Hi, I just had results from blood test through from Gp. She says my cholesterol is 7.2 and I need to get into medication. Last year it was 4.8 and she says it must be genetic for it to have risen so quickly. She doesn't know i tried a high fat low low carb diet a few months ago and I personally think this is the reason for the jump. I'm at sea for another 2 weeks before will see doc again. 49 years old not overweight, normal Bp. I really don't fancy statins from what I have read. It doesn't run in family history. Mum has but she smoked all her days and lives on rich foods. Nobody in her family has history of it?
So should I try staying or insist on a chance to try to lower with diet changes etc.
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mox1968
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7 used to be the medically acceptable top of range figure for cholesterol. Since the advent of statins the number has come down and down. I can't help but be cynical that this is in the interest of the big pharmaceutical companies who push statins...
LCHF diets can raise cholesterol, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. More important is to know what your LDL, HDL and triglyceride measurements are. A LCHF will help dramatically reduce your triglycerides, which is good. It is also likely to raise your HDL level, which is also a good thing.
You don't say if you're male or female. The research indicates that statins are never good for women. Also, it appears that the slight benefits of statins may be down to their anti inflammatory effects.
You might also want to get your thyroid properly tested. By properly, I mean your TSH, T4, T3 and thyroid antibodies. You'll probably struggle to get these tested on the NHS as they only seem to test TSH. But low T3 is often involved with high cholesterol levels.
Fraid I haven't got the links to hand, but you could check out blogs and youtube videos by people like Malcolm Kendrick and Ivor Cummins, who will give you a lot more information about cholesterol and statins.
I personally wouldn't touch statins with a barge pole.
Thanks I will have a look. I’m male by the way, should have added that. I have a few weeks before I get back onshore anyway but I’m getting more and more convinced statins are a no. I can’t believe the doc is insisting it wasn’t diet but genetic when there’s no realistic family history of it too.
I am against Statins also, I have read to much to have any confidence in statins being any more than a pharmaceutical company getting rich fast. I have read that statins helps blood inflammation, but so does asperin
I'm 48, had a medical in work and because of high BP was told to see my GP. Did blood test and cholesterol was 8, last time mine was checked it was 5.1.
I'm very active and fit, resting pulse averages 51 and eat healthily freshly prepare our meals.
But family history isn't in my favour. Just started on statins a week or so ago and although early days no I'll effects.
Sorry to hear that Chris I guess they effect people at different rates. The most worrying feature seems to be that Statins cross the blood brain barrier and hence can inhibit cholesterol production in the brain which may explain the concerns about dementia rates memory loss and statins
Go to side effects of statins forum on Facebook and post your exact same post there. Many have been LCHF and had exactly your symptoms. Keep asking yourself whether the statin anti inflammatory effect can be replicated by diet etc also look here - at statin BENEFITS too. statincrap.blogspot.co.uk
We have had to change GP practices,(our GP is closing the Surgery because cannot get another doctor to help run the Surgery, so locating to the second Surgery too far for us) so I guess like you I am going to have the same argument with the new GP regarding statins. As ShinyB says I would not touch statins with a barge pole I would go down the diet route if i were you.
Hello, seriously I why try other options first and statins as a last resort. I had to stop statins due to bad reaction, sore feet,muscle pain, bruising of lower extremities. Still recovering from statins.
Drs very quick to prescibe a drug with very severe reactions. I will re-post blood works in 3 months. By the way my Cholesterol reading was 5.3 and they put me on statins. LDL was only 0.3 above range limit. So wish I could get the health minister involved, watch this space I believe it will all come out in the end.
I can’t believe the doctor is straight away saying medication without at least going through the diet route first. Seems like an itchy trigger finger. My younger brother was told he needed to lose weight and lower his last year. He told me he got it back to normal using diet and flush type niacin. Has anyone else tried this?
Yes my LDL was 3.9 and is now 2.7 using diet and a modest daily Niacin. Any doctor who does not explore diet and lifestyle should be fired by you. By the way I do not believe that cholesterol is the direct cause of heart disease either but I quote these numbers simply to illustrate what happens when you change diet
First of all total cholesterol tells you nothing about your heart disease risk. You really need to at least quote HDL, LDL Triglycerides and also CRP. You will then be able to get a more predictive picture. As for Statins avoid them. If the readings I have just quoted show a gloomy picture then you already have the solution ie drop the LCHF diet. If that does not work there are then other non harmful ways to lower cholesterol such as Niacin Vit B3 and fish or Krill oil. Also drop coffee and replace with green tea, I could go on ...
Family history was more of a trigger for me, it saw off my father, mother has had a TIA and my brother already has had stents fitted.
My triglycerides were more than double what they should be.
My diet is already pretty good, don't eat any crap. I'm very fit running numerous marathons/ultra marathons each year, cycle, swim, drink very little and don't smoke. So all the health advice the experts give I've already been doing for a years and years.
I was very reluctant to go on statins, I don't like taking any drugs whatsoever so as I said with my family history and a young family and not much else I can improve lifestyle wise I bit the bullet.
Chose the statin with the fewer reported side effects but I agree it's far too soon to see adverse effects yet. Hopefully I'll be lucky and get off lightly.
One day (hopefully soon) anyone who still believes statins stop heart attacks or cholesterol have anything to do with it, will put put in the earth is flat group. The drug industry is a very powerful one, and at the moment they are desperatly trying not to let the secret out that they have been poisoning people for decased with Statins.
My cholesterol is 7.4, when my dr told me that last month(after I'd been off statins for 2 months) I said, "good, data shows its much healthier for older people to have higher cholesterol" She didn't know what to say. Most doctors are like Mc Donald's check out people, constantly asking if you want fries (statins) with that.
There was an article in the newspapers here in Australia recently, stating that stains were so good at preventing heart attacks Drs recommended people in their 20s take them. I wrote to the paper and said could you back that up with unbiased data? no response.
Yes, don't get me started on the authoritarian state, just look at what is happening to the elderly and disabled
Even Dr. Oz who is a Cardiologist says he would never allow his family to take statins! Try traditional Red Yeast Rice!
Dr’s tried fir years to put me on it for my hi cholestral #’s but my HDL was always in the 90’s and my ratio was perfect! my
total was in the 300’s and my ratio was still fine, but I went on the Red yeast rice and brought all my numbers in great range! that was befoe the FDA took the RYR off the market for a couple of months and re regulated it. It is the natural element in the Statins and peole were doing too good on it and not taking
.statins, they were losing money ! Red yeast rice has no bad side effects, but
I can get red yeast rice here (Netherlands) at the local drugstore without prescription! Not that I’d want to buy it - I’m not interested in lowering my cholesterol in any way. But it is freely available here.
Cholesterol NOT linked to cardiac disease. Check Washington Post. Take no Statins. More important - "Stop worrying. Exercise. Make friends and laugh plenty. Do not stress about stuff over which you have no control!"
It has now been established that Cholesterol levels have nothing to do with cardiac disease (it took them 40 years) but finally the conventional conservative theorists have accepted this truth being advocated for years....drop the Statin and stop worrying.
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I really do need to spell check more often though. 
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