Cholesterol

Thanks for all your replies and really useful information.
As I said, I will give the change of diet and exercise regime a try for 3 months. If no improvement I will try whatever medication the doc recommends.

I am not keen to have a stroke or end my days a burden to my family 😒

Although I have no known family history of strokes or heart attacks, I could be the one to break the mould 😫
And I do like an occasional glass of 🍷

I hope today finds you in a better mood growstuff.

We have a family history scattered with strokes. In each case, life is miserable for the survivor. I have 2 cousins who have had strokes now, both younger than me. One of them is a wheelchair user and the other is unable to talk properly. Both have fought back hard to have a quality of life but they are still frustrated by their limitations.
I'm less worried about a heart attack which sees the last of me but I really don't want to have a stroke or dementia. If you have have high cholesterol, not taking statins won't reduce the risk of dementia, it will elevate the chance of it as the small blood vessels in your brain become harder so things don't work so well.

Looking at it from another direction, if you’re 20% more likely to have a heart attack/stroke in the next 10 years, that’s still 80% who don’t.

Chatting to a friend the other day, about nursing homes, she said she hoped to keel over in her own garden and not have to end up in a home.

That scenario would probably be a HA/stroke, of course, the worry is that you wouldn’t die, but be left with a poor quality of life.

But we will all die of something.

Nothing is going to prevent that.

I'm interested by the comments ..... don't drink, just the occasional drink etc.
Red wine is an antioxidant and has been proved to actually break down cholesterol. Friends here in France tell me this every time as we tuck into a selection of cheeses, butter etc. !
When we lived in East London, our cardiologist, an Indian, used to say that he wished his Indian patients had as low a cholesterol reading as DH's and mine. He added another BP pill for me, but no statins for us.

Primrose53

growstuff

Primrose53

I was told by a Doctor I should go on statins about 25 years ago. I read up about them, spoke to lots of people, weighed things up and decided not to take them.

I am still here and fitter than just about all my friends. Some have heart problems, loads have had knee and hip replacements, high blood pressure etc.

I have saved the NHS a lot of money too and spared my body aching joints, confusion and memory loss. My Dad was put on statins aged 80 and he changed in a matter of weeks.

Good for you! You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Why oh why do people have to shout so loudly about how lucky there are. I'm one of the unlucky ones. Frankly, I want to avoid being in an ambulance being told I'm having a heart attack and thinking I'm going to do - at least, for a while!

Do people think they are somehow morally superior because they refuse to take recommended meds?

Statins have been thoroughly researched - they save lives! Up to individuals if they want to take the risk.

Merely replying, not shouting loudly or feeling morally superior. 😉
Do you feel morally superior because you followed the advice of someone who is paid to tell you that you need them?
Not much of a discussion if everybody agrees with you is it?

I’ve done my research, you’ve done yours and we have made our own decisions. I am completely happy with mine.

Good! Do you think anybody is bothered?

Luckygirl3

chocolatepeanuts

Mt61

chocolatepeanuts

My husband was told that it doesn't matter how good your diet is sometimes, your cholesterol will be high anyway as it's made by the liver. He takes a baby dose of statin and is cholesterol is now good.

Is that 10mg dose?

No, he's on 5mg.

Different statins have different doses and work in different ways - so the 5/10mg discussion only makes sense if the two individuals are on the same statin.

Rosuvastatin 5mg

growstuff

Primrose53

I was told by a Doctor I should go on statins about 25 years ago. I read up about them, spoke to lots of people, weighed things up and decided not to take them.

I am still here and fitter than just about all my friends. Some have heart problems, loads have had knee and hip replacements, high blood pressure etc.

I have saved the NHS a lot of money too and spared my body aching joints, confusion and memory loss. My Dad was put on statins aged 80 and he changed in a matter of weeks.

Good for you! You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Why oh why do people have to shout so loudly about how lucky there are. I'm one of the unlucky ones. Frankly, I want to avoid being in an ambulance being told I'm having a heart attack and thinking I'm going to do - at least, for a while!

Do people think they are somehow morally superior because they refuse to take recommended meds?

Statins have been thoroughly researched - they save lives! Up to individuals if they want to take the risk.

Merely replying, not shouting loudly or feeling morally superior. 😉
Do you feel morally superior because you followed the advice of someone who is paid to tell you that you need them?
Not much of a discussion if everybody agrees with you is it?

I’ve done my research, you’ve done yours and we have made our own decisions. I am completely happy with mine.

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cardiovascular-disease/risk-factors-for-cardiovascular-disease/high-cholesterol Apparently there ARE alternatives

FranP

I was careful due to strong family history, and used Flora milk until it was discontinued, but use their spread.
Advised nuts and grains to help and to lose weight.
However, while it kept down, it was still higher than they like at my age, so I gave in and now on low dose.
I have been told that because I did not take statins early enough, I have gall stones

Yep! Gallstones can be caused by high levels of cholesterol in the bile.

Primrose53

I was told by a Doctor I should go on statins about 25 years ago. I read up about them, spoke to lots of people, weighed things up and decided not to take them.

I am still here and fitter than just about all my friends. Some have heart problems, loads have had knee and hip replacements, high blood pressure etc.

I have saved the NHS a lot of money too and spared my body aching joints, confusion and memory loss. My Dad was put on statins aged 80 and he changed in a matter of weeks.

I doubt if you've saved the NHS anything apart from the cost of the statins.

I was careful due to strong family history, and used Flora milk until it was discontinued, but use their spread.
Advised nuts and grains to help and to lose weight.
However, while it kept down, it was still higher than they like at my age, so I gave in and now on low dose.
I have been told that because I did not take statins early enough, I have gall stones

Primrose53

I was told by a Doctor I should go on statins about 25 years ago. I read up about them, spoke to lots of people, weighed things up and decided not to take them.

I am still here and fitter than just about all my friends. Some have heart problems, loads have had knee and hip replacements, high blood pressure etc.

I have saved the NHS a lot of money too and spared my body aching joints, confusion and memory loss. My Dad was put on statins aged 80 and he changed in a matter of weeks.

Good for you! You are obviously one of the lucky ones. Why oh why do people have to shout so loudly about how lucky there are. I'm one of the unlucky ones. Frankly, I want to avoid being in an ambulance being told I'm having a heart attack and thinking I'm going to do - at least, for a while!

Do people think they are somehow morally superior because they refuse to take recommended meds?

Statins have been thoroughly researched - they save lives! Up to individuals if they want to take the risk.

Autumnrose

Unless you suffer from familial hypercholesterolaemia statins are not recommended for women over 70. For most people of any age they are totally unnecessary. Cholesterol is made in the liver which controls the amount needed by the body. More is made if insufficient is ingested and vice versa.
The GP Quality and Outcomes framework awards points for the prescribing of statins hence their being dished out like Smarties!

I might have thought that at one time - then I had the heart attack!

You are right janeainsworth there are different types of cholesterol and I should have asked the doctor about that but alas, when he phoned me to talk, I was in a friend's garden keeping someone waiting to drive a few of us home. It was very unsatisfactory.

I was told by a Doctor I should go on statins about 25 years ago. I read up about them, spoke to lots of people, weighed things up and decided not to take them.

I am still here and fitter than just about all my friends. Some have heart problems, loads have had knee and hip replacements, high blood pressure etc.

I have saved the NHS a lot of money too and spared my body aching joints, confusion and memory loss. My Dad was put on statins aged 80 and he changed in a matter of weeks.

janeainsworth

growstuff I am T2 diabetic and have had a heart attack. Statins help me keep my cholesterol down - and I'm happy for any help I can get to avoid another heart attack.
I’d feel the same as you if I had your medical history. But there’s a difference in the recommendations for primary & secondary prevention I think.

That's why GPs add up all the risk factors. They don't just dish out statins like Smarties to people with high cholesterol. They'll take into account other factors such as age, weight and blood pressure.

About 20% of adults in the UK have fatty liver disease, which is a major cause of high cholesterol. The truth is that their livers aren't doing what they should.

It is not true that statins aren't recommended for people over 70.

growstuff I am T2 diabetic and have had a heart attack. Statins help me keep my cholesterol down - and I'm happy for any help I can get to avoid another heart attack.
I’d feel the same as you if I had your medical history. But there’s a difference in the recommendations for primary & secondary prevention I think.

Autumnrose

Unless you suffer from familial hypercholesterolaemia statins are not recommended for women over 70. For most people of any age they are totally unnecessary. Cholesterol is made in the liver which controls the amount needed by the body. More is made if insufficient is ingested and vice versa.
The GP Quality and Outcomes framework awards points for the prescribing of statins hence their being dished out like Smarties!

No, they are not unnecessary Autumnrose. Statins are the most researched class of drugs on the planet. For most people, they are safe and effective and save lives.

I am T2 diabetic and have had a heart attack. Statins help me keep my cholesterol down - and I'm happy for any help I can get to avoid another heart attack. FYI I'm not overweight (and never have been) and I eat a healthy diet, don't drink alcohol and don't smoke. I could probably do more exercise, but I'm not inactive by any means. There aren't any other lifestyle changes I could make. Bring on the Smarties!!

PS. GPs get points for offering statins, but can record whether they've been refused. Don't fall for the conspiracy theories.

Sago

Maelil

Not sure why you’re worried about statins. They’ve very safe and effective. The side effects-effects are very over stated.

I have taken every statin and even the Ezetemibe, the side effects for me were serious.
It took weeks to get them out of my system and recover.

That's a shame! I suppose you'll just have to continue with high cholesterol and its effects.

Maelil

Not sure why you’re worried about statins. They’ve very safe and effective. The side effects-effects are very over stated.

I have taken every statin and even the Ezetemibe, the side effects for me were serious.
It took weeks to get them out of my system and recover.

Unless you suffer from familial hypercholesterolaemia statins are not recommended for women over 70. For most people of any age they are totally unnecessary. Cholesterol is made in the liver which controls the amount needed by the body. More is made if insufficient is ingested and vice versa.
The GP Quality and Outcomes framework awards points for the prescribing of statins hence their being dished out like Smarties!

Totally agree Bamm about the difference between HDL & LDL.
A word of warning about the Qrisk calculator too.
It told me I had a 17% chance of heart attack /stroke in the next 10 years.
I’d put in my correct weight (61kg), BMI 21. When I added 10kg and put in 71kg instead, my risk went down to 13%.
Apparently the explanation for this is that the algorithm assumes that an old woman with a BMI of 21 must be underweight due to frailty or suffering from a condition that causes weight loss. Neither of these things apply to me.
So I think the lesson is that test results & calculations should always be interpreted by a doctor, in the light of someone’s general health & medical history.
If a doctor advised me to take statins I’d want to know by how much it would lower my cholesterol and how much that would reduce my risk of a cardiovascular event.
If the risk was reduced from 20% to 10% I’d go for it but if it reduced from 20% to 18% I’d think the benefit of slightly reduced cholesterol levels was outweighed by the risk of side effects.

We have a sprinkling of chia seeds in our porridge; it’s supposed to be very good at naturally reducing cholesterol. There are other foods too, perhaps have a word with your GP / Practice Nurse and see what they think?