Statin Info: drmalcolmkendrick.org/201... - Cholesterol Support
Statin Info
Hello,
Thank you. Excellent report. I had to try station to see it for my elf if it reduced cholesterol, yes it did but the side effect was bad. After the blood test I ask my GP for reduction in dosage, it went down from 20 mg to 10mg. Because haven been reading a lot on the Internet, tried to change the dosage. Every other day, once a week and holiday break. Have not taken station for two months. Sainsbury's supermarket chemist and work gym test showed cholesterol to be 4.6. Fasting Blood glucose from Sainsbury’s chemist was 6.6. Am I worried? no, from now on I am planning to carry on with simple food for breakfast and lunch, and home cooked for dinner. Only time will tell. Because of GP's comment
"You have to act before the damage is done, I went on statin". When will NHS take a look at other reports that says, station do not reduce death rate!
The linked page highlights the wrong part, at least for HEART UK members. It should highlight that statins have no effect "for people who did not have heart disease" which is not the boat which many HEART UK members sail in.
I completely agree with you and the inference from the title is that they are of little use to anyone for any reason. Until I read this article I had a lot of respect for Malcolm Kendrick, but here he seems to have fallen into the trap of using an over generalised statement to make a point, which is slightly dishonest.
I would like to know who plucked the cholesterol figures out of the air to send us on a panic and getting us to chase those virtually unobtainable numbers of below 4! Every body is different. Mine and yours are not the same so surely we need different levels of cholesterol. I suffer from arthritis - so my figure is higher than, say, someone my age, 60, who is fully fit. I eat well, keep my weight below BMI 25, I don't diet as such but eat as much natural, fresh food as possible. I take supplements because I think my body needs them as I am getting older. I don't smoke, exercise daily and have a busy life. Am I worried that my levels are 6.8 (LDL 3.8, HDL 2.3 Tris 0.7) NO I am too busy living to worry!
All,
What is this 15 all about? More and more studies are showing issues with statin. Also who decides on the values, are the values for commercial use or human health use? I have come to my own decision and told my GP, no more statin. If having high cholesterol have damaged my body and statin can undamaged it so be it!.
Waiting on referral for stress test. This morning I was in the gym on the bike for 10 minutes and on another device for 15 minutes, feel fine. If a healthy person can drop dead while running what do I have to worry about?
Coming to your own decision is your right bala. Worry is bad for you. You make informed choices for yourself and you take the consequences of those decisions. Everyone has the same right but some are not as well read or well informed.
Sorry. Poor punctuation. Now corrected.
Can anyone tell me when cholesterol began being measured and conclusions on numbers being too high made?
I have been trawling all sorts of health websites and have come to the conclusion that I am going to give diet a chance. The one that is attracting me is the low carb diet. I am preparing all my food from scratch and am only allowed 20g of carbs a day for the first week. I'm veggie so I have to be careful about protein (getting enough) I have also bought food supplements and COQ10 to, hopefully, help my sore muscles. My statins are languishing in the medicine cupboard and they can stay there. I have to attend hypertension clinic in two weeks to have standard tests run so should find out if diet can assist in bringing down those damned numbers.
If it wasn't for this forum, I would have absolutely no-one to discuss my health with and I think that's a shame. I have one tiny blind spot in my eye where I had the bleed and I want that to be as big as it will get. I do attend the eye clinic at my local hospital for checks but they are run off their feet every time I am there. No time to talk.
Good luck with the diet Cleocat. I have followed a fairly low carb diet for some time and found that I had to reduce my carbs gradually, to give my body time to adjust. I have also increased my fat consumption. Make sure you get enough Omega 3 in your diet. I hope it works for you.
Thanks, Penel. I am following Rose Elliot's low carb diet and she's very pro flax seed in shakes etc. If the diet doesn't work, then at least I have tried it. Her recipes are so good looking because of all the fat in them! I have just made her stilton soup and it's delicious! Thanks for your good wishes and the reference page about cholesterol.
Hello,
Low cab diet. Few questions:-
How do you count your cab intake for your daily three meals?
Having been looking at this and am having difficulty in working out total cab.
For breakfast, porridge with milk and honey, 2 x brown toast and butter on scrambled eggs?
For lunch what to include in a salad.?
For dinner, portion and quantity?
Information I read is very confusing to say the least!
The amount of carbohydrate in porridge or brown bread will be listed on the packet. Many low carb diets would not include porridge or brown bread at all, because they will raise insulin production. Honey is sugar and would not be included in a low carb diet.
Some people count their carbs and will limit themselves to something like 50grms total carbs in one day. Many vegetables contain some carbohydrate, so it can be very easy to reach this amount. I do not do count my carbs but make sure that I only eat a few carbs with every meal.
Low carb diets can be difficult to carry out and you may find it easier to take your time and do more research. You could start by just reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Make sure that they are high fibre, because this will slow down the glucose/insulin release. Have whole grain bread, brown rice, sweet potato.
Have good quality protein with your salad, and add nuts or seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, dress it with olive oil. I would not usually eat any more carbs with my salad.
This is one low carb site that gives you an idea of meals. authoritynutrition.com/low-...
This article from The Scientific American gives the history of cholesterol
Hello cleocat
I've just come back from my GP after telling her I couldn't tolerate statins and she asked if I'd like to try a different sort and I answered, NO! This was the second time I'd tried them and each time I had muscle pains, cramps, cognitive impairment and tiredness. I stopped taking the statins 3 weeks ago and am just beginning to recover from the side effects. COQ10 is a good supplement to take for a couple of months after you've discontinued statins and you can tailor your diet to help keep your cholesterol low.
Google 'How to Control Cholesterol Without Statins' and you should find a very helpful WikiHow article on what to eat and what to avoid. It complements a weight loss diet perfectly.
Good Luck.
I agree with patch14 that everyone's body is different. As an FH carrier, I tried all known foods plus herbal remedies, in an attempt to keep my cholesterol levels low - until I reached the menopause. After that, there was nothing I could do to help myself and I did not want to go to an early grave like my father and four of his siblings. I reluctantly started on statins and have been on them for over ten years now (luckily with no side effects) and my total cholesterol levels came down and have stayed down. Everyone has a different tale to tell.
I think Dr K is making the point that in the UK the majority of prescriptions for statins are for people who do not have heart disease and who have slightly raised cholesterol. People then think that statins are some "magic potion" that will stop them from having a cardiac event. This of course is perpetuated by clever marketing and clever presentation of statistics. If these patients looked at freely available material like the Patient Decision Aids, they would see that this is not the case.
What Dr K does not address is particular high risk groups such as those with FH or other inherited conditions, although I know he has his own views on FH. Even Dr K (grudgingly!) admits that statins have a role in treating men who have already had a cardiac event, where he thinks this may be due to their anti inflammatory effect.
I remember reading the obituary of the scientist who discovered the method of measuring cholesterol levels. I think it's called the Richmond method and was about the late 70's but please don't quote me on that. As Dr K says, once you can measure something the race is on to establish normal parameters and develop a drug to treat it. A can of worms, for the good of mankind...you tell me.
Dear all
I have read everyone's comments..thanks a lot..I have familial hypercholesteromia...(sp)...no matter what I do, diet, exercise, my cholesterol level remains 8-9...the doctor put me on statins 20mg. aterovastatin...i took for a year or so, and my cholesterol remained 5-.6..so major sideaffects, but I had rather foggy head..couldnt remember stuff at work...nothing destructive though...after reading so many articles that statins are dangerous, I persuaded my doctor to let me stop, he agreed cos I had no other risk for heart attack, no diabetes, BP or family history, but after one and a half months of no statins, went to check and it was 9.2! so the doc said I have to go back to statins. so what I do I do? thanks for your assistance
Hello Naina
I'm glad you had no major side effects to taking statins except the fogginess. Try taking COQ10. I had quite serious side effects from statins and had to stop them. Apart from muscle pains, cramps and tiredness I had cognitive impairment and am using COQ10 to recover. I control my cholesterol with diet and exercise.
Good luck.
Dear Eulipious - thank you so much...yes, I am taking CoQ10..but sometimes I forget..lol..but yes, I do take them, plus other vitamins, and Cod liver oil tabs...i cant control my cholesterol with diet and exercise, as it is hereditary...i am now on 10mg statin..the doctor did put me off it for a month because I had no risk,but after checking, it shot up from 5 to 9.2!
Hello Naina
I'd probably forget if it wasn't on the food table. I also take Niacin - which is rich found in Marmite - though it would be wise to settle on a low dose at first. As I love marmite I get all mine that way. I think that my cholesterol might be hereditary - my brother and sister both take statins. With my sister there are no ill effects but my brother has had to give them up. We all remind ourselves that our parents lived into their nineties. Good luck in finding just what is right for you.
thanks so much for your advice Traci...I have of course gone back to statins as my levels climbed up to 9.2 after leaving statins for a month! but I produce excess cholesterol from my liver, its hereditary, so there is no way I can reduce with just diet and exercise..when I was first diagnosed in January, 2011, the doctor gave me six months on strict diet and exercise...i lost weight - good news - but my levels remained the same - bad news. The doctor did put me off statins since I didnt have any risk but the levels were too high for him to ignore it, after one month. So I am on less dosage now, 10mg. I dont have much side effects, just fuzzy mind..and when we work, it doesnt quite help.
Whats Fibrates?
but I appreciate your help and advice...its good that yours was diet related and not hereditary - familial hypercholesteromania...or something. 
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