Supplements for high Cholesterol anyone?

Because of side effects I changed stating twice, pains in my legs,cramps etc but this one I'm on now works perfectly, have been on it 2 years now, the previous tablets caused cramps after a few months,

I had high cholesterol and managed to get it down purely by adjusting my diet .
I need to do it again !
And I shall .
It could be elevated due to genetic factors .
If adjusting your diet doesn't work then statins might be your best option .

paddyann54

She said “she put everyone over 50 on statins and my. Holesterol was actually a fair bit lower than Hers” My OH has a theory GP,s are paid by the drugs. Companies to put folk on these pills .I,ve never had high cholesterol and I have yearly checkups.
I won’t take pills I don’t need .I,ve watched close friends start on one pill then one is added to combat the side efffects and on it goes until some are swallowing 12 or more pills a day and suffering more than when the whole sorry saga started.I,ve always used alternative medicine

So the statins weren't for diabetes.

She said “she put everyone over 50 on statins and my. Holesterol was actually a fair bit lower than Hers” My OH has a theory GP,s are paid by the drugs. Companies to put folk on these pills .I,ve never had high cholesterol and I have yearly checkups.
I won’t take pills I don’t need .I,ve watched close friends start on one pill then one is added to combat the side efffects and on it goes until some are swallowing 12 or more pills a day and suffering more than when the whole sorry saga started.I,ve always used alternative medicine

paddyann54

My husband takes ubiquinol a type of Co Q 10 ,he was put on statins after he had 2 heart attacks 14 years ago.The side effects were awful,we researched an alternative and Ubiquinol seemed to be the answer.After speaking to his GP who monitored him for several months,he,s been on them ever since.All the statin side effects disappeared within weeks and his health and cholesterol levels are great.I buy it from Amazon it comes in different strengths My GP recently wanted to put me on both statins and Metformin for type 2 diabetes.I refused.I have dieted and exercised and my levels are back to normal .I won’t take anything unless it’s a necessity .Get advice and give it a try Good Luck

Statins wouldn't have helped diabetes. The issue is that both high cholesterol and diabetes raise the risk of heart disease. Presumably your GP wanted to control your cholesterol as well as your blood sugar.

Tedb

The best thing to do for high cholestrol is to control diet. I’ve stopped eating red meat and cut down significantly on snacks. I now include plenty of vegetables in my meals. I used to cook with coconut milk but recently realized it’s quite high in fat. And after consulting my doc I have started taking natural supplement consisting of amino acids and thankfully now my levels are normal. You can try it too I hope it helps let me get the link of the product here it is www.gransnet.com/forums/health/1336828-Supplements-for-high-Cholesterol-anyone you can show this to your doctor and if he allows then try!

20 years ago my Dr pushed and pushed for me to take statins as mine was 9.6.
We came to a compromise where I promised that I would do 3 months diet, and I did.
It came down 9.3, the Dr didn’t push it anymore.
It has been more or less at that level ever since.
I’m grateful every day for my good health. The only meds I have is a B12 injection x monthly.

Luckygirl my Dh had a TIA during lockdown and the gp put him on a higher dose of statins. It’s since then that gradually his legs have weakened and his walking is very bad.

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My husband takes ubiquinol a type of Co Q 10 ,he was put on statins after he had 2 heart attacks 14 years ago.The side effects were awful,we researched an alternative and Ubiquinol seemed to be the answer.After speaking to his GP who monitored him for several months,he,s been on them ever since.All the statin side effects disappeared within weeks and his health and cholesterol levels are great.I buy it from Amazon it comes in different strengths My GP recently wanted to put me on both statins and Metformin for type 2 diabetes.I refused.I have dieted and exercised and my levels are back to normal .I won’t take anything unless it’s a necessity .Get advice and give it a try Good Luck

I’ve been taking statins for 30 odd years now. I keep to a low dose though my doc wants me to take a higher one. I can cope with the ones I have but the higher dose makes me have aches and pains so I refuse them- quality of life and all that. I have the familial high cholesterol as do many of our relatives including a tiny skinny 21 year old who eats virtually no fatty foods. I am reasonably careful with my diet ( not so much at Christmas !) but for me it doesn’t make a lot of difference. I think statins are life savers for people with the hereditary version of high cholesterol.

I cut down my cheese intake, stopped tea and coffee and now drink turmeric tea, peppermint tea and hibiscus tea..
Cholesterol has dropped from 6.7 to 5.2 in 3 months....

The best thing to do for high cholesterol is to control diet. - that works for some. For various reasons I have not eaten red meat or cheese for decades, but my cholesterol is high. Some people just have high cholesterol - end of.

With cholesterol that high I would take the statins - it's a no-brainer. Mine is way lower than that and I was found to have a major coronary artery that was at one point blocked to 94%. It was caught in time and I have a stent.

Gingster - why do you think your OH's deteriorating mobility is caused by the statins? - if he has been on them for "years" then anno domini/arthritis or any number of other things could be factors - there is no reason to assume it is the statins.

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I cannot take statins, it causes me to ache everywhere. I tried 4 different types. My doctor has prescribed Ezetimibe. It lowers cholesterol in a different way. Why not ask your doctor if you can try it?

WWM I was prescribed atorvastin 20 mg over the phone.
My cholesterol is 6.8. but other than that I am fit and take no other medication.
I havnt started taking the tablets as I saw on the nhs web site that people over 75 shoukd not be prescribed statins unless there are other comorbidities which then need to be considered.
So like you I am hesitant.

Oh I’ve recently has a well woman’s going over and my cholesterol is 5.3 and statins are recommended😧.

But I think other risks are taken into account so just looking at the reading means nothing without other risk factors being taken into account. So family of cardiac problems, weight (😳) and age, BP etc all contribute to the decision I think.

The only query I really have that I am 78 and do wonder about the age thing. That was one thing I forgot to ask the clinician on the telephone.

I have been very lucky in so far as I have never taken any long term medicines so far.

It was £79 and I was with the optometrist for about an hour. I’ve had free eye scans with the regular NHS check which are very good, but our practice has some much more advanced equipment, and they offer this enhanced test which is more comprehensive than the standard NHS test.

This is basically a scan of the back of the eye as before, but much more extensive and I was amazed at the detail. My cataracts looked scary but was reassured that they are not impeding eyesight and do not need surgery yet.

Was the test expensive Farzanah? Was it a scan of your head?

I recently had an enhanced examination at my optometry practice and the detailed scan showed blood vessels in great clarity with plaque deposits. All older people have some plaque in blood vessel lining, but seeing it in black and white as it were, (colour actually) certainly concentrates the mind as to the risk.

Happily my plaque build up was slight but I am certainly going to start statins as my cholesterol was over 6. The optometrist told me that she often refers people to their GP for serious medical conditions of which they were previously unaware. (This check was not routine but an extra paid for)

Never had problems with Simvastatin for over 20 years and I'm 78. No-one has suggested I come off it.

Marmight I salute you. What a shock it must have been hope you are feeling much better.

I just felt really unwell. Out of this world type of feeling. No pain but just knew something was really wrong. Called NHS111 who called an ambulance. Thought I was just in for a blood test but 10 days later after umpteen tests I was discharged with the devastating diagnosis. I evrntually saw a surgeon in January who pencilled me in for the op in a private hospital in West London for March, some 175 miles away, on the NhS. In the meantime I spent Christmas back in hospital in Exeter with acute ideopathic pancreatitis 🤦‍♀️. . Hoping next year will be a great improvement.
Ladies get your cholesterol levels checked, take statins or whatever is recommended, and take your symptoms, however mild, seriously. I was lucky

Incidentally, your total cholesterol isn't the only important figure. You should ask what your cholesterol/HDL and Triglyceride numbers are. You can then Google the normal ranges.

Ok thanks growstuff, . I have had ecg ‘s though not lately.