Statin alternative

[bagsypartime]

like most people I don't like statins, but I do take them. (80 for two years).My main moan is that you are on them for life- not just two years or five years, and the main stat I've seen against them is that they drive you to diabetes sooner.They don't give me any symptoms, and that makes the doctors say, there you go perfect; but I don't like them.

When you have a heart bypass they phone you up every year and ask questions like do you have any chest pain etc.Mine was two years ago, and the person (caller) asking the questions is usually a registrar which I think is some kind of assistant.The most irritating thing is that no matter what you say about meds the NHS guidelines must be adhered to and are the same for everybody .My opinion is my meds are mostly unnecessary -my resting heart rate is 52 so the tablet I take to lower it is nonsense, my blood pressure is 'perfect' so ditto the tablet for that.Admittedly my cholesterol is higher than it should be, but not outrageous, and my sugar is poor putting me close to pre diabetes.

So this time when I get the phone call it's the actual boss speaking not one of the minions and he's going on about me going on about statins for some reason.They're really okay he says, and you don't have any adverse symptoms.I'm not really sure what I've said or why he's phoned me.He asks other stuff and I tell him I'm fit, never have angina (my original symptom) do lots of exercise including breathing exercises.I'm expecting a bit of credit for the breathing exercises but he claims he's not familiar with any benefits.Then suddenly he drops a bombshell; I'm going to put you on another med benzopedic acid (I've probably spelt it wrong).He says. this will reduce your cholesterol.

He was right.This stuffs like a miracle cure.My cholesterol fell off a cliff.So my point is my statin (Atvastatin) 80 for two years, result not a dent, this other stuff for a few weeks and it fell through the floor.

Why he phoned me up?I have no idea who I'd wound up but if I'd known they were holding out on the good stuff that actually works I'd have asked to be on it sooner.

I still have to take the statin.My recollection is that he said if it worked I could come off statins but his follow up letter states the opposite and the practice pharmacist told me my recollection is wrong, so I'm not pushing that point because I want to keep these new tablets.I think I was given them by mistake or some kind of mix up, but they do work.

[Lowerfield_no_more]

It's good to hear that you have found medication, that has improved your lipid profile and consequently reduced your heart health risk. However my take on your post offers a different perspective. I take prescribed medication because I view it as essential for my wellbeing. So although I don't like taking any medication, even including pain killers when necessary, I understand why I need to take it and accept that. As far as statins are concerned I have been taking them for over 25 years and am not diabetic, although I accept that there is, apparently, some evidence that it can push some people into pre-diabetes or further. Nor have statins affected my cognitive ability which is another concern people have flagged up on here, nor any other side effects. But what statins have done for me is to halve my total cholesterol count from above 9 and improve my lipid profile. I also have evidence that my blocked arteries, likely caused before I started on statins, have not deteriorated further. And so I take the view that without statins I probably wouldn't be here. Anyway whilst statins do come with side effects for a minority, which seems to give them a bad name likely because they are so widely precribed, so do most forms of medication, including bempedoic acid, which can, apparently induce anaemia and gout as common side affects. But if any medication works for us and does the job intended and doesn't cause us side effects that affects our quality of life thats got to be a good thing, hasn't it?

[bagsypartime in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Thanks- very balanced view.I'm a bad patient and sometimes feel sorry for the doctors.It must be disheartening for them to continually have these same debates with all of us- one even put in my notes about me reading something on the internet -.

[SkyBluePInk47 in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Just for interest sake … One well-respected scientist did a test and published it recently and it showed that oreo cookies will reduce ldl cholesterol!

I personally would throw the statin away if my doctor tried to force it on me or get another good private cardiologist’s opinion. I can see why you are frustrated!

A cardiologist’s nurse tried to get me on a statin and I politely said I didn’t want to take one and she looked like she was absolutely shocked. I told her about the very large, 10 year Denmark study on LDL. I believe the study was just involving women? They found that women my age (60’s) who had lower LDL rather than slightly higher LDL (than the current one that doctors use) had more strokes.

Since that nurse tried to get me on a statin, I have talked to 3 other doctors who all agree with me that I do not need a statin. One is a regular doctor, another is an EP specialist and another is a well known Functional Medicine Doctor.

I hope you get what you choose because you should have the final say in your own health decisions, after detailed mutual discussions.

[maple34]

On a general note nobody has to take anything if they don't want to. It should be a partnership between the patient and medical professionals, and working on the assumption they're not trying to do us in or have financial incentives to prescribe certain drugs, you have to assume they have our best interests in mind.

My cardiologist has noted that he sees the best outcomes from the people who take the statins and other medication, but said its completely up to me if I want to or not.

[JAVA12]

Hi there, I think you must have spelled the word wrong as I can’t find it on a search engine. Would you mind giving the correct spelling so I can research it please? Thank you.

[JAVA12]

Actually just seen in the reply from Lowerfield no more that it’s bempedoic acid.

[DWizza]

I feel your frustration Bagsy and I’m pleased you’ve got a result one way or another. I also feel frustrated with my cocktail of meds , resting heart hate in mid 40s, blood pressure 112/77.. lipids spot on , ejection fraction 55/60% normal. Running and swimming and physical work round our small holding.. I am always asking myself should I keep taking the meds , should I stop bisoprolol 1.25mg , my consultant said I could give it a go , I question the efficacy of my half a 1.25mg tablet of ramipril .. does it make any difference ? I changed my statin from 80mg artovastatin, had a few symptoms that were not pleasant and on a trial stop for 2 months I felt fantastic, symptoms cleared up. Tried 40mg pravastatin and the symptoms returned within a week. Settled on 10mg Rosuvastatin. I find I’m in a constant internal chat about my health and meds. My stats say all is well , my mind says I may be better off not incurring potential long term issues from the meds .. diabetes etc . However , I feel that I’m doing bloody well and when you see the likes of Lowerfield and others doing well on their meds after 25 years I think I’ll carry on taking them. I won’t stop trying to learn about my health situation and take responsibility for what meds i’m putting into my body though. I am not afraid to challenge medics at all. Sometimes they use fluffy language , my GP admits that she’s not an expert in cardiac matters which is refreshing and we can have a sensible conversation. Keep doing you 👍🏻

[maple34 in reply to DWizza]

Lots of great information there. One thing I want to pick up on, your GP saying she's not an expert. That is refreshing. Maybe GPs think that patients expect them to know everything, and probably some do expect that, but its unrealistic.

Next time I might open with 'I don't expect you to know everything about everything but do you have an opinion on.....'

I know an IT tutor who when he started he was nervous of being asked a question he didn't know. With experience came the knowledge that he doesn't and cannot know everything. Now he welcomes questions he doesn't know so he can find out and learn something.

[DWizza in reply to maple34]

She is my go to GP, is waiting a couple of weeks extra to get an appointment with her. The other go to is my pharmacist, very supportive in helping me with the statins, she was adamant that I needed to change the Pravastatin and wrote to my GP to get me a timely appointment.. the trial stoppage was 2 months purely because I couldn’t get an appointment! The online triage process … nightmare..

[Flighyboy in reply to DWizza]

Thank you for the Atorvastatin info as I am having the same problems with the 80mg and now I’ve been put on 40mg and am sure the problems will come back.

[DWizza in reply to Flighyboy]

Let’s see how it goes 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[Mitchum]

I choose not to take statins so I don't, even though recommended. It's common practice to prescribe almost anyone over a certain age (also a financial incentive).

[Lizty in reply to Mitchum]

Mother on statins since stroke at 70. Still on statins and bp tablets and a lively 100 years in July....hopefully!

[pigeonCl-HU in reply to Lizty]

Hi Lizty, very encouraging little story about your mum: 30 yrs on from a stroke, on statins and bp meds and doing great, she must be doing something right🙂!

Roll-on July, and Happy Birthday to your mum.

pigeon

[Barre01]

I feel fortunate that I have treatments available, including statins, to keep me going that simply weren’t available some years ago.

[JennyRx]

your metrics like resting heart rate and blood pressure are good because you’re taking appropriate meds. Bempedoic acid is given when statins don’t work alone. It’s not the ‘good stuff’. The prescribing of it seems to indicate that statins weren’t working fully for you. However statins is always the starting point, and are very effective for the majority of patients

[bagsypartime in reply to JennyRx]

That's exactly what my doctors say: You are healthy because you take your meds.

I never had any side effects from statins, except that my cholesterol was always above what it should be.I would have been open to trying different statins if I had had joint/muscle pain etc.

The consulant said that this bempedic acid had a different mechanism- he actually told me my numbers would go down.How would he know that?

I agree that they can't be expected to debate or explain every point just because I've read something, but at the same time when I do go into trusting soul mode it turns out they only give me something that they could have given me from the start when I've inadvertently tripped some kind of fuse.

I think my point in posting was if your numbers are still high while on statins maybe this bemopedic stuff could be asked about.Assuming it's not expensive of course.If it is probably best sticking where you are.

[L8Again in reply to bagsypartime]

heartuk.org.uk/getting-trea...

All drugs have side effects. Note the reference to a possible increase in Uric Acid and Gout.

[JennyRx]

Bempedoic acid is considerably more expensive than statins, hence not first line of use. Ezetimibe tends to be added into the mix by most lipidologists rather than Bempedoic acid but each specialist to his/her own favourites. It is almost certainly guaranteed to bring down LDL hence his assertion that it will work for you. But due to both expense and the possibility of side effects like gout it’s kept till statins are found not to work on their own. Statins are cheap and effective for most patients and the side effects are limited to a minority.

[maggy12]

Hi My husband has Angina and took Simvastatin 40mg for several years but then the practice nurse took upon herself to double his dose to 80mg, within weeks he seem year older, his bones ache so much, he is 78 and was a very active man for his age. but now he is in so much pain, we spoke to a hospital consultant he was visiting with a skin lesion, and asked for his advise he said it was the Simvastin causing his pain and to speak to his GP and ask to be changed to Atorvastin. But I am having difficulty get him to the GP (Men being Men), he also has pre diabetis, please can anyone give me advice, its heart breaking for me to see him like this. Mag

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to maggy12]

I would tell him that you have no sympathy for him and his aches and pains, and don't want to hear any more about it until he has spoken to the GP. Otherwise the official advice on Simvastatin 80mg is below

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/s...

and you will see this in the text

Prescribers treating patients who are taking simvastatin 80 mg or who are being considered for an up-titration to that dose may need to review their treatment during their next visit, to take into account the new evidence.

Patients who are currently taking simvastatin 80 mg should not stop taking their medicine. However, they should be advised to contact their doctor immediately if they experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness.

[Mitchum in reply to maggy12]

I was on Simvastatin, then Atorvastatin (cheaper), then Rosuvastatin and had aching limbs all the time. I stopped taking them after much research into the efficacy and gain of taking them and decided to stop. And I did! Pains have gone.

[maggy12]

Thank you all for your kind remarks, I have read them to John and he has agreed to contact the GP xx

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to maggy12]

Good for him (and you 👍).

[Goonerboy6661]

Totally get your frustration—this post really highlights how broken the system can feel sometimes. There’s so much more to heart disease than just chasing LDL down with statins, but that’s still the hammer they use for every nail.

The idea that statins are the only option—for life—with zero consideration for your current health, fitness, metabolic markers, or side effect risk just isn’t how personalised medicine should work.

You’re spot on to mention diabetes risk too. High-dose statins (like Atorvastatin 80mg) do have a well-documented link to increased blood sugar and new-onset diabetes, especially in people already close to prediabetes. That alone should prompt a more balanced discussion—not a blanket “they’re fine” dismissal.

And the bit where the consultant wasn’t aware of the benefits of breathing exercises? That’s just lazy. There’s solid evidence that controlled breathing, vagal stimulation, and exercise all improve HRV, reduce stress, and support cardiovascular function. You’re doing things that support whole system healing, not just trying to hit a number on a blood test.

Now here’s the kicker—you finally get a medication (bempedoic acid, by the way—you were nearly spot on!) that actually works, and instead of asking what else could be individualised in your care, they double down on the same old script: stay on the statin, stick to guidelines, move along.

It’s like you said—they’re obsessed with protocols, not people.

Massive respect for how proactive you’ve been. I hope more of us keep pushing for a model that sees cholesterol as one piece of a much bigger picture—including inflammation, metabolic health, fitness, recovery, and quality of life. You’re living proof that we need a more intelligent approach.

[bagsypartime in reply to Goonerboy6661]

That was positive!

Jenny x said earlier

Bempedoic acid is considerably more expensive than statins, hence not first line of use. Ezetimibe tends to be added into the mix by most lipidologists rather than Bempedoic acid but each specialist to his/her own favourites. It is almost certainly guaranteed to bring down LDL hence his assertion that it will work for you. But due to both expense and the possibility of side effects like gout it’s kept till statins are found not to work on their own. Statins are cheap and effective for most patients and the side effects are limited to a minority.

The tablets I have, have some other stuff in as well, a mixture.

I was surprised the consultant didn't know about breathing, possibly he just didn't want to get into a discussion that was not on point, his comment was that there are lots of different alternative cures out there and he wasn't abreast of all of them.That was when I had mentioned Butecko a Russian sixties heart doctor (later asthma ) who theorised that we should breath less and have more co2 tolerance, and also something called the pap worth method which was similarly to do with breathing. I was surprised, bearing in mind his line of work, that he had never heard of them.

But my treatment has been very good, and I think what Jenny said explains things.

[Petercat1]

It has now been reported that statins can help ward off dementia!