was on a low dose of a med which clearly didn’t work. The hospital put me on atorvastatin which I knew gave me a horrible metallic taste in my mouth so I complained and they changed it to rosuvastatin which is far better and I’ve had no reaction to it- such a relief! Two years or so later I’m about 95% recovered but balance is still a slight issue and extreme head movements still cause dizziness (I suffered awful vertigo for months before) : I’ve recently found that Hatha yoga helps me with this.
Your journey will be different from mine but you’ll get there. Everything seems to be soooo slow at first and you feel that you’re not making progress but you are. It just takes time for the brain to heal and be ‘re wired’. Good luck😊
Hi and thanks so much for your input.
Makes it reading and something for me to think about
Thanks again.
i came off statins ages ago, doc put me on vitemen d after sprained leg in march as he said i have thin bones and have to have a bone scan on 14th, dont know why i feel so tired, and not getting on with hubby at moment as my patience isnt good
I’m so sorry hear this. You’re really going through it at the moment. I understand that patience thing, I’m the same but I live alone so haven’t got to deal with another person. Take care
Could being tired be due to the stress of not getting on with you husband?
Such stresses can be wearing on both the mind and body.
not like that all the time, as we are different, need other people