Q. My husband takes any medicine his doctor prescribes and never complains. After starting on simvastatin he developed leg pain that keeps him from our daily walks.
His blood sugar is now out of control. Why would a doctor prescribe a drug that can cause diabetes and then blame the patient for not being able to control his sugar?
I keep asking his doctor to take him off this statin medication, but he doesn’t believe simvastatin could aggravate diabetes. Are there any natural ways to get his blood sugar and cholesterol under control?
A. The FDA issued a warning in 2012: “People being treated with statins may have an increased risk of raised blood sugar levels and the development of Type 2 diabetes.” Perhaps your husband’s doctor missed the announcement.
It is possible to lower both blood sugar and cholesterol through natural approaches, but it will take work. The first step is to cut down on refined carbohydrates such as bread, cereal and sweets. Concluding meals with a green salad with a vinegar-based dressing can be helpful, as can herbs such as bitter melon, fenugreek, nopal cactus and the spices cinnamon and turmeric. Including nuts in the diet and psyllium as a supplement may help reduce cholesterol further. There are many more details on these options in our Guides to Diabetes and Cholesterol Control and Heart Health.
Exercise is critical to controlling cholesterol and blood sugar. We hope that some of these approaches will allow your husband to resume his daily walks.
