Hi I have been reading here for a while but this is the first time I have posted, just feeling very upset. I am a 60 year old female and was called by my doc for a general health check. I forgot all about getting results as I had to have an op, and didn't call docs for about 2 months to get results. When I did they said I had been prescribed statins which were waiting at pharmacy to be collect! I said I am not just going to take them without discussing with a doc which I did. I explained I was anti taking them and could i try benecol which I did. I then went to gp for a different matter and saw a different one. The minute I walked in the door he said ah the lady that won't take medical advice and proceeded to lecture me for 30 mins about how I'm going to drop dead from a heart attack or stroke. As you can imagine I was very upset and frightened but still didn't want to take statins. He insisted I had another blood test including liver and thyroid and when I got home yesterday had 2 letters waiting for me from docs. I thought they were going to tell me I had cancer or something but no, the doc wants you to restart your statins immediately, which I have never taken, and have another test in 6 weeks. Of course this has put fear of god into me. I am slightly overweight my job involves a lot of walking and lifting heavy notes, ironically I work in a hospital! I also have dogs I exercise and my daughter has horses I muck out so am active and try to have a healthy diet. I don't drink or smoke and my blood pressure is ok. My cholesterol level is 7.4 which I know is high but I need to get all the other readings which they don't give you if they are ok it seems! I said to doc I wasn't definitely not going to take them as he seemed so angry, but what happens if I don't and he takes me off his list? I would have been happy if he prescribed a diet club or exercise class but no, straight to statins. How can I find a sympathetic doc?? Thank u for reading. A worried lady.
Bullying doctor!: Hi I have been reading... - Cholesterol Support
Bullying doctor!
Please do not worry, I was there five years ago and I am fine with out any medication. If appears you are leading a very healthy life style. Please do not go for NHS diet classes, a waste of time from my experience.
GPs are there to make money.
A doctor's responsibility is to fully explain the necessary for medication, not just to write prescription!
My understanding is the appointment time is 10 minutes, as GPs are so busy. from what I read the doctor wasted your time and his or her time and no benefit!
Now days you can get print out of your blood test results for your records to keep. you can now understand what doctors write on the computer for each person (comments)!!
You doctor needs to do a risk analysis (QRISK or JBS3) and fully explain how you can control your cholesterol numbers by life style change without any medication.
Once a doctor said in his days of medical schooling the total cholesterol number was 7.25.
You can control your numbers by life style change (I have done this), watching our for hidden sugar and free sugar in food and drinks, eating smaller portion and regular exercise.
I am 70 and my life style change started five years ago, and I am doing fine without and statin medication.
I did go for electro cardio gram and echo cardio gram for a check to clarify my understanding at a cost.
By the way this week the copy of the Daily Mail had an article, station do not help people over 60!
There you go you can relax, but you need full explanation from your doctor.
Thank you so much for your reply. I agree with everything you say. I have been booked in for an ecg, but I am still worried the doctor can take me off his list if I don't comply with him, and finding another doc is hard, and I'm guessing most of them want to put you on statins anyway! Some people say don't take statins just collect prescription, but I guess my results won't go down much without them and what happens when I go for blood test! I wish I had never gone for a health check in first place! I'm sure the stress of this is worse for me than high cholesterol!
Lot of people say about health checks, a health check will give you a guide!
As you say you can collect the prescription but never get the medication, I did this. Just to see what satin can do I took it for 4 weeks and my total cholesterol came down to 2.8, I was not happy as we need cholesterol in our body for it to function properly.
Write down all you questions and write down all the answers the doctor give you.
Most GP's will ask for 6 monthly blood tests. you also need to keep an eye on other two blood numbers as well, blood pressure and blood glucose.
You are responsible for your health with a doctors (NHS) advice and guidance, compliance or noncompliance is a different matter. Putting pills in to the mouth is not the answer for all health problems. This week's doctor in the house proved this point.
Hello Janeshandy. This treatment from your doctor is absolutely outrageous. One is tempted to ask what he has to gain from prescribing statins; perhaps the odd brown envelope?
A cholesterol level of 7.4 could well be O.K. for you, nobody knows not even that arrogant doctor. You could do well without him/her. We changed our registered doctor recently for geographical reasons and the first thing this woman wanted to do was put me on statins, I am 82. My wife and I gave her a lecture which she couldn't argue with and I never took them.
Have a look for a homeopathic doctor, that is one who has trained and qualified as a doctor then specialised in homeopathy; we use if absolutely necessary.
There is a revealing article which was published in the press, go to: express.co.uk/life-style/he...
In short I would recommend that you check out your food, avoid all white flour products, bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta etc and go over to 100% wholemeal bread (not the supermarket rubbish), and make sure that a good proportion of your diet is made up of fresh vegetables in season, and fruit. Don't eat any of the polyunsaturated fats or oils, that means sunflower and rape seed oil (Olive oil is O.K.) none of the margarines and eat butter along with whole unpasteurised, unhomogenised milk; you can find suppliers on the Internet.
Lastly when you have a new doctor report the one who lectured you to the G.M.C., Regents Place, London, NW1 3JN; you owe this to your fellow citizens.
Best of luck, don't worry, be happy.
Thank you for your reply. Everything is so confusing! I felt perfectly well until all this, now I am feeling stressed! I will try and get all my results printed out so can see if they have improved after trying to alter my diet think it was better before they had statins, both my grandmothers lived to 86 and never had a statin in their lives! I'm sure they do help some people but I just wish docs would advise other things rather than shove pills at you, they always complain that their patients always expect to be given medicine when they attend, this is why we now have the problem with antibiotics, so you think they would be grateful if someone doesn't want a pill chucked at them! I was once prescribed antidepressants after a five minute consultation after suffering a few panic attacks. I did not feel depressed until I took two tablets and ended up in A & E thinking I was dying, didn't realise it was pills until I read leaflet and it said it could make anxiety worse!!! Needless to say that was the only 2 pills I took and saw a counsellor which was much more helpful. This is why I am so scared to take anything! Are there no docs out there who don't believe in statins? Would love to hear from them.
As said many times before medication what ever it is do help some people but not all, there are few members in my family. Heart UK has helped many people wit statin advice,
When people are confused with what the doctor say, take medication and what they want is to find out from the wider community and looking for help here we need to offer help!
Many people in UK will always listen to the doctor and take medication, only a few question "WHY?", "How many people are here asking questions on medication?" and "How many people are taking statin what ever dosage every night before going to bed?"
I agree Bala, I have not taken statins and do not want to yet when a doctor that presumably knows more about medicine than I do starts more or less telling me I will drop dead from a heart attack/stroke it does frighten you. And with regards to Londinium saying that everyone on this forum says they help some people yet are questioning them, I guess I meant to say that some people are happy to take what a doctor prescribes and thinks it's doing them good, so in that way it is helping them mentally so I guess that is sometimes a good thing if that is what they want and they believe how good they are for them. My doc even said he had been taking them for 20 years as he has diabetes to which I replied I don't yet but probably will if I take! He was not impressed that is why I am worried about getting taken off his list!
I am terribly sorry that you were treated in that manner. We work with physicians and not for them. I do think fear of being litigated plays a part and since so many health professionals see statins as being effective these physicians want you to understand the risks and what they feel the benefits. You are entitled to an opinion and when it comes to your health you have the right to an informed decision. I have found these boards to be quite helpful. At the end of the day you must decide, so gather information, speak to another cardiologist, or professional of your choice and I commend you for having the strength of your commissions. The funny thing is that if you do well these same people will say that you were right to go with your gut. Be well!
I wanted to check back and just as I thought so many good resourceful people feeling for you and offering good advice. I cannot tell you how important it is to have full confidence in your physicians, that is not to say that you always agree, but it is a working relationship and the way you feel counts!!! This website has been quite helpful to me and I am sure you will find good information as well. Healthcare is not a one size fits all but together we can offer support and experiences, realizing that there are always other things that make people different, it feels good to know that someone is always there for you. I was the physician/hospital liaison for a group of physicians and I know that people are often afraid to speak up but you should be able to do so and if not, that is not the place to be.
Thank you for your kind words
Do not worry. This is not typical behaviour of a doctor. Suggest you speak to another one. Sometimes high colesterol can be hereditary as my sister and I have it. There seems to be an obsession with this colesterol thing. When we were young noone had heard of it. Listen to your body and if you feel things are ok go with it. Do not be bullied.
Please don't worry about this, and don't take the statins! I'm not a doctor, but I've done quite a bit of research on this after suffering side effects from statins for a number of months, and I've become convinced that statins are dangerous especially for (older) women such as you and myself (I'm a 64-year old female). For this group in particular, there is a heightened risk of breast cancer and diabetes after long-term use of statins. Also, the side effects seem to be worse for women. One very bad side effect is muscle pain which may become permanent and develop into necrotizing myopathy where the body's immune system becomes compromised and attacks and destroys the muscles. Painful and disabling. I'm a member of a Facebook group called 'statin side effects' of which many members suffered this very effect and others as well, and describe the impact of statins on their lives. All this doesn't mean that statins should never ever be taken by anybody: they may make a difference in mortality for middle-aged men, between 45 and 70, who have already had a heart attack. For everybody else, their harmful effects far outweigh their benefits. There are plenty of studies which show that their impact on mortality for all women is exactly zero.
As regards your doctor, I get the impression that a lot of doctors are under pressure from, or even paid by, the pharmaceutical companies to push statins. There are huge amounts of money involved for these companies, and they care about that - obviously - and about their shareholders! The one thing they don't care about is their patients - or victims - such as you.
Thank you so much for your supportive comments. It's just scary when a doctor is so adamant that you should take and also I'm still worried in case he removes me from his surgery.
Did Google "Can a GP remove a patient from the GP practice?"
There are many answers, also there is a process. I am afraid just one GP cannot do the remover of a patient!
Relax, do not worry, stress can give you additional problems.
Thank you!
I'm a 73-year-old female, and have been successfully resisting advice that I take statins for 20 years. Here is why I won't take them. It's info I've found in various studies.
I had my level of inflammation checked (a CRP test) and it was within normal limits. There are some studies that suggest that statins work by reducing inflammation, and that the cholesterol reduction is not important.
I have never had a coronary event, which would make the statins for "primary prevention" for me. Research shows that statins are not as effective for primary prevention. If I had already had a coronary event, it would be very different.
There is very little research showing any effectiveness of statins for women over sixty who have no other risk factors, i.e. weight, blood pressure, etc.
Who should take statins? From what I've read, if you're a man, middle-aged, who has already had a coronary event, statins are very helpful. But once you move away from that targeted group, there is less and less research showing any benefit. Plus, of course, so much of the research done is funded by the drug companies.
I live in the U.S. and here we have a right to refuse any medical treatment. So doctors don't like it when I refuse, but there is little they can do. I am really shocked and horrified at how you've been treated. Years ago my doctor tried to put me on hormone replacement when I started menopause, and I refused. About ten years later the research was very clear that hormone replacement put a women more at risk for breast cancer, and now hormones are only prescribed when other conditions are present. My guess is that in another ten or twenty years, it will be established that the risk of taking statins outweighs the benefit in most cases.
Good luck to you. Hang tough! You might read The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick. It's on Amazon.
Thank you so much for your encouraging reply, I will definitely get that book!
I'm surprised he spoke to you for 30 minutes, my Doctor is also an unfeeling ignoramus I'm lucky to get 2 minutes with him. Good luck and change your Doctor.
I was very surprised too considering I hadn't even gone to him about my cholesterol! I felt sorry for people in waiting room. I just asked for my last two sets of results to be printed out, but they only gave me the most recent one as they said it would take too long to print the earlier one!
My Cholesterol is also 7.4 my Doctor has never mentioned Statins, just says eat plenty of fruit and veg.
Wish I had your doc!
It is not just the total cholesterol number? many medical factors have to be considered before going towards statin, this is what a fully qualified GP can do!
Total Cholesterol = HDL + LDL+ triglyceride/5, this is a man made formula and there are other formula as well. There are three variables, HDL,LDL and Triglyceride, therefore a doctor needs to consider these three variables and other medical factors. A good GP or a doctor can explain if he or she has time.
Can get more information on this link below:
zoeharcombe.com/2012/08/cho...
That is very interesting, thank you for that
there are lot scientific evidence that high cholesterol will give a benefit after 60 years.
Thank you for that!
My body was fit and strong until I finally accepted statins ..... I wish I could turn the clock back and throw the prescription in the garbage bin. I'm one of the many unlucky people to have my leg muscles weakened and my mobility weakened because of statins. Some people can't take them and I'm one of them. My cholesterol was 7 and I was fit and active. Our brain and muscles need cholesterol and I wish I had made a couple of basic life style choices and left statins at the chemist. Tibblington posted some marvellous food suggestions. As for your G.P, I wouldn't go back to that surgery, but that's me.
Where has my reply gone from this thread? Has it been removed? If so I have not been warned or had it reported to me. If my reply has been removed then I shall repost it.
Some time when the "Submit reply or reply" button is clicked it fails to activate the text in the reply box!!!. I have experienced this.
Healthuncloked has no answer for it. May be you can try your reply response again.?
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