blood test result

[Radars]

just received my blood test result, I am 24.38% to have a heart attack or stroke with cardiovascular risk. they have offered me a statin is it worth it at 75,I have been on atorvastatin before had to reduce to a lower dose due to side effects, any help please.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Hello radars, here’s a bit of reading for you about cholesterol.

I don’t know anything about % level of likelihood of having a heart attack or a stroke but do you know what your Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides levels are? Triglycerides are very important too.

One of the problems I’ve found with cholesterol test results is that they seem to be moving the goalposts and wanting your results to be lower and lower so what was ok years ago is no longer considered to be ok.

I tried statins many years ago and they affected my muscles to the extent I could barely walk - and up until then I used to walk miles, they also made me feel very depressed and at that point I had absolutely no knowledge of them so I wasn’t influenced by what I hear now.

In the end I saw my doctor and stopped - I was taking simvastatin and the doctor said they could give me a ‘better one’, I took that to mean a more expensive one but after doing a lot of research I declined the offer. She suggested I take some of those cholesterol reducing drinks, yoghurts and spread - Benecol or Flora Pro Active which I did for a while. I don’t know if you can eat porridge but I understand that is good for cholesterol

collegeofmedicine.org.uk/a-...

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

Have a look at the video by this guy - he is a heart specialist youtube.com/watch?v=x3BzgZqFuZ(Not working as expected?)

And this - I haven’t looked or listened to it but the Zoe project is very popular at the moment. It’s expensive but I have a feeling you might not have to join to listen to their podcasts

zoe.com/learn/podcast-foods...

[Met00]

That's still a 75% chance that you won't have a heart attack or stroke.

[Adlon57]

In 2016 I was put on Statins, due to high cholesterol, but due to various side effects of statins I was taking ten different pills altogether, walking around like zombie, took myself off them after two weeks, most of side effects 'mysteriously' disappeared! I had epileptic medication, and lisinopril HBP, three👍

Eventually put on metformin and diagnosed with diabetes 2 in March 2020, I lost two and half stone, on Jardiance now, blood sugar level 66, cholesterol [what cholesterol🤫] my trouble is Jardiance makes me a BIT too regular at present🙄 How I got here is a bit more colourful, lucky in one respect my heart is my strongest organ of my body at present🤞 having suspected PC did not help proceedings, but loosing weight was my most important factor, exercise bike out of cold storage, and all the rubbish about diets pushed down my throat, just by pure determination, watching my bodies reactions to various foods🤔, I was a qualified cook [ok 40 years ago🙄] I formed my own diets, keeping an open mind, I am retired and live on my own, I began to enjoy my food again, even able to 😝some so called experts👍 I am terminally ill, irreparable brain damage [double seizure] but at least I can enjoy in some parts, my food for the rest of my existence!

[Radars in reply to Adlon57]

sorry to hear about your health problems, I will just take 10mgs of atorvastatin to see how I go on.

[Adlon57 in reply to Radars]

Good luck👍

With my experience with statin, I will stay well away from them.

[Knip in reply to Adlon57]

I am really sorry to hear that you are ill, but I admire the way that you are concentrating on the positives....for example the foods that you can enjoy and keeping a sense of humour judging by the 'smileys' you have added at relevant points. Well done you. I hope that you have family nearby or some friends and neighbours who keep you company. Take care Adlon, God Bless, Knip.

[Adlon57 in reply to Knip]

I like my black sense of humour, it keeps me going👍thanks Knip👌

[Scandi123]

Hello - I’ve seen advertised some “natural” statin supplements which apparently are “clinically proven to work”. Might be worth a try? I presume there would be less side effects but you’d need to read up what they said, just to be sure…

[Mavary]

Hi. Statins will help protect your arteries. I was given them after I had papitations one night my heart was going at 130 beats a minute fore several hours. Im 79 so of course it’s worth it if you want to live a bit longer. Just make sure they know about the Atorvastatin first. It may just be that the drug didn’t suit you and there others they can give you.

[Radars in reply to Mavary]

thanks, I had atorvastatin a while ago 10mgs because the higher dose not good I will try 10mgs again see how I go, I recently had a ecg and chest x-ray I was ok,but I still get ectopic beats and like a shuddering sensation, so 10mgs atorvastatin might help,also I have been reading that statins are ok for prostate cancer my testosterone has never recovered since finishing treatment in 2016,and that is why I have now been dx with severe osteoporosis, also been reading statins ar ok for osteoporosis, I have also had a zoledronic acid infusion 6mths ago don't know if it is doing any good, my prostate cancer is under control, last psa test 0.04 so ok.dont like this getting old lark.

[Mavary in reply to Radars]

I would recommend you take what your Dr prescribed for you. If that’s wrong you must tell them so they can alter a dosage or change the medication.

[Radars in reply to Mavary]

just been down to surgery to pick prescription up,but I refused it because it was for 20mg atorvastatin and not 10mgs what I wanted, I have got a appointment with gp on Friday so will sort it out then

[CallMeSunny]

You will need to see your GP again before you can take Atorvastin……please don’t use tablets not used from when you had them before!

[Radars in reply to CallMeSunny]

yeah, I have a face to face appointment on Friday, will also ask if I am absorbing calcium, I take a ppi 20mg in the morning it's not good for absorbing calcium, a blood test is not accurate.

[Southerngirl2787]

I could explain why statins are a mistake, but you'll believe a doctor more I think. Here's a cardiologist to tell you the truth:

Stay off My Operating Table: A Heart Surgeon’s Metabolic Health Guide to Lose Weight, Prevent Disease, and Feel Your Best Every Day

by Philip Ovadia (Author)

OH, ask your doctor for the random, double-blind, controlled clinical studies showing the true benefits to women for taking statins. Then ask for the studies showing that women need total cholesterol over 200 in order to reduce all cause mortality. Ask the doc which group from clinical studies does benefit from a statin, but only by 5%, hint, it's not women.

[Radars in reply to Southerngirl2787]

I am not a woman, statins have saved lives.

[Southerngirl2787 in reply to Radars]

Men yes, who have previously had a heart attack, it's thought to reduce inflammation in that group...which is a 5% actual rate, not what they publish. My brother takes them, as he has had 2 heart attacks.

[Radars in reply to Southerngirl2787]

at 24.38% don't you think I need a statin,plus low dose astrovastatin 10mgs is ok for severe osteoporosis, but not high dose.

[Southerngirl2787 in reply to Radars]

I won't opinion on the 24.38% "risk", as I do not know how they come up with this amount. Did they give you the formulas to explain the rationale? I don't have a clue what your lipid numbers are running. Most docs look at LDL as the arch enemy, it's not necessarily the driver of ruin in your arteries. Arterial damage is repaired in part by LDL, it just gets stuck there, yet another mistake made in early studies. Total cholesterol shows little risk overall, but the medical profession keeps lowering the "top" number and this is not good. Not good that they only attack LDL, but that's the only thing that statins lower. Many studies show that folks with normal cholesterol have heart attacks, some current studies show the need to have total at about 200, as every cell in your body must have cholesterol. HDL is vital to overall health, for men it needs to be 40>...you get it higher by exercising aerobically for hours a day, or consuming good healthy animal/saturated fats. No, saturated fats do not clog arteries, that was a lie made up by Ansel Keys back in the 1960s. Another great book, The Great Cholesterol Con by Malcolm Kendrick MD. Triglycerides are very important, they go up when you consume too much sugars, grains, starches, in combo with fat. Fat alone does not cause Fatty Liver. LDL is not cholesterol, it's actually a lipoprotein, a little boat that carries cholesterol to every cell that needs it, so it's out and about in the body. When LDL goes high, you must look at A1C, a measure of average 3 months blood glucose, and you need a fasting insulin as well. Only with these three labs can you get an idea if your LDL being high is a problem. If A1C and fasting insulin are high, and your LDL is high, then you likely have insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome, which increases inflammation in your body, can lead to diabetes, which is a heart attack problem. Food wise, the biggest risk to your arteries is from seed oils, which is in nearly all processed foods. Soybean, canola, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, margarines, crisco, etc. These are not veggie oils, they are seeds. Real risk ratios: Trigs divided over HDL, if it's less than 1.5, your insulin is very good and you are likely not insulin resistant. LDL is only a problem in the presence of insulin resistance. Another real risk ratio: TC divided over HDL needs to be below 4. This is a complex process, there are some good docs out there explaining the real information. I highly recommend Ken D Berry MD, he has a great book, and great You Tube education sessions, they are short and to the point.

[Radars in reply to Southerngirl2787]

a bit complicated, soybeans and seeds are good I drink a lot of alpro dairy free milk and yogurt dairy free for my prostate cancer and osteoporosis.

[DeannaAlphi]

Hi Radars. Did you have the standard blood test or the one which gives you the breakdown of HDL , LDL and trigs? Every time I have the standard test the doc wants me to take statins. I ask for the breakdown of good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and "trigs" which requires a different blood test. Hey Presto! I do not need statins.

My doc asked me recently what did I do to reduce my score so much in a week? I did nothing differently. I know my diet is pretty healthy according to knowledge available to us. My HDL the good cholesterol was high...which is good, but it put the overall average score of the first test in the high range. Simple maths.

Once you know the the breakdown, it is easy to look up how to reduce the scores without statins. Although my overall score showed healthy, I noticed from my research that my "trigs" were higher than recommended levels and so I took control of my sweet tooth. Nothing drastic, just cut down on sugary junk food treats.

The first time the doc prescribed statins I did take them for a month, I was in my early 30's and never dreamed of questioning a doc's advice. The surgery contacted me asking why I had not renewed my prescription. I had not understood that I was expected to take them for the rest of my life. In those days I was a fitness fanatic. It was another doctor in my surgery who suggested I have a different type of blood test. Had it not been for her, I would never have known about it.

Now I know that doctors have to follow guidelines. Sadly I believe that some of these guidelines favour the pockets of the drug companies. Maybe that is why so many doctors make you tube videos....they can share their knowledge, expertise and advice there..whereas they have to stick to rules in the surgery.

Anyway, good for you for wanting to make an informed decision. Wish you well. Di Do xx

[Radars in reply to DeannaAlphi]

as far as I know it was full blood count, I received a text saying my qrisk is 24.38/% cholesterol is just 1 risk factor for heart attack or stroke and that I may benefit a statin atorvastatin

[DeannaAlphi]

If you ask for the breakdown of good, bad and trigs, they will take a different blood test. You can then make an informed decision. You could have a conversation about the result plus use the internet to find out how to reduce the components if you need to. You may get a different score like I did. My doctor said that she would want to know if it were her. We have a choice and the right to know and understand. Statins are not magic potions. They may lower scores but at what cost? I have read that they lower the level of co q10 in our body....which is a good thing to have.

I would also agree with a previous comment made in reply to your post..that the percentage is relatively low. Also the wording of "may benefit" implies to me that it also "may not" benefit you to take statins. I'd be interested to know your result if you did get the alternative blood test. It will give you a separate score for all three components.

Wish you the best.

Di Doh

[montieth]

I would be very skeptical about taking the drug. A doctor tried to get me to take statin as a preventative even though my cholesterol is normal. She said it could prevent future problems. I looked into supplements and found red rice pills but haven't researched them yet. Might be something to consider.

[Knip]

Hi Radars, I had a small stroke/TIA in 2016. I had been on a Simvastatin but following that I was put on a 'better' one...Atorvastatin 40mg...and was lucky that I had no side affects. Of course our bodies are all different and what helps one doesn't always help another, but I am wondering if a low dose, coupled with a low cholesterol diet, might help without the unpleasant side affects that you had before. My thinking comes from the fact that in spite of eating a low cholesterol diet I couldn't get mine down to lower than 7.5! It had been even higher at 10 prior to taking Thyroxine for an underactive thyroid twenty years ago! Hopefully your GP will have checked that your thyroid gland is working properly. The two can go toghether. My brother's cholesterol went up to 13 before he was diagnosed with Hyprothyroidism but is down to normal now. I really hope that you find something that works for you. Take care, Knip,

[Radars in reply to Knip]

cheers, got a gp appointment Thursday so will see whats what.

[Knip]

Best of luck, Radars. 🤞

[Radars in reply to Knip]

Been to see gp and she has referred me to lung specialist, God knows how long that will take, I said to her I have looked on Google for symptoms of heart disease I have 3 symptoms bit short of breath when I go for my daily walk, back ache,and like shuddering sensations, she said it would be best for me to take a statin, I said ok just 10mgs of atorvastatin, so just see how I go on with the statin,I said to her do you think it is really better for me to take a statin because I have read horror stories, she said it would be better for me to take 10mgs and that not everyone has bad side effects.

[Knip]

That sounds sensible advice to me, Radars. As I said above I have had no adverse side effects, but that doesn't go for everyone. I hope your lung appointment won't be too long in coming. Take care, Knip.

[Radars in reply to Knip]

thanks, just started 10mgs of atorvastatin, and now found out it interacts with the chamomile tea I always drink, and also the green tea extract which I take formy prostate cancer which is under control, just started atorvastatin and it is causing me more problems.

[Seasid]

I am not a doctor, but I am taking 40mg Crestor per day and I hope it will help me.

I am planning to stop crestor during the summer months in order to produce vitamin d from cholesterol in my skin.

I didn't ask my doctor for approval but I believe that natural vitamin D from the sunshine should be beneficial for my bones.

I personally believe that I could stop for 4 months during the summer.

I don't have alarming side effects from crestor except that my vitamin D production in my skin drops. It is only my idea and it is maybe a good compromise? My vitamin D after stopping crestor increased from borderline low 50 to 70. Sorry I don't know the units.

[Seasid in reply to Seasid]

I live in Australia.