Taking Atorvastatin. Can This Cause Diabetes. Should I Be Concerned?

Posted on Tue, 11 Jun 2013

Question: I'm taking Atorvastatin Tab 20mg. I'm 76 yrs. old. I saw on T.V. where this is being questioned as a cause of Type 2 Diabetes. Should I be concerned?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (45 minutes later)

Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX

Thank you for your query.

You shouldn't be concerned.

First, it is true that statins including atorvastatin increase the risk of diabetes type 2 and this is one of its side effects.

BUT, this risk is not very significant and is found mostly in high daily doses (more than 40mg). Doctors are aware of this problem but the benefit of statins in coronary diseases and stroke risk is irreplaceable.

So if you have any heart disease including blood pressure or verified atherosclerosis and other risk factors(smoking, heart disease in family, overweight) you should definitely continue taking it with no fear. Just do blood sugar control every 2-3 months and if there is sign of hyperglycemia,drug can be reduced, stopped or switched to another one.

Wish you good health. If you have any questions I ll be glad to help.

Regards,

Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T