High cholesterol/high blood pressure

Well that's OK. That's your choice but why go to a cardiology dept and not take their advice?

There are strokes. And strokes. From what I have seen.
Some people lead a near normal life after one. And some dont.

I’d rather have a heart attack and die than a stroke and live …

What do I do? As I’m advised, by people with significant medical training who know far better than I do sourcing who knows what from wherever.
A stroke can be devastating, I do what I can to avoid that and other life shattering medical events.

loopyloo is right, of course. Feel free to make decisions about your own body, but perhaps leave the appointments with medically trained people to those who might benefit from their advice.

Well, ultimately it’s your choice. They can’t make you take any medications you don’t want to take. However, the medical staff you saw are very experienced, well trained professionals. They won’t be advising you to take medications lightly, and, in their opinion, probably feel you would benefit from taking statins and BP medication. By all means, ask for a second opinion if you can.

In my view, though, it’s better not to take all that is written on the internet about statins and BP medication as correct - some of it is wrong. Instead, seek advice from your GP or the staff you saw at the hospital, outlining all your concerns. From what they answer, you will be in a more informed position to make your decision.

Equally, side effects might affect you, or they might not - not everyone experiences them, but some do.

As you say you never have/never will take drugs permanently, then I think you’ve answered your question, because BP meds and statins are meant to be taken for the rest of your life.

I have chosen to take them, because heart attack and stroke (both of which run in the family) can have, devastating consequences, and if taking the meds will help me, and hopefully prevent stroke/heart attack, then I’ll take them as those consequences are not appealing to me, but that’s my choice. If you don’t want to take them, that’s your choice.

Heart attacks run HUGELY in my family. That was not an issue/I perfectly accepted that until they got to the era of "Bring them back again...resuscitation....etc etc" that I think became the thing of around the 1960s/1970s??? and I thought "A well-meaning person might do resuscitation on me = oh dear".

It's the stroke bit that is concerning me personally. Side effects can indeed be a possible thing - which get some people...but not others. It's difficult to know when one doesn't know whether the worst case analysis would be "take drugs permanently = agh!" or "take them permanently and get a side effect or two added on and the side effect might even last after thinking "Not putting up with this" and giving them up.

Not an easy decision - when early 21st century medicine is still extremely primitive.....

It's no big deal to quietly take prescribed meds for what's left of life. If you're not going to take them just stop wasting NHS time.

Heart attacks can lead to a stroke, my dad had quite a severe one six days after a heart attack. It left him unable to ever use his arm or speak again he was 56 and lived another 25 years. Personally I would take the drugs, I do and don’t have any side effects.

21st century medication - I wouldn’t describe most of it as extremely primitive. In what ways do you think it is primitive?

When things are discovered, then initially, treatment might look primitive when looking back - some of the cancer treatments for example, were much more brutal than they are now, and their success rate was not as good. However, things evolve, new medicines and treatments discovered, and some are modified or discarded over time due to new discoveries.

As I said in my other post, though, the decision to take or not take a medication is a personal choice - no one makes you take them if you really don’t want to. You might be well advised to, but it’s really up to you to make the final decision and cope with the consequences of taking/not taking them.

Well, it's your choice, but I've taken stations ever since I had a heart attack at 57. I was put on blood pressure medication five years ago, the NHS are doing a fantastic job looking after me and my husband, he had cancer last year, follow up today shows he is clear. A stroke can be minor, but also could completely alter your life, do you have people who would be willing to care for you if the worst happened? Your decision could also affect others.

Not advocating in any way or suggesting that this might work for anyone else, but just wanted to share something that happened to my husband.

He was told he had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Statins were recommended. At the time he was eating and drinking more than was sensible so he asked his GP if he could have six months to try to change things himself and, if he couldn't, then he would be very grateful for the statins. The GP said that she would be very surprised if he could turn things around himself and that any change would need to be lifelong, not a quick fix.

He joined Slimming World where he learned to completely change how he ate. He stopped drinking alcohol, ate very healthily with lots of fruit and veg and started exercising (walking, swimming, lifting weights ) and has gradually built this up. He lost 4 stone in six months,

When he went back six months later for repeat tests his cholesterol levels and blood pressure were in the normal range.

I'm definitely not suggesting anyone else would benefit or that they should try it without the advice and support of their doctor.

grannysyb That's such great news about your husband.

Since you know what you want - and don’t want - to do you might as well not waste any more NHS time and resources.

I have this argument every time I'm called for my annual check-up. I am independent and I want to stay that way. It's the quality of life that matters to me, not the length of it. Everything has side effects, including statins. You cure one thing and create another. I've agreed to reduce my HRT but have refused to come off it because it is supposed to help prevent osteo arthritis. I take something for my blood pressure, which seems to keep it at a moderate rate. No More.
Stick to your guns. Remember it is in the interests of the drug companies and the doctors surgery to have as many people as possible on regular medication. Read up the facts and decide for yourself.

Not sure what you are actually saying or asking. Of course, it is your choice not to take advice from medical professionals. It is your choice not to take suggested, prescribed medication - most definitely NOT primitive but highly advanced.

Not sure what is so difficult about taking regular tablets. I assume you eat two or three times each day and have a drink on several occasions. So what difficulty is there in taking a tablet or two once or twice a day?

There is absolutely no need for you to be concerned about being rescusitated following a heart attack, if you do not wish for that to happen. You can take out a DNR with your Doctor and the hospital have on your medical records an Advance Declaration (used to be called Living Will), in you can state about NO rescusitation.

Strokes are, of course, a different matter - and life after some strokes can be totally different to the life prior to them. Far better to do everything possible to avoid those - and if that involves taking a pill or two daily - then just think how fortunate we are that we live in a time where this is available and in a country where it is still free at the point of use.#

If you cannot be bothered to do this for yourself, then perhaps you should wasting the time of those highly trained professionals at the hospital and let them get on with treating people who will be willing to take their advice.

If you want to increase your risk of a stranger wiping your bum Cariad carry on.

Franbern

Not sure what you are actually saying or asking. Of course, it is your choice not to take advice from medical professionals. It is your choice not to take suggested, prescribed medication - most definitely NOT primitive but highly advanced.

Not sure what is so difficult about taking regular tablets. I assume you eat two or three times each day and have a drink on several occasions. So what difficulty is there in taking a tablet or two once or twice a day?

There is absolutely no need for you to be concerned about being rescusitated following a heart attack, if you do not wish for that to happen. You can take out a DNR with your Doctor and the hospital have on your medical records an Advance Declaration (used to be called Living Will), in you can state about NO rescusitation.

Strokes are, of course, a different matter - and life after some strokes can be totally different to the life prior to them. Far better to do everything possible to avoid those - and if that involves taking a pill or two daily - then just think how fortunate we are that we live in a time where this is available and in a country where it is still free at the point of use.#

If you cannot be bothered to do this for yourself, then perhaps you should wasting the time of those highly trained professionals at the hospital and let them get on with treating people who will be willing to take their advice.

Some people take more than “one or two “ tablets a day for high blood pressure. My husband was on about 8 a day, was not overweight, a non smoker and hardly drinks, eats healthily, gets plenty of exercise and is very laid back, not a stressy person.

Despite all of this he had a massive stroke in Nov and it has left him in a wheelchair with poor speech, cannot use his right arm or leg and very depressed at how little he can now do. He needs help with everything.

I thought I was fit and healthy and prided myself on no medication (in my late 70s) until 18 months ago I was surprised to find I had high cholesterol. I hesitated about taking statins but a daily 20mg of Atorvastatin halved it within 3 months to the ideal level. Absolutely no side effects. Lots of sudden deaths in early 50s on one line of the family including my father and his mother so referred to Lipid clinic but turns out it appears I don't have the hereditary familial cholesterol. I have been monitoring my BP intermittently since then, eating lots of bananas (!), continuing to walk a lot, try not to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time and my BP is averaging out to just below the cut-off reading for medication. I don't want to take further medication but rather than have a stroke I will take medication if GP advises it.

If you don't intend to take medication then don't waste GP and hospital appointments. Being disabled by a stroke could be horrific. Sky high BP is not good.

Having seen my charming BIL spend over 20 years in a wheelchair having lost his mobility and his personality following a stroke, I take statins and BP reducing medication. I will do anything to try to prevent my family and friends having to deal with the consequences of me having a stroke. I have no side effects from taking statins and minor effects from the BP medication which are nothing compared to what a stroke might give me. Please don't waste your GP's time if you're not willing to take his/her advice. fwiw GPs do not get paid to prescribe statins or BP medication, they get paid for doing health checks and giving advice.

I was offered a statin a few years ago, but refused it. Last year had to ask for some medical notes, on them, it said I had refused the statin -my point is what happens if you go on holiday & you have a HA or stroke, would the insurance pay out? Because your Gp offered you a statin & you refused it?
I did get my cholesterol down for little bit but it’s unfortunately gone up to 5.4 so I’ve been offered it again. This time I have accepted it.
I have worked with patients with all types of strokes. Ones that are only minor to full on strokes where patients can only move their eye balls. So now will take it along with my two BP drugs & hope for the best.

I can quite understand that when you were younger you didn’t want to be permanently on a tablet but you can’t really adopt that attitude and be safe when you are older, the game is a different one. I would have thought having lots of family who had heart attacks would make you want to do what you could for as long as you could. I just take my statin and dont think about it otherwise.

Some of us don’t have a choice - I’ve been on statins since mild strike in 2012 ..yes I don’t like taking any tablets much like I don’t like wearing glasses all the time for poor near and far vision But I do ..As I want to see ..you sound very disagreeable…

I felt like you CariadAgain
I had a stroke.
I am very lucky in that I was treated and recovered - at least as far as anyonecan tell.
I know I'm not the same. I have 3 minor symptoms that I notice every day.

The worry is not death... the worry is a diminished life that affects the people I love. I am more open to drugs now. I take an anticoagulant (since my stroke) and a statin (for the last 6 months or so). I requested the lowest dose. Lower than recommended- but it's working.
My GP is OK if I don't take it every day because it stays in the body longer than a day.

I do this as an act of love for the people who love me.