I have read that statins lower cholesterol, but my chelosterol levels have never been high even before my HA 7 months ago, now it is dangerously low.
I have heard that statins also reduce plaque, whilst presenving the all important hard cap, preventing a rupture and subsequent blood clot.
Is this all correct and what else are statins good for, I know there a plenty of side effects, so we will leave that for this thread?
Statins are thought to help prevent strokes as well as heart attacks.
All care is offered and it is your privilege whether to decide to accept any offer of treatment.
I hope you can make an informed evidence based choice.
You and others have asked a similar question before so I am curious that you are asking the same question again. Why?
Several of my pills are to reduce the likelihood of clots in various ways, i appear to be clot central
In addition to reducing cholesterol statins, as said, have a number of additional benefits. Important ones to you are the stabilisation if existing plaque, reduction of irritation often a precursor to plaque formation and the prevention of restenosis.
Side effects are less common than made out. It is just that those who suffer them are more vocal about it and the media (including the Interweb) prefer negativity as it sells better! ☹️
If you think your cholesterol is dangerously low speak to your medical professional. Doseages can always be adjusted and type of statin changed.
Hi. They do reduce cholesterol by working on its production in the liver. And as the body has less cholesterol to make bile it removes it from your blood stream. Statins also seem to stabilise plaque so making ruptures less likely.
I’m interested that you say your levels are dangerously low. What are your latest readings and who says that they’re dangerous?
I had a couple of blood tests 10 weeks apart in Portugal and Total was113/118mg/dl, ideal minimum is 200; HDL was38/51mg/dl, which I have just noticed is now ideal, min 40. Dr Esselstyn said all his clients have very low cholesterol and not to worry.
My main problem is low folic acid 2.2/2.1ug/l, ideal minimum 4.5 and I am eating a lot of foods high in folic acid.
But apart from that everything else is fine and I try to remember this when I not feeling well. This is my focus when anxiety kicks in, or I see my gaunt self in the mirror with 18kg lost (20%), I am working on toning up with some small dumb bells.
Its interesting that my BMI at 68kg/183cm is considered perfect, maybe for a teenager.
Because my total cholesterol is around 1/2 the recomended minimum and low cholesterol is considered more dangerous that high. Plus all the fat has gone from my body, 18kg is a lot of fat and 10kg of that was lost with a week or so of my beginning statins. In a month I dropped from 86kg to 66kg and looked like a corpse.
Hi. Totally appreciate the anxiety caused by your weight loss. I’d talk to my Doc if it’s worrying. I’m still interested where you get the figure for ideal minimum and that this is dangerous (as you put it - more dangerous than high cholesterol). Everything I’ve read suggests that impact of hyper low cholesterol isn’t agreed and very rare whereas the consequences of high cholesterol are very real. I’m also a bit confused by your readings (but my maths could well be wrong). 113 mg/dl (divide by 18 to get mmol/l = 6.2 mmol/l) seems high to me. But I could well have got this wrong!
I told you my maths wasn’t great. The conversion factor is 38.67. So your total at 113 mg/dl = 2.9 mmol/l. My total cholesterol is 2.8 mmol/l and that’s seen as very good by my doctor (1.5 HDL). My reading of the evidence is that I stand a much greater risk of dying from a heart attack (as I’ve already had one) from higher cholesterol than I do from excessively low cholesterol. And @Jils - regret I don’t look 19 😄
I checked your maths on a conversion website and it confirms your original calc at 6.275. I am confused.
I double checked (after doing the same). It was your statement that the recommended minimum was 200 (ie around 11 mmol/l) that I found very odd. In the U.K. 5.2 mmol/l is considered OK for people who haven’t had a heart attack. Searched around a bit and found the conversion of 38.67 (which does align 5.2 mmol/l to 200 mg/dl.
Seems I got it wrong it says normal is <200. They say a HA effects the brain, so that's my excuse. looking further 200-239 is moderate risk.
If it puts your mind at rest very low LDL cholesterol is considered to be below 40 mg/dl (ie 1 mmol/l)
10kg of fat equates to 77,000 calories (approximately). Nobody could burn that off in a week!
It was obviously not all fat at that stage, probably a lot of water initially, but when things levelled out I was 18kg down from my mean and it looks like it. Also the fat extracted from the blood by the statins is not burned, it passes through the gut and is expelled.
You know I looked at these two reports a few months ago and as an engineer I am normally pretty good at maths and although I am dyslexic am pretty thorough. Since my HA I have noticed a number of mistakes and misjudgements I have made, it is quite worrying to think what else I have done, the good news is that my company pretty much runs itself and my small staff are very competent. I guess that is what stress can do.
It is interesting that any time I get stressed now I get chest pains a minute later and that brings home to me just how stressed I was in the lead up to my HA and the damage it caused. I am been try to modify my behaviour ever since with varying levels of success. My wife and I work one each other to keep the other calm and enjoying life.
Could you have been suffering from fluid retention and, perhaps, given a diuretic like Furosemide? This is the only time I have seen really rapid weight loss. Post bypass I developed an electrolyte imbalance and gained 9kg. I was started on Furosemide as they started to address this. Initial weight loss was rapid but it was about a full month before equilibrium was reached and the Furosemide withdrawn.
Statins are not associated with weight loss. If anything weight gain. This is for two reasons i) a few people develop muscle aches and become less active, ii) some subconsciously think because statins handle fat they are a type of diet pill and eat more!
It is probably down to my matabolism, I lose weight very quickly when I am sick, typically 3-5kg when I get food poisoning for example. I was using different scales during this period and tarvelling between two countries, but the 18kg over 4 months is certainly real.
I was pretty lightweight when I was younger and naturally fit, fastest in my school, but didn't train so this didn't translate into adulthood. 2 or 3 times ran both wings playing rugby in my early 20s. The only way I added weight was through muscle, then in my 40s added weight due to bronchitis and later got knee arthritis which caused more weight gain a nd swollen ankles. That all changed with my HA, so kind of full circle.
Well, apparently on the TV the other day, it said that statins are a marvellous anti-aging pill! They beat all collagen/botox treatments and that in years to come we will all be taking it to look younger 😂
So... Do you all look 19? X
Cholesterol is necessary for all bodily functions, it it drops too low, you die. I got those figures from a blood test laboratory in Portugal, including high/low parameters. 6.2mmol/l is correct, but that is total cholesterol??
I have read that the dangers of high cholesterol is not conclusive.
This is a UK based charity with lots of e evidence based information about cholesterol .
I hope it helps
Statins
Statins and dreams 
Statins
Stopping Statins
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