Query statins

[Auntyp62]

Want some advise for my son. 4 months ago he had chest pain and cholesterol of 7.3 he was put on high dose statins and changed his diet.....2 months ago he had lost 2 stone and his cholesterol was 1.5 when I saw him at Christmas he had lost more weight and his eyes no cheeks looked skeletal............my main concern is should he be on such a high dose of statins when cholesterol is so low and he is watching what he eats

[sandybrown]

High dose of statin, how many mg?

If there was a reason for blood test and the GP decided to put your son on high dose of statin, You need to speak to the GP and ask for full explanation. 1.5 is very very low!!!.

When my cholesterol went down to 2.8, my health was struggling!

There is a rick analysis teat, QRISK2 and jbs3, did the GP do any qrisk and offer full life style change plan for better health.

Watching what goes into the mouth is a good thing.

If you have full details of blood lipid numbers, some one in this forum may give some answers.

[Auntyp62 in reply to sandybrown]

Thank you, you have confirmed my thoughts

[Mascha1900]

Very bad idea for your son to continue with the statins! I’m convinced that statins are dangerous and cholesterol is not (except in some very specific cases). The reason statins are dangerous is that they interfere with a natural physical process called the ‘mevalonate pathway’. This is the process by which nutrients are produced by the liver and distributed throughout the body. One of these nutrients is cholesterol. By blocking this ‘pathway’ at an early stage, statins prevent the production not just of cholesterol but of many other nutrients as well. And think about it, why would the body of every healthy person produce something - cholesterol - that would be harmful to it? That doesn’t make sense, does it? The real puzzle is why doctors are so set on prescribing statins when they are so dangerous. I think there are two reasons: 1) it is simply part of the ‘culture’, ‘everybody does it so it must be right’, or 2) corruption, the doctor is paid by the pharmaceutical industry to ‘push’ these drugs. I think the second reason often applies in America but not so much (yet) in Europe.

Anyway, the best thing your son can do is to stop the statins immediately (you can stop cold turkey, no problem, I did this myself) and start taking certain supplements such as fish oil and Ubiquinol (aka CoQ10, Ubiquinol is the concentrated form which is better absorbed by the body if you’re over 40). This helps with the buildup of the muscles which may have been damaged by statins. Good luck!

[Auntyp62]

Thank you for replying

[Auntyp62]

Thank you for responding

[sandybrown in reply to Auntyp62]

You son needs to make an appointment to see his GP for a referral if there is any condition to be identified. A specialist doctor or a consultant is the next step, write down all the questions and full explanation for answers.

[Mascha1900]

Thanks for this Londinium - interesting but also shocking! Actually I think it’s happening here in the Netherlands as well by now.

[Londinium]

Concerned,

D'you have a website link to an accurate and comprehensive list of those foods to avoid or limit, and the foods to eat plenty of?

[Emma2017]

Hi auntyp62, I was in hospital for something different and got chest pains. Long story short I got whisked of to the nearest hospital dealing with heart issues. Was there for 3 days and all checks came back ok but as my cholesterol was 6.5 I was put on statins and a 3D heartscan was booked. While on the statins I inadvertently had half a grapefruit and had the week from hell. After that they advised me to stop the statins until the heartscan. The heart scan was 2 weeks later and it came back showing my arteries were 100% clear, no plague buildup at all. Needless to say I could stop all medicines. Point is here, they often put people on statins nowadays to be on the safe side and they have lowered the number when they are put on them as well thanks to big pharma. With your son having such a low cholesterol it really seems totally unnecessary for him to take them, don't forget all medicines have nasty side effects.

[Auntyp62 in reply to Emma2017]

Thank you ..I don't think he needs them but unfortunately he thinks the doctor knows everything and is scared to stop them. he has changed his diet and I think that should be sufficient for him. Something is not right as he is so thin and tired all the time. ECG and angina tests were negative

[Emma2017]

If you show him my reply it might show him that people are put on them routinely now. To me they did a whole load damage and I was so violently sick that they wanted me to go to hospital 3 times but I just could not move. Then at the end although my cholesterol is still a bit high the specialist told me I do not need them and never did as the scan showed. Where statins are concerned a Dr does definitely not always know at all but it is the safe option in their eyes. Statins have so many side effects and might well be the reason he is so tired, also changing your diet is all good and well but people often forget we do need fats and completely abandon them making them too thin and tired.

[Auntyp62 in reply to Emma2017]

I think that is exactly what has happened. Thank you

[sandybrown in reply to Auntyp62]

IT experts can get it wrong, car mechanics can get it wrong, so can the doctors!, Full of medical people in my family. Please ask your son to get a second opinion with a referral.

[Londinium]

Concerned,

Just came across these -

optimisingnutrition.com/201...

optimisingnutrition.com/foo...

ses.library.usyd.edu.au/han...

ses.library.usyd.edu.au//bi...

ses.library.usyd.edu.au//bi...

[sos007 Ambassador]

Statins are potentially harmful medications. That said, you must address the underlying issues that cause the body to generate more cholesterol. The issues are typically a diet and lifestyle that are pro-inflammatory.

You have provided numbers but no identifying references. 'His cholesterol is 1.5'. Is that Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol? I'm assuming the unit of measure mmol/l, is that correct? What is his triglyceride level, which is probably more crucial than his cholesterol numbers.

You indicated that he's lost about 29 lbs or 2 stone, what was his weight previously? How tall is he, how old is he? How did he lose the weight, is he on a calorie restricted diet? Has he given up on sugars and simple carbohydrates? Has he reduced his consumption of red meat?

Is his current diet nutritionally complete? Has he measured his B12 level to determine that? Is he taking any vitamin supplements? Many people are deficient in the B vitamins and don't ingest sufficient Vitamin C. Vitamin C and LDL cholesterol are inversely related. You can start by getting him to take 3 x 1,000 mg doses of vitamin C, 15 minutes before each meal, on a daily basis. This will lower his cholesterol naturally as vitamin C will allow the body to produce collagen which will repair endothelial damage more efficiently and without plaque accumulation.

Has he been exercising during this period? If so, does it include resistance training or is it only cardiovascular exercise? Resistance training is important to maintain muscle mass and increase metabolic rate.

When you ask questions you must first provide as much detail as possible in order to get answers that are relevant.

I'm in a position to help since I've accomplished what most people who ask questions on this forum are trying to accomplish - so if you provide more details, I'd be happy to help.

If you wish to see some of my previous posts click here:

healthunlocked.com/user/sos007

Good luck.

[sandybrown]

Thank you, I have learned something on Food Insulin Index.

[Londinium]

Concerned,

That link that you just provided is the second PDF within the 3rd link that I provided which inc. the PDF 1 and PDF 2 from 2014.

[sandybrown in reply to Londinium]

Good, we have it twice from two different people for all of us to learn on FII.