Wife has just had her annual blood test from GP which shows her cholesterol level as 5.4 mmol/L. This has been flagged as borderline and GP has recommended she goes on statins. She suffers from PAF, but has had no noticeable events since last August when they upped her Bisoprolol following a stay in hospital.
She's currently on:
Rivaroxaban 20mg
Losartan 12.5 mg
Bisoprolol 3.75 mg
Omepraole 20mg
We're awaiting a consult (no date set, but CT angiogram finally done this week) on whether her occasional chest pains are mild angina or not.
We have a friend who has had a lot of issues and side effects when they were put on statins. They take no other meds.
Our current feeling is to ignore the GP and discuss it when we eventually get a cardiology consult rather than rush into taking statins.
Does anyone have any views or experience of mixing statins and PAF meds?
Thanks.
Written by
DevonHubby1
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Just my personal opinion, but my cholesterol would have to get a lot higher than that before I would agree to take statins. I too saw someone suffer dreadful leg pain because of them.
We all have to make our own personal decision though, as of course it's a risk to ignore medical advice.
I stopped taking statins as I had leg ache. My cholesterol level is now about 6.5. I read extensively about statins and looked at the evidence. I took an informed decision to stop taking statins.
I recently saw my EP / cardiologist he did not blink an eye when I told he I had taken an informed decision not to take statins.
The real problem is sugars and the inflammatory affect of them.
FACT diet will not impact on your cholesterol level, your liver will manufacture cholesterol until it finds the level it is happy with.
Far too much hype about cholesterol in my humble opinion.
But important that you reach your own informed decision.
I totally agree Steve! Mine is 6 but the cardiologist doesn't seem to be bothered when I ask him. It changes with age however hard you try to eat properly and diet has little or no impact on the whole as long as you are careful ( i. e. Not to be too overweight, cut sugar, etc)
One must understand that doctors are required to have that conversation with patients in order to claim all their QOF payments but you do not have to agree. I was on statins for many years but had a chat with my doctor who was quite happy for me to stop taking them and assured me that it did not affect her since she had discussed it with me. She seemed amused.
I am on a low dose simvastatin and have been for many years. I suffer no ill effects at all. No doubt I would reconsider if I did.
I think my cholesterol had risen to 6.2 from a normal 4.something at the time of menopause , which I gather is quite common. I could not lower with dietary adjustments so took my GP s advice .
There is often conflicting advice on the benefits.
My total cholesterol is 7.2 - down from 8 - without statins & I don’t worry a bit about it. If you really want more info I would suggest that you read the HU Cholesterol Forum - those guys know their stuff!
Total cholesterol is meaningless - it’s the ratio of LDL:HDL & Triglycerides nos which is important. I’ve always had high cholesterol but my ratios are good Triglycerides low & no CV disease.
Before taking any meds I would look research all of the factors & at lifestyle changes, including exercise which can be a daily brisk walk of 10-15 mins, avoiding mono saturated fats but increasing healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados & nuts & seeds.
There are instances when statins can help - only your wife can decide if the benefits outweigh the risks for her but make it an informed decision - do the research & know what cholesterol is & know that the body produces it naturally & that the evidence shows that with a healthy, balanced mainly plant based diet & moderate exercise are as effective at reducing cholesterol serum levels as statins. The results of the angiogram will show CV condition so I would suggest you make the decision after the results are in.
I have ‘the conversation’ with my GP annually - but she knows my views & the conversation goes something like- just done your cholesterol - any change of view? No - ok can I tick the box that we’ve had them conversation’? Good.
I take stations plus an injection for elevated cholesteral(pravulent) along worg Eliquis and Tikasyn for afib and no interaction. But I would err on side of caution I'll on and talk with afib dr
I was on statins which bothered my legs and my new Dr at the time said my good cholesterol was great so the good to bad ratio was also good and go off statins. My only source of fats are now plant based with olive oil being the only actual oil. When I went really low fat my only cholesterol was bad. When I included olive oil my good went way up. Now I don't worry.
That really does seem very borderline unless your wife has specific conditions, family history or other cardiovascular risks. The doctor will have considered these in his recommendation, I’d think, since he is bound to follow government guidelines on this.
That said, statins are, for most people, exceptionally well tolerated and very safe, rarely causing side effects. For some, of course, this isn’t the case, and the internet has rather a worrying place when investigating these drugs, especially regarding muscle problems.
I would discuss your fears with your wife’s GP and ask why he feels they would lower her risk of future cardiovascular illness.
Some years age my cholesterol was 6.2 and I resisted going on statins. I bought those little benecol drinks which contain plant sterols and had one daily. You can get benecol yoghurts too. My husband had them too and we both managed to reduce cholesterol by about 1.0.
Now I take one plant sterol tablet a day and my last cholesterol test was 4.8 and in all honesty I had a piece of toast before the test 🤣.
Might be worth a try. Check with your doctor first.
I have had so called high cholesterol at around 7 for 20+ years and part of the AF tests 6 years ago were heart & carotid artery checks, which were all 100% clear. Having read a bit on this subject, my personal take is that the cholesterol doesn't cause trouble UNLESS you have other relevant issues e.g. high blood pressure where statins may be a reasonable precaution.
I recommend reading around the subject. Dr Malcolm Kendrick (British GP) is a good start. Also read Boden and Sinatra’s The Great Cholestérol Myth (one of them is a cardiologist). Then make your decision.
You have to Taylor to individual circumstances take Dr Google with a pinch of salt
My particular viewpoint is take them
But this is based on my status below
As an ex rugby player who also came off cycles and motorcycles a few times my osteoarthritis hides any muscle pain !!
I have co/morbidly issues with which I have no hesitation in taking drugs
Bronchiectasis
Asthma
Hypertension
Permanent AF with high HR
Pancreatitis
Recently had the Whipple operation to remove adenocarcinoma of my ampulla
That has given me opportunity to try out a new drug as part of chemotherapy treatment!
So the drugs in my opinion have some possible side effects but they still improve the quality of life indeed hopefully prolong and save it.
Sorry if you think it’s a rant but It’s not I just think you have to look at all viewpoints I did and chose the operation and chemotherapy rather than take the earnest advice to go vegan and change sugar intake.
One of the side effects of statins is pancreatitis. You just cannot compare having cancer and the treatment decisions that involves with whether to take a statin for a very marginally raised cholesterol. Statins are a scam . The cholesterol hypothesis is rubbish science and one day the whole pack of cards will collapse. Wishing you recovery from the Whipples.
It was weird. Wife has always suffered with acid reflux and GP refused to prescribe it due to possible long term risks. However, since being put on AF drugs GP is happy to repeat prescribing them. I guess it's all down to QOL and how much longer on this mortal coil the GP thinks my wife has.
Don’t do it .. my count is 5.6 & my GP is not at all concerned about it .... meds for the pharmaceutical companies!! Just adjust her diet & more exercise eg swimming is good!
I just think the side effects of statins are awful I have friends that have already stopped them!
Statistical analysis of statin trials has shown that the average increase in length of life for primary prevention ( ie higher cholesterol than what is deemed normal by a bunch of docs many of whom have financial ties to statin manufacturers ) is 3-4 days. If you are lucky the most you get is 19. Worth it ?
Statins are insidious. My wife was prescribed statins and over the course of several years she developed muscle pains to the point where she would literally have to crawl out of bed in the morning. One day she decided she would stop taking the statins, not because she suspected them to be causing the muscle pains though - she thought they were causing weight gain. Within a matter of days, the muscle pains were gone and she was able spring out of bed in the mornings. Needless to say she has now been off statins for over 10 years. Unfortunately they proved not to be the cause of weight gain.
I too had been on statins but seeing the change in my wife after coming off them, I stopped also - wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. I discussed it with one of the GPs in our practice (not my usual one) and asked him if he would take them. His answer was an emphatic NO.
A cholesterol level of 5.4 for a woman is nothing to be concerned about. Check out Dr Malcolm Kendrick's web site to get things into perspective. Cholesterol is our friend, it's an important constituent of the body. As with many other things, the mainstream medical profession have got it all wrong yet again.
I am continuing to take a low dose of statins, in conjunction with an anticoagulant, to help prevent another stroke associated with AF. The aim is to keep the cholesterol level low (about 3 at present). I think this benefit is not widely known. I cannot detect any side effects from the medication, and my digestion is much better than it used to be.
I take a fib meds plus a statin, no issues yet. Its been 2 yr. I seen no harm in waiting to ask heart doc.
I'm on apixaban and sotalol for my PAF which I get about 40% of the time now, lasting about 3 days out of every 7 or so. As my cholesterol was just over limit I've been on statins for about 6 weeks. Absolutely no side effects whatsoever as with the other two drugs.
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