hi---
my dad has been on litpitor for a while and when he saw his dr a few days ago they said--"u have diabetees." what? his sugar is at 145 and I read that lipitor can raise sugar levels. the dr wont hear of it. what is going on here??????? Im hoping all of u can help with this...
thanks
art in houston

Yes, Lipitor certainly can raise blood sugar in some individuals, sometimes significantly. Your dad's doctor should be aware of this. It would be rather unethical on the doctor's part to ignore this possibility. So, before the doctor begins treating your dad for elevated blood sugar, he should first rule out Lipitor as being the cause of it.

art3,

Just out of curiosity, where did you read that lipitor can raise blood sugar in some individuals? I have only run across reports that it does not impact control of blood sugar level at all.

Based on those reports, the physician is correct, if the fasting glucose level is >127 mg/dL, he is diabetic and needs to initiate some action. He could request to be off lipitor and have another fasting blood sugar, but based on what I have read and keeping all other factors the same, I would not expect the faster sugars to come back putting him in the non-diabetic range.

Having said that, if someone can provide me with a reference where lipitor has been shown to increase or impact glucose levels, I would appreciate it.

The first time I heard that Lipitor can possibly elevate blood sugar levels was back in January, when an article appeared in the People's Pharmacy column of the Newark Star-Ledger. The article contained the following quote:


"Elevated blood sugar is listed as a potential reaction to Lipitor. We contacted University of California, San Diego, statin researcher Beatrice Golomb, a physician.

Golomb responded: "There are two studies that have shown unexpected significant increases in blood sugar or in hemoglobin A1C (which is an index of blood sugar over time) with statin use. Though increases are modest on average, some people appear to experience more considerable increases.

Golomb and the UCSD Statin Study (statinstudy@ucsd.edu) are conducting research on this issue and are interested in hearing from those who have experienced blood sugar elevations on statins, as well as adverse experiences on statins.

Those who prefer to contact us may do so at pharmacy@mindspring.com, and we will pass the information on to Golomb."

Arizona,

Thanks for that source information--I wasn't aware that it could be the case.

My mother is on Lipitor and her tryglcerides are extremely high. She is also on Aetenol for BP. Thanks for your research.

art3 ---- the addition of as little as 100 mg of niacin will help lower and control the sugar -- and perhaps even decrease the amount of Lipitor needed to control the cholesterol.