cholesterol

[Devaprinters]

can I get home testing cholesterol kit on NHS any suggestions would be greatly appreciate. As I can’t afford to buy one.

[Blearyeyed]

You don't need a home testing kit in the NHS , you can request a fasting Total Cholesterol blood test from the GP instead , which is more reliable and accurate than a home testing finger prick kit.If you are found to have a cholesterol issue , which you can see from requesting a copy of the results of your most recent cholesterol test from the GP , you can choose to try to reduce it using natural means before beginning statins ( unless statins are highly recommended for you as a preventative medication ).

You can be tested at your NHS surgery after three months to see how things are progressing after making diet and lifestyle changes.

If your cholesterol figures are not improving, again you can choose to continue to try diet management or begin a trial of steroids.

If your Cholesterol is within range and you have a chronic health condition , particularly cardiac or diabetes issues , even if you are on statins , you should be retested every 6-12 months , again with a surgery blood test.

These tests are all free and more accurate than finger prick tests, although some surgeries will do finger prick tests in certain circumstances in a surgery setting they will still usually recommend that a serum cholesterol test is done as well.

[Devaprinters in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you so much, really appreciate it.

[K9dog in reply to Devaprinters]

It is policy in NHS Lothians not to test cholesterol levels unless you are already on statins which of course begs the question as to how would they know if they should be offering that patient statins. I wonder if the BHF is aware of this policy? I do hope you get sorted Devaprinters. Finger pricking test kits outside the NHS are indeed expensive.

[Maisywhippet in reply to Blearyeyed]

I was put on statins 4 years ago and have to push for a test every year as the general belief of doctors now is that you don’t need a retest if you’re on statins! This is ridiculous in my opinion as we need to know that they and the particular dose are working correctly…guess the whole system has changed since the happenings of 2020🙄

[Blearyeyed in reply to Maisywhippet]

Yes some doctors are resistant to doing monitoring to save cash and need a polite but firm reminder!

[Maxbar in reply to Maisywhippet]

totally agree with what you are saying I have come across the same problem ,you would think they would give you extra testing to keep monitoring and to help your mental state ,🙏

[Devaprinters in reply to Maisywhippet]

Appreciate your response thank you

[Elsabounre in reply to Blearyeyed]

My GP suggested Red Rice yeast extract for high Cholesterol...she is not a fan of prescribing statins..and many have had success using this..I ordered some and should receive in a few days.

[Devaprinters in reply to Elsabounre]

Thank you I will do some research on this

[Blearyeyed in reply to Elsabounre]

Unfortunately, doctors often make the same mistakes as people can do and assume that just because supplements are made of organic or natural ingredients that they can't do any harm and often suggest them without doing their research.I'm not against natural alternatives , I use certain nutrient supplements myself, but they need to be viewed right .

Supplements are still medications and have equal issues and side effects to prescribed drugs if taken daily or in high doses but often without the same efficacy or health standards checks.

This is particularly true when discussing things like Red Rice Yeast and many cholesterol lowering supplements.

Most cholesterol lowering supplements interact with anticoagulant medications commonly taken for various heart problems and increase the bleeding factor in a way that prescribed Statins don't.

Red Rice Yeast can also interact with amlopidine and some beta blockers causing a build up of the prescribed drug in the body or reducing the absorption of certain drugs because they are metabolised by the same pathway in the liver.

It can also cause hypoglycemia in patients with low blood sugars or people with medicated versions of diabetes. Obviously, it can't be used at the same time as statins or statin alternatives like Ezetimibe.

Red Rice Yeast contains significant amounts of Monacolin K , which can cause virtually identical side effects to prescribed Statins including bloating , stomach issues , dizziness and headaches and the muscle and Joint issue that people can sometimes suffer on statins. It also depletes Coenzyme Q10 and can cause liver damage at the doses required as a natural statin.

So , just like any prescribed medication you can see it needs to be taken with care, avoided with certain medication for the heart , if you are already on a statin you need to have a break between using them before beginning Red Rice Yeast, and it can cause exactly the same side effects as statins.

Take care , Bee

[Elsabounre in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you for your research..as you can imagine I did my own as well...since I do not take many of the medications you mentioned and did check with the Doc as well as my own research for compatibility it may work for some.

[Come2jesus]

I bought a finger test kit soon after having my heart attack but I have leaned a lot since then. The test kit only tells total cholesterol where by you need to know your HDL, LDL , and vdLDL which you get from a full fasting blood panel. Saying that when I did my first test 4 weeks ago my result from my test kit was off the scale I have cut out sugar processed food pastry drink lemon juice( fresh) every morning and my result has come down to below recommended I am just waiting to get my three month check to see how it has come down.

[Devaprinters in reply to Come2jesus]

Thank you v much for your input, much appreciated thank you

[Lowerfield_no_more]

You asked more or less the same question on here about two weeks ago, and received a variety of answers. What's changed?

healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

[Devaprinters in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Initially I first contacted my GP regarding having body pains and cramps at the time I was on atorvastatin medication.

He changed my medication without doing anything blood tests and now changed it to Rosuvstain. I don’t any means in checking my cholesterol levels.

After talking this medication I am still experiencing body pains and don’t know what to do. This is why I am my request for any assistance.

Regards

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to Devaprinters]

As you were advised in answers to your previous post your GP should be arranging for any lipid testing . There is no need for you to do it. And testing has nothing to do with side effects. So if you are still experiencing pains and cramps possibly linked to statins , even though you have changed from one to another, you should return to your GP and discuss this with him/her. It is possible that you are statin intolerant, in which case there is alternative cholesterol management medication available, or even stopping medication dependant upon your lipid profile, but that is a discussion between you and your GP.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Devaprinters]

It can take 6-8 weeks before your body adjusts to the chemical change from a medication and you can have more obvious side effects during that time.Those side effects can become mild or go entirely after your body has adjusted.

It might be worthwhile giving yourself chance to get used to the new statin unless you are having severe side effects or intolerances.

Are you also keeping active, modifying your diet and staying well hydrated?

This can make a big difference to the chance and type of side effects you get with any medication you might need to take.

If you GP still hasn't done the test you can politely but firmly point out that checking your Serum Cholesterol is something that they are recommended to do before giving statins and three months after each new statin is trialled in order to get the dose correct for the patient and ensure it's success.