High cholesterol/high blood pressure

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.....

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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