Hi
I have just been told my cholestorol is 6.7 and the doctor wants to put me on statins ..i have heard and read nightmare stories about them
has anyone managed to lower theirs with plant sterol capsules ?
i know a healthy diet has to be followed as well
Hello and welcome to the forum!
The target for total cholesterol (although the breakdown is important) for healthy people is 5.0. This drops to 4.0 for us hearties and those with risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, family history, etc. Research has showed an average drop of 17% with plant sterols which will not achieve the target. Dietary changes can also help towards the target but again will not get you there unless your current diet is rubbish or you change to a fairly extreme plant based one. The BHF recommend a Mediterranean diet. I recommend "Delicious Dishes for Diabetics (A Mediterranean Way of Eating)" by Robin Ellis (Poldark in the 70s).
The problem with statins is people report bad experiences but hardly ever good ones. There are also about five statins to try so there is one to suit most people.
I was told my cholesterol was too high, but I declined taking statins. I made a real effort to eat more veg and fibrous pulses etc. Next blood test it had gone down. That is just my experience - I cannot advise you as to what you should do. We are all different.
I had a NSTEMI in March. Cholesterol normal but they gave me statins anyway. I have no problems with them at all.
Hi, I was on atorvastatin 80mg and I've refused to take it.My cholesterol levels were never really that bad anyway (5.2).
I found I was becoming depressed and tearful. Since stopping taking it, I've been much happier.
My GP and consultant are both unhappy with me but I'm putting this one down as a battle I'm going to win with them 😊.
That said, please be mindful that everyone is different and I would very carefully consider medical advice before doing anything stupid like me.
Gosh that's a high dose? I am on 20mg. Perhaps it would have been more tolerable on a lower dose, especially as your levels were only slightly above?
I've got severe coronary heart disease (which a lot have) and have had 5 stents so I suppose that's the reason. Either way, I'm rebelling 😂😊
Me too!
Same as above. I had LAD stemi a year ago with normal cholesterol but still take the standard 80mg atorvastatin daily as is suggested for what I've had done. Had similar concerns after reading on here about issues with that med ,but my gp ran bloods for me and everything is as normal, well apart from everything being on the lower side of normal levels due to the meds but he was happy with results
I have had cholesterol levels like that for many years, resisted stations due to horror stories. Tried plant sterols in yogurt drinks, in capsules, tried losing weight, eating to lower cholesterol etc. Nothing worked. 3 months ago I decided to go on statins and honestly I've had no side effects at all. Everyone is different I know, but people are going to be more likely to post negative experiences than positive ones.
And if you started them and did experience side effects that you found unbearable, you could come off them I am assuming.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Obviously stations should read statins 😆
Good morning. I'm on statins and I have a healthy diet too but my cholesterol was still a bit too high, so I thought I would try taking plant sterols as well. Research says it has to be taken at the same time as your meal to make a difference. I took one 800mg capsule with lunch and dinner every day. My next cholesterol test a month later was no better than before. So, for me, plant sterols at that daily dose didn't work. The reports I've seen suggest that I may need to take a higher daily amount to make a difference, but I have not tried (for example) doubling the dose.
But I don't think it can do you any harm and everyone is different, so surely it's worth a try.
Also want to say that I have had no problems with Atorvastatin. I've taken various daily doses up to 80mg per day and I had no side effects that I could detect.
I would strongly recommend that you take the statins asap. I was told in my early 50's that my cholesterol was high and like you did not want to take statins, so I changed my diet and generally ate quite healthily. Like most people after a couple of years I slowly let it slip.Then at 57 'out of the blue' I had HA and Cardiac arrest and required 5 stents.
It turns out that your body also makes cholesterol all by itself and this is influenced by factors such as genetics and stress.
Once you have reduced your cholesterol then you can think about taking alternatives if you so wish.
One thing is for sure, once you have atherosclerosis you cannot be cured, you can only mitigate the effects by taking much more potent drugs than statins for the rest of your life
4 years ago after an NSTEMI MI my cholesterol was 7.8 I was put on 80mg of Atorvastatin and 10mg of Ezetimibe. I also watch the amount of saturated fat that I eat. I have had no adverse effects from the statin and my cholesterol is now consistently under 3 (2.3-2.7)
Statins don't just reduce cholesterol.
They reduce inflammation of the inner lining of the blood vessels, the endothelium.
Statins stabilise even small areas of plaque, help prevent them from rupturing and breaking off and a blood clot forming.
Wandering bits of plaque and blood clots can cause heart attacks or strokes.
My cholesterol was 6.5 and I went onto 20mg Atorvastatin as requested by my cardiologist. No bad effects really - some muscle aches in first few months that settled. After statins + lifestyle overhaul cholesterol dropped to 2.3 (1.4 HDL, 0.9 LDL) within 10 months so I'd say its worth pursuing for your health.
I have no side effects to statins at all. I don't think plant sterols will bring your cholesterol low enough but if you really want to avoid statins, it might be worth trying and see what happens.
Hi I had a transplant last year I never had much bother with cholesterol but the hospital says they feel that every one with a heart condition should take statins I am on pravastatin 20mg a day with no side effects, I personally feel its worth taking them as I don't want anything to happen in the future char
For 30+ years I ate a Mediterranean diet, exercised daily, drank moderately and I've never smoked. No family history of heart disease. My cholesterol was slightly higher than yours but because I led a "heart healthy" lifestyle was never prescribed statins. 18 months ago I had a heart attack because of my raised cholesterol. I have been on80mg. Atorvastin since and I've had no side effects. I wish I'd been prescribed them years ago.
Prescribed 40mg Atorvastatin and have had no issues. Good luck!
Research has shown that people report just as much muscle pain etc on a placebo as they do on statins There are plenty to try. The only problem I had was the first one I was given caused stomach pain. GP changed it and I've been fine. Don't believe evrything you read. People only post when something goes wrong.
Hello, I have a true story for you. My friend in his early 70s was borderline on his cholesterol measurement for needing statins so he declined them as he was very fit and healthy. A few months afterwards, whilst on holiday in Australia he started getting indigestion on exertion. Fortunately he sensibly went to a GP there and had a stent fitted a day or so later. He has taken his statins religiously ever since, with no side effects.
Why not try them and see how you go?
Hello-I was put on all the different statins at increased doses but couldn't tolerate them -terrible joint pain and stabbing pains .Finally got referred to a consultant when it was at its highest 9.6. He put me on Rosuvastain 5mg and my cholesterol got down to 5mg and diagnosed Familial Hypercholesterolmia. After 18 months had to undergo emergency bypass x2. With 100% and 70% blockages in 2 main arteries(the widow maker).The consultant said I was about to have a massive heart attack from which I wouldn't survive (he told my husband). I continue with Rosuvastatin as well as Ezetimibe 10mg-cholesteral now at 3.5.
Sometimes just diet and exercise doesn't help if it's an inherited condition. On lots of other heart meds since op 5 1\2 years ago. Listen to the medics. Also when I did my heart rehab you would be surprised how many people who had previously been fit and active would arrive for their first session and were in shock and surprised they were there having had a heart attack usually whilst doing some sporting activity.Good luck.
Wow ! Thank you all for your very informative answers , and yes the reason i was so against statins was because of the negative feedback about them , Now i have heard more of a positive slant on them i am going to reconsider , Only thing is my doctor told me to pick a script up today and then 15 minutes later the receptionist calls me to tell me to hang fire the doctor want me to have mya appointment with the pain clinic first !! but i want them now !! lol !
I have been on 80mg Atorvastatin since December 2019, following insertion of a stent in my LAD. My cardiologist advised me to target reduction of LDL cholesterol to below 1.8, which I understand is the standard approach for patients with heart issues related to atherosclerosis. The statins, together with diet and exercise, have enabled me to achieve this target. Before the stent, because of family history and other risk factors, I had been taking lower dose statins since about 2002. I think it is likely that they have slowed down the progression of my atherosclerosis and, without them, I might not have become the fit and active 68 year old that I now am. I have never had any side effects from the statins and I would suggest that you give them serious consideration.
I’ve always had a statin level of under 5 but during lockdown, I was shielding; became quite sedentary (previously was an active Walker) sat a lot eating cake, and put on a stone in weight. No surprise my statin level shot up to 8. My heart consultant suggested that I go on a low carb diet, resume walking frequently and take a low statin Rosuvastatin 5mg (once daily). Within a month I was losing weight, had far more energy and no side effects from the statin. My level came back down to under 5.
Hi Norma thanks for that info , have a stone to lose too , The thing is i don't feel that i eat unhealthily , i don't eat enough veg i know that even though i love it , maybe its because there's just me i cant be bothered lol , i have 3 pints of semi milk a week 1 milk roll loaf a week , i lightly spread it !! i do a physical job cleaning at 2 schools i walk on average 20000 steps a day !! i do like a bottle of red over the weekend ! My home made curry is very low fat which i live off basically haha
Ah ha, it’s your last sentence. 😄How much rice do you eat? My consultant said only have carbs once a day and keep it brown and a very small portion. (Less than 100g). I cut out wine during the week, no more bread or cakes during the day and limit my carbs in the evening. The weight has started to come off and I feel less bloated. I’m on my own too, so I tend to buy frozen veg. I love roasted cauliflower and broccoli florets. Spray with one cal oil, salt and pepper, and sprinkle with paprika. You can also insert garlic cloves and dust with Parmesan. 25 mins in oven from frozen.
Hi Mine was on the 6.3 about 2 months ago and I started taking the Benecal little drinks 1 per day and have managed to lower mine to 4.7 in 2 months, (Hope this helps)... Ps I hate taking tablets
I changed my diet and lifestyle radically, and my cholesterol has got significantly worse, not better, because although lifestyle and diet are incredibly important, it’s not always just about those, there are other factors involved like genetics and liver health. In reading up on sterols last year ahead of asking my GP for a statin, I found information from the British Dietetic Association saying that in clinical studies, a 2.4g intake a day of plant sterols lead to a between 7 and 10% reduction of cholesterol. If your level is 6.7, then a 10% reduction isn’t going to get you under the 5 recommended, any more than it would get me back down. They also found that intake of more than 3g a day didn’t lead to any further increase in reduction, but ran the risk of soluble vitamin deficiency. This is why medics still universally plump for meds (and diet) over Benecol and other products of its ilk. I was taking a low dose of atorvastatin at the start of the year without any issues beyond a headache for the first couple of days, and there has been a really interesting study about statins versus placebos as others have mentioned.
Doctors always seems to push pills for anything, My cholesterol has always been above 5.5 and my doctor prescribe me with statins, which I never took,... Just looking at pills make me vomit, so 2 months ago I started taking the benecal and as I said on my previous message it's actually gone down to 4.7, I also use the benecal butter. ( I must be doing something right)
I was recommended statins about 5 years ago due to family history of heart disease and 10 yr Q risk. Like you I did not want to go on meds as I already get quite a lot of aches and pains in muscles and didn’t need more! Last year had a dull ache in forearm sometimes when walking,..to cut the story short it was discovered I had a narrowing in LAD. Had angioplasty and put on 40 mg statins cholesterol was 6.2 now down to 3.22 in 5 months and LDL down to 1.5 To be honest, I wish I had taken them years ago, then maybe I wouldn’t have had the problem! No noticeable side effects and I now realise that my heart will benefit from them as it will help prevent problems in the future. Once you have heart disease, then you have to do everything you can to prevent future problems! Give them a go 😊
I had a gp who refused to put me on them, she called them junk. I had a heart attack and found another gp. They don't benefit from giving you the statins, I was never high in cholesterol but I'm a stress head with a sick husband. High doses of statin did cause pain, but lower dose and lifestyle changes keep me around 3, which my cardiologist recommends for me. Take care.
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