I don't want to take Statins. Advice please.

Macerena

I recently had routine blood tests and my cholesterol is 7.5 The doctor has said I should take statins . I haven't heard good things about them. Also, she said once started I would have to take them for life. I am underweight and do quite a lot of exercise and have never had much of an appetite but because I had a major operation in March, and needed to regain some weight I have been eating doughnuts, chocolate, biscuits, butter on everything - you get the picture! The doctor has agreed that I could try to change diet and get a blood test in December. I am a bit of an "All or nothing" person and have cut out all but veg, fruit, nuts fish. Much eye rolling from daughter. So any advice or help from anyone who is on Statins would be great. Thank you.

It sounds like all you need to do is change your diet.

I agree with the PP who suggested a Mediterranean diet and healthy fats to gain weight. I can recommend Grace coconut milk (the cartons not the tins). When put in the fridge it becomes semi-solid like thick cream and is lovely just eaten off the spoon.

One doctor’s view of statins:

//Because statins interfere with antioxidant defences and energy supply they may be contributing to the epidemic of Alzheimer's disease we are now seeing.//
www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Cholesterol_-_the_whys_and_wherefores#The_Problem_with_Statins

growstuff

PS. I know how QOF points work. GPs don't get paid for prescribing statins.

growstuff I wasn’t going to mention GPs increasing their income but you raised it so I am responding.

managementinpractice.com/practice-intelligence/qof-2023-24-what-practices-need-to-consider-to-gain-maximum-income/

This is actually telling practices all they need to know to maximise their income.

I hope this explains what I mean and what has been going on for years but not everybody knows about it. QOF points are awarded for various treatments and treating high cholesterol is one of them. The points are awarded to the Practice and this is then converted into income which can be considerable so is it any wonder that more and more people are being put on statins?

I don’t have a crystal ball either but having spent 20 years not taking statins as advised, I plan to carry on as I am.

I can't take statins. I have tried so many different ones. The doctor now prescribes Ezetimbe to help lower my cholesterol. It works in a different way to statins. It is worth asking your GP about it. My cardiologist quite happy with me taking it instead of statins.

Sometimes, It's a matter of the lesser of two evils. Another heart attack would probably be fatal for me, so statins it is. I have never had any side effects, so I am fortunate.
I inject biologics, which do have severe side effects, that again is the lesser of two evils. A rock and a hard place comes to mind.

No two patients are the same and I believe we should make our own decisions and with our clinicians decide what is appropriate. I will do anything to maintain a some quality of life.

10 years ago, a locum GP started me on statins. Within a day, my feet started swelling. When I mentioned it she advised me to stop. I take BP medication now, but no statins.

My doctor advised taking statins as I had a 7.5 cholesterol reading., and high blood pressure. I've just been checked after 3 month's of taking the medication. My cholesterol is now 4.2 and feel fine. As a friend who is a nurse said "I'd rather have a pill than a stroke"!

Took statins for a couple of years until joint pains and cramps became unbearable.
Went to my GP and said I wanted to stop taking them. He was OK with that but asked me to take a low dosage asprin a day.
Been doing that since, no problems.
, but I haven’t had a cholesterol test since.

my mother went to bed one night and didn't wake up in the morning......an autopsy showed arteriosclerosis and left ventrical failure....... her arteries were blocked by cholesterol which caused a clot in left side of heart. no statins back then. she was 69.

I am happy to take my 20mg of simvastatin.

If there's too much cholesterol in the blood, the cholesterol and other substances may form deposits (plaques) that collect on artery walls. Plaques can cause an artery to become narrowed or blocked. If a plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form.

PS. I know how QOF points work. GPs don't get paid for prescribing statins.

Primrose53

growstuff

Primrose53

Grantanow

There's a lot of loony nonsense talked about statins. Millions of people take them every day and so do I with no ill effects whatsoever.

It’s not “loony nonsense” if you feel so poorly you can’t get out of bed in the morning or your joints and muscles ache like mad when they never did before. It’s also very worrying if you start forgetting things and are easily confused shortly after starting statins.

No, it's not loony nonsense, if you really feel that poorly, but is loony nonsense to claim that the majority of people taking statins feel like that and that they don't have beneficial effects. It's also loony nonsense to claim that GPs get paid to prescribe them or receive some kind of back-hander from the pharma companies.

I have not claimed that the majority of people on statins “feel like that”.

Neither have I said on this thread what you suggest in your last para.

All I will say to you is QOF points. 😉

I didn't claim that you claimed that, but there certainly is a load of loony nonsense about statins on the web.

I don't smoke or drink alcohol and have excellent BP. I'm not and never have been overweight. I don't have any replacement bits either. I hardly ever eat processed food.

Nevertheless, I had high cholesterol and stubbornly refused to take statins. I then had a heart attack (cause unknown) and was advised to take statins, which I have done for six years.

I changed from the first one I was prescribed, my cholesterol has reduced and my risk of having another heart attack or a stroke is still above normal, but has reduced considerably. The risk can never be normal because I'm diabetic.

Who knows whether I'll still be one of the unlucky ones? I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm happy to follow any advice which reduces the risk. Statins are one of the most researched drugs on the planet and the evidence is quite clear that they do reduce risk for most people and I'm happy with that.

growstuff

Primrose53

Grantanow

There's a lot of loony nonsense talked about statins. Millions of people take them every day and so do I with no ill effects whatsoever.

It’s not “loony nonsense” if you feel so poorly you can’t get out of bed in the morning or your joints and muscles ache like mad when they never did before. It’s also very worrying if you start forgetting things and are easily confused shortly after starting statins.

No, it's not loony nonsense, if you really feel that poorly, but is loony nonsense to claim that the majority of people taking statins feel like that and that they don't have beneficial effects. It's also loony nonsense to claim that GPs get paid to prescribe them or receive some kind of back-hander from the pharma companies.

I have not claimed that the majority of people on statins “feel like that”.

Neither have I said on this thread what you suggest in your last para.

All I will say to you is QOF points. 😉

I don’t smoke, I barely drink, I have excellent BP but I have gained weight in recent years. I have no replacement knees, hips, hearing aids, no mobility problems.

I consider myself healthy for my age and am pleased that I have spent the last 20 years NOT being on statins and worrying about heart attacks and strokes or the side effects of statins. I don’t even take a paracetamol unless I really have to.

Primrose53

Grantanow

There's a lot of loony nonsense talked about statins. Millions of people take them every day and so do I with no ill effects whatsoever.

It’s not “loony nonsense” if you feel so poorly you can’t get out of bed in the morning or your joints and muscles ache like mad when they never did before. It’s also very worrying if you start forgetting things and are easily confused shortly after starting statins.

No, it's not loony nonsense, if you really feel that poorly, but is loony nonsense to claim that the majority of people taking statins feel like that and that they don't have beneficial effects. It's also loony nonsense to claim that GPs get paid to prescribe them or receive some kind of back-hander from the pharma companies.

Primrose53

Puts tin hat on!!🤣

Never taken them and never will. I hate the things. 20 years ago I was advised to take them by GP but I said I would go home and do my own research. I saw my Dad deteriorate just weeks after starting them, countless elderly people I worked with and I didn’t like what I was reading.

20 years on I have no problems whatsoever and recently did a health check and my risk of having a heart attack or stroke was only 10% so I am happy with that. As my old neighbour used to say (who tried 3 different types of statin all of which made her very poorly) “ I would rather have high cholesterol and feel well than be on these things, feeling so ill that I can’t do anything or enjoy my life.”

It’s your body and your choice but I would say cut out all that junk you have been filling up on and you may find it will come down anyway.

If your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is only 10% (presumably because you don't have other risk factors), I'd be surprised if you were advised to take statins. 10% is considered normal.

MerylStreep

Primrose53

PS My cholesterol was higher than yours.

Mine hasn’t been under 9 for over 10 years. Every doctor I’ve seen has tried to persuade me take them. All have failed.

That's your choice, but the doctors would be failing in their duty of care if they didn't give you the advice.

Primrose53

PS My cholesterol was higher than yours.

Mine hasn’t been under 9 for over 10 years. Every doctor I’ve seen has tried to persuade me take them. All have failed.

I did the research and did the maths and did not take statins until I had a mini stroke. Faced with a high possibility of a full stroke if I didn't take them. I now take them.

Sometimes the choice is between what you really want to do and what is in your best interests. I will always go for what is in my best interests.

Grantanow

There's a lot of loony nonsense talked about statins. Millions of people take them every day and so do I with no ill effects whatsoever.

It’s not “loony nonsense” if you feel so poorly you can’t get out of bed in the morning or your joints and muscles ache like mad when they never did before. It’s also very worrying if you start forgetting things and are easily confused shortly after starting statins.

Perhaps add healthy fats to your diet and avoid statins?

PS My cholesterol was higher than yours.

Puts tin hat on!!🤣

Never taken them and never will. I hate the things. 20 years ago I was advised to take them by GP but I said I would go home and do my own research. I saw my Dad deteriorate just weeks after starting them, countless elderly people I worked with and I didn’t like what I was reading.

20 years on I have no problems whatsoever and recently did a health check and my risk of having a heart attack or stroke was only 10% so I am happy with that. As my old neighbour used to say (who tried 3 different types of statin all of which made her very poorly) “ I would rather have high cholesterol and feel well than be on these things, feeling so ill that I can’t do anything or enjoy my life.”

It’s your body and your choice but I would say cut out all that junk you have been filling up on and you may find it will come down anyway.

I take statins and have no problems. My chlorestoral was not high, my arteries are clear, no leaky valves and a healthy diet, according to my cardiology consultant.

However, I have had two heart attacks, due to genetics and R.A, which would have been more severe if I hadn't been taking blood thinners and statins. A no brainer for me.

I'm another one who was reluctant to take statins - until I had a heart attack. I've been taking them for six years. I had a break (suggested by GP) because I had aches and pains, but the break made no difference, which suggests the aches were caused by something else. I now take Rosuvastatin. I still have aches and pains, probably caused by diabetes and general aging, but don't have any other side effects.

My total cholesterol was lower than yours and has now been about 3.7 for years, which is OK. The GP should have given you your triglyceride figure. If that's high (over 1.7), it could be because your liver is overloaded with sugar and can be improved with diet.

There's a lot of loony nonsense talked about statins. Millions of people take them every day and so do I with no ill effects whatsoever.