Hi, despite being a fit and 'healthy' 63 year old who, as a qualified Mountain Leader still takes people out on challenging high level walks, having a good diet and all I am having to take medication for High BP & Cholesterol (Ramipril, Amplodipine and Atorvastatin)
I can see there are lots of natural products on the market that I would prefer to take as an alternative but don't want to fall into the trap of spending money on 'snake oil' unnecessarily.
I joined to see if anyone else is using natural supplements that really do make a difference they would recommend, if so I can speak to my GP before I try any alternatives.
As a lifelong diabetic they are keen to get you on a statin and BP medication once you hit middle age. I was reluctant at first so tried a few things before I gave in.
Benecol; This seems able to lower cholesterol by up to 17%. There are claims of up to 50% but usually these people have made other lifestyles changes like dropping the regular McD's, Greggs, takeaways, binge drinking, etc. so are not relevant. I found it made a difference but by only a few decimal points. So as you are active and eat (I assume) a healthy diet (BHF recommend a Mediterranean diet) of limited benefit.
Garlic: A friend who I have lost contact with suggested garlic tablets for both cholesterol and BP. I found it had no effect on cholesterol and that my BP went up a few points. So a NO from me.
CoQ10: I was recommended this wen I got muscle pain from Simvastatin. It was very expensive and made zero difference! A change to Atorvastatin solved the problem.
I now take just two supplements, Vitamin D and Vitamin C. The Vitamoin D was prescribed after a blood test showed very low levels - as a wheelchair user I get limited exposure to sunlight. I sometimes take Vitamin C if I feel my diet is lacking it as it helps stop irritation of the blood vessels (think scurvy in old time sailors) often a precursor to plaque formation.
AS regards statins besides lowering cholesterol they have other benefits:
i) stabilise any existing plaque
ii) reduce irritation often a precursor to plaque formation
iii) may reduce gum disease
One I would warn you about is RYRE (Red Yeast Rice Extract)where the active ingredient that lowers cholesterol is the same as that in Rouvastatin. However, you will be getting an uncontrolled dose and depending on where it comes from other things you do not really want.
Hi Michael, many thanks for getting back. I had similar issues with Simvastatin and switched to Atorvastatin. I was diagnosed with FHC, bad genes, I make the bad stuff. I tried, with the agreement of my GP to come off the statins for a month and try Plant Sterols, after a month my levels were the same, no increase or decrease, I thought about trialling them for longer, but they aren't cheap and being on them for a lifetime would cost a fortune... looking at all your points I give benecol a try, maybe give my bacon buttys a miss every now and then.... All the best
My gum problems seem to have been associated with taking a CCB for hypertension and much improved after I came off it. I also take Atorvastatin and have done for years so I don't think that made any difference although, as an anti-inflammatory, I can understand the rationale.
What type of gum problems do you have, if I may ask? I have periodontitis and attend a Dental hospital fairly regularly, there has been a measured reduction in the amount of infection and bacterial pocketing since I have been on Atorvastatin. Strangely though, most people in the profession who I mention it to do not seem very aware of the link between Gum disease and Heart disease, which seems rather odd to me.
I had the usual problems with bleeding swollen gums and also had periodontal treatment. My dentist had mentioned that the CCB might be a possible factor and this was confirmed when I had my periodontal treatment. I subsequently talked to my GP and he too recognised that gum disease might be a side effect of the CCB and readilly agreed to switch me to other medication.
OK I presume you mean calcium channel blockers? If so I also presume this is a fairly recent thing rather than life long. Some medications can cause gum problems so probably unrelated problems here.
Yes the actual tablet was Lercanidipine. I was prescribed it in my late 40s. I had never had gum problems before but I did throughout the very long time I was taking it. My gums became much better when I stopped although the extensive periodontal treatment was undoubtedly a factor also. My point was that I don't think the statin helped nor indeed the Candesartan, also an anti-inflammatory, I was taking at the same time helped.
It makes no difference whether you believe you are fit and healthy, if you are genetically programmed to have what is currently considered to be a poor cholesterol profile, you will have one, and although lifestyle measures and supplements might make a small difference, the best way of acquiring a better cholesterol profile in my opinion is medication. I was diagnosed with a very high cholesterol count over 25 years ago, was fit ate the right foods etc etc, but it was likely genetic and in spite of trying to modify by lifestyle changes it made a small difference for a while but then crept back up again when life got in the way, so I started statins and that made a noticeable improvement. And that's the problem lifestyle measures are for life and if you relax it goes back up again. Anyway, in addition to being reasonably careful about 'lifestyle' without going overboard I take now take max dose statins (upped after my NSTEMI) and recently added ezetimibe which has further helped since it works in a different way and so from a total of 9+ my cholesterol is now below 4 which I am happy with. As for stanols and sterols, these are really intended for people who are 'normal' in my view, and apart from being expensive apparently only reduce cholesterol by up to 12.5% ( see below), which is much less than the minimum dose of a statin. But if you have side effects from statins, there is other medication out there to manage your cholesterol , and that is something your GP should be working with you to help you.
I friend of mine changed to benecol and said at the time that it brought his chol level down. My view is that benecol is an ultra processed food, so off the menu for me.
If you maintain a good diet with no or very few UPF’s and clearly your lifestyle doesn’t need a tweak, adding supplements might not make a difference - I’d need to see a proper study done before I’d buy any, myself.
Stick with the medication and don't waste your money, or risk you future health, high BP and cholesterol are a recipe for disaster. Don't risk any future problems on - - - as you have said, snake oil.
If the problem is familial high cholesterol then I was told that if I was to eat nothing more than just plates of lettuce it would make no difference whatsoever to my cholesterol levels. Statins are by far and away the best treatment.
It is worth Googling ‘QRisk3’. There is an online calculator that you can use to assess your future stroke risk.
if you are predisposed to cholesterol build up it doesn’t matter how fit you are, it still happens and statins will keep your levels down and stop your arteries blocking. Plant sterols might help but if you stop your statins you are playing a dangerous game swapping a drug that works for one that might not! Diet and exercise helps though. I have a friend who had very high levels and became vegan which has reduced his cholesterol intake hugely
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
high cholesterol 
High blood pressure
Ezetimibe & High ApoB & Cholesterol
Blood pressure shenanigans
High blood pressure query.
