Hello, I’ve been told my total cholesterol is 9 having risen from 6.8 over 4 yrs and my age is 57. I’ve been put on statins and referred to a lipids specialist with a phone appointment next week. There’s no family history of heart disease, was asked that question. I suffer badly with stress caused by some difficult family and work circumstances and this new problem is making things unbearable. Advised to take care with my diet but I can’t eat anything. Not sure what to do or where to turn, should I explain all this at my appointment. Advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Cholesterol and Stress Problems - British Heart Fou...
Cholesterol and Stress Problems
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Pip645
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Mine is now back to normal after being put on a statin and changing to a Mediterranean duet as frequently recommended. You need to eat as food like oats help mop up cholesterol. Oily fish, advocado and walnuts all help raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad (LDL).
How are your other numbers such as BP, BMI and HbA1c as I believe (I may be wrong here) pre diabetes can raise cholesterol
Hello, thank you for quick reply, my blood pressure was fine, no diabetes or thyroid issues, BMI good although I believe that can be deceptive, I’m about a stone and half heavier than I was 20 yrs ago. The figure I have are serum cholesterol 9, non-hdl 7.5 and triglyceride 2.8. Thank you
in reply to Pip645
Of course share all that kind of thing at your appt! Stress affects so many aspects of our health, if they don’t know what is going on they can’t see a rounded picture to be able to help you. This is the right place though to get good info to help you get back on track. Good luck!👍🏻
hello dealing with the health issue is probably the easier of the problems you are facing as the statin will help as well as diet but take it bit by bit changing diet so habit forming and you may stick at it better. Start by looking at fat intake I look at the red amber green ratings - if it’s got a red then I should not be eating it, if there is an amber I look at the saturated fat percentage and decide whether worth eating. More greens than amber and no reds! It’s just an easy way to look at what you’re currently eating - it’s a start when things feel overwhelming.
But your bigger issue is what’s causing you stress like family and work and so it’s important to look at that and how you can reduce stress. We can’t control what other people say and do but we can control how we chose to react. It is not easy by any means at all to change our response (this is not to say we will never get stressed though) and perhaps you need some counselling or support from GP?
Stress has a lot to answer for.
Good luck👍
Pip645 in reply to
Thank you for the kind response, has really helped. Maybe I’m overthinking things. I’m trying to change my diet and cut out saturated fats. I can’t cope with the thought of anymore tests and getting panicky at the thought they’ll try and push me into this at my appointment. Thank you
in reply to Pip645
How you’re feeling is totally natural, it’s a hard process to go through with tests and appointments but necessary to make sure you get the help you may need. And give you answers - a lot of stress comes from not knowing. Take care, be kind to yourself.
Lowerfield_no_more in reply to
The problem for people who have a cholesterol above about 8 for likely genetic reasons is that unfortunately lifestyle changes, diet, exercise etc just don't do enough as I found out. They help undoubtedly. With a monastic approach the best I ever got was nearly 7 and then life got in the way and it crept back up. So statins became the solution at a stroke and reduced my cholesterol down to a more acceptable level and my life and diet became less burdensome. I do recommend the lifestyle approach but it only goes so far and if you have really high cholesterol you should look to statins and other meds in the first instance to help you.
Hello 
Stress it not the cause of most things but can make them worse like if you are diabetic anxiety can help to make your sugars go a little higher
The statin will get the levels down as well as starting to look at what you eat and how much fat is in it when I started looking I thought I ate healthy but was surprised at what some foods contained
I would tell them everything at your appointment they need to know the full picture as we say as then to know the best advice to give you
Let us know how you get on x
Thank you for the advice
About 25 years ago I found out my lipid levels were about 9 like you which came as a big surprise. After a dalliance with an aggressive diet change (I was already doing most of the other 'correct' lifestyle things) I was put on statins since lifestyle changes were not enough. Since then following a mild NSTEMI heart attack about 5 years ago,my statin dose was doubled to the max which looks to achieve about 50 % lipid reduction, and I have very recently asked to trial ezetimibe which may reduce it further. Otherwise I am fine and lead a normal life, and don't get stressed about my cardio issues or any of the other stuff I have which could be life threatening 😱. Anyway by being referred to a lipid clinic you have the best that is currently on offer (and something that sadly wasn't about when I started out) and in time they will be able to sort you out with the appropriate meds for your circumstances, and perhaps establish whether you are in the group who have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) the genetic condition that leads to high lipids, and if that is the case others in your close family may be advised to take the lipid test. Hope you get sorted.
Thank you
This is such sound advice. I am in a very similar situation to Lowerfield_no_more. Even on a predominately plant based whole food diet, with plenty of exercise, we can’t prevent familial hypercholesterolaemia, but we can try to limit the damage. My mother had her first heart attack 10 years earlier than I did.
As someone who is not keen on taking medication for anything, I really appreciate the drugs that are available to us now. It’s great that you’ve been referred to a Lipid Clinic. I haven’t achieved that yet.
Good luck!
I was shocked to learn my cholesterol had gradually increased from only 4.8 to 7.2 over a 4 year period. I asked the GP ( old male) if this could have anything to do with menopause which he completely dismissed. I had always maintained a good diet and exercise so couldn't understand why the changes. I have since consulted menopause specialist and there is heaps of research connecting menopause, reduced estrogen and impact on cholesterol and heart. Its Not The only factor of course, genetics, diet, stress, exercise all have a part but hormone changes also have a place for consideration. I was stubborn about going into HRT until Learnt this , but now I understand the protective effect on my heart.
I had cholesterol of 8 when I was 40. I was about a stone overweight but still only 15 stone (I'm 6'4"). I also had slightly high blood pressure and a very stressful job. I was told I could go on statins for life or change my lifesyle. I cut out any food that was more than 10% fat. It bought my cholesterol down to 6.5 but I lost the stone without realty having to make any sacrifices in lifestyle. If we went out for a curry of have a tandoori mixed grill or a shashlik instead of butter chicken for instance. It did however reduce my blood pressure to borderline high and they said as long as I remained there at that weight I could stay off the pills. About 10 years later the cholesterol crept back to 8 so they put me on simvastatin. It dropped to 4.5 where it's been ever since. I'm still only 13 some. I have also had a pacemaker and open heart surgery to repair my mitral valve, but my coronary arteries are great😉. Don't stress, that's a killer and statins are no biggie. I've been on them for over 15 years with no problem. I think they'd put them on the water supply if they could
Pip I had a similar issue with a high cholesterol count . The statins will work given time along with healthy diet and some exercise my count dropped considerably. Best wishes.
I just wrote a long reply and then lost it somehow.
But in a nutshell, I have similar high cholesterol and eventually went to a lipid clinic after trying lifestyle adjustments, when I got to late 50s. Being a female this is when your hormones let you down-possibly HRT would have helped me by pass the cholesterol issues, I’ll never know that now.
The clinic was really friendly and interesting. I learned lots. Ask questions and find out as much as you can.
Make changes to anything in your life that needs itand can be changed-alcohol, cigarettes, poor diet choices , lacking exercise etc . These will be hugely beneficial to you in general but the statin treatment or other as is prescribed will be the game changer. I have had NO problems. I also had a vitD test at the lipid clinic. Mine was low and they advised me to take vitD .
Please let us know how you get on and what you do next.
Best wishes
It’s a shock to your system these results and take time to process.This happened to me but I am much older than you.I didn’t want to go on Statins so asked for time to adjust my diet.
My diet was already good as I have a diabetic husband and my weight ok.Nothing reduced it so I had to accept the statins.After 3 months they are now down to 4.8.
My advice would be try and loose that extra weight, it’s not much and it’s going to make a huge difference.Take your statins and when you see your consultant tell him everything.
Your GP has given you the support you need at this stage and it won’t take long for the results to kick in.
Good luck going forward you can do this.
Last year I lost 13+kg (from 83kg) and my annual lipid test at the time showed a small reduction which my GP and I attributed to the weight loss. However although I have managed to sustain the lower body weight my recent annual test showed an increase back to where it had been. So my conclusion from my experience is that losing weight does not affect lipids all that much. However there are major benefits from losing weight if you are overweight or worse obese, for all sorts of health reasons, and I strongly support any recommendation to do so. 👍
Nothing reduced my cholesterol except statins and they reduced them quickly.
Hi Pip, statins are quite impressive when it comes to lowering your cholesterol and stripping out any harmful build up in your arteries. Exercise is a good thing too although don’t overdo it if you aren’t active, just build generally starting with walking as often as possible. And diet wise just aim to be healthy, so cut back on sugary stuff, increase veg and aim for more fish and chicken than red meats. Try and cook yourself from fresh ingredients rather than buy processed ready meals etc. it’s great your high levels have been spotted and now something is being done about it. Ideally you should have a scan to see if there is any clogging up going on. I had one and then had an angiogram and a stent fitted (not as major as it sounds) as I had a one very blocked artery but you may well be treated with tablets. It seems some of us just don’t process cholesterol very well and it’s good to know if your levels are high and need addressing. Just keep pestering your doctor until you know exactly what your situation is and make small lifestyle changes to help yourself. No need to panic, you are on the right path!
Unfortunately statins do not strip out any harmful build up (of cholesterol) in arteries. What they help to do is to help stabilise what has already been laid down so that bits don't break off and cause blockages elsewhere and, in addition, reduce lipids as you have mentioned. There is no way of stripping out laid down cholesterol in arteries as far as I am aware, other than by mechanical means i.e. drilling as part of a surgical procedure.
Vitamin k2 and nattokinaise help the blood vessels
I had my annual birthday review last week the nurse said my cholesterol was 5.5 and said to me in another 5 or so years you will be on statins l then said well if l stick to a heathy diet and exercise l can hopefully keep it down she replied as you get older you will be on automatically on statins that applies to everyone it goes up as you age no matter what you do felt quite depressed is this true.
Medical issues like high cholesterol will contribute to your level of stress. Cholesterol for most people is easy to fix. Statins and modifying your diet DO work for most, and again for most statins have few side effects.
My cholesterol was 7-8 when it was measured initially. Diet helped somewhat, but 40 mg of atorvastatin made it go down to 4.8. Problem solved.
You do not have a health issue as suggested you have higher than optimal cholesterol levels and these can be easily managed with statins. I would take the statins and the GPs advice and stop being so concerned as it is an extreemly commom finding. In 6 months I reckon your numbers will be normal.
What if your LDL cholesterol is high or what they say is high but your alc is good your HDL is at 58 and your tryglycerides are a 86???id say no way to statins in that case
Hi Mate. I resisted statins and BP meds for the last 2-3 years. Trying to solve issues with fitness, some success then I’d put weight on and they’d go back up. I’ve just had surgery , part was cardio myopathy which may well have been due to the high BP.
I wish I had just took the meds when advised as it might have helped. The concerns I had about statins and BP meds were not warranted. A couple didn’t suit me that well, so we just swapped them until found a good fit.
My advice is to tell them your lifestyle etc, you know they will say get for, reduce stress etc. But take the meds regardless whilst you try and make the changes.
Cheers
Colin
Take statins, change to the Mediterranean diet, exercise properly 5 days a week, so you work up a sweat, for at least 45 minutes. The changes will be dramatic. The discomfort of being self-disciplined to follow this regime is much less than the discomfort of heart failure and the medical consequences that follow.
You may have done so already, but I found it useful to have the things I specifically wanted my GP to cover in the call written down. I also had my wife with me on the call so we could discuss it afterwards.
I wanted them to cover the main areas to manage my cholesterol levels which others have covered, exercise, diet (Mediterranean), stress (menopause if relevant) and statins. Given your situation you may also want to discuss stress in more depth as it can affect cholesterol levels.
After being put on statins I would also want to know how long it was before I had another cholesterol test to see how well they were working and to adjust the dosage if needed.
Also don't be afraid to go back to your GP with follow up questions if anything is unclear as it can be a lot to take in.
On a personal note I found that statins were very effective at bringing my cholesterol levels within normal range as diet, exercise and reducing stress were not sufficient for me.
Good luck with the call with the lipids specialist next week and let us know if you have any further things we can help with.
Thank you, some really helpful advice, I’ll write down some of the things I want to say. Not a fan of telephone appointments, just hope I get listened to rather than talked down to, find it odd that when you explain there’s no family history of heart disease going back three generations nobody listens or tries to identify other possible cholesterol triggers. Stress is so bad today I can feel tingling in my fingers and I can’t eat anything, I need to ask if this can make cholesterol levels worse. Thanks again, everyone is so kind and supportive here and I know my issue must seem minor compared to the difficulties many others are facing.
To update following appointment, consultant doesn’t believe a genetic cause for sharp increase in cholesterol in last 4 yrs. Theory is stress induced with related poor diet, weight gain, menopause, having to work from home during covid times. Strict dietary changes over last few weeks have already dropped half a stone, need find find ways to manage stress and increase exercise during working week. He was actually slightly annoyed that I’d already been given statins because it makes it harder to monitor effects of lifestyle changes. Further cholesterol checks in a few weeks and see where we go from there. Feel a bit more positive about things, thank you for all the advice
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