my mam has high cholesterol its heredi... - Cholesterol Support
my mam has high cholesterol its hereditary she has tried lots of tablets,every time she trys a tablet she gets sideeffects.cholestero l7.6
Hi Andy,
People are going to find it hard to help without some more info from you.
Lifestyle improvements can make a significant difference - and will benefit your mum in many more ways. My top three (others may disagree):
1) Exercise/Activity
2) Less of the wrong fats
3) More soluble fibre.
Delete
but if its hereditary cholesterol she cant get away with tablets what should she do?? she exercise,has bencoyl drinks,really careful what she eats..
7.6 is a high number she is in a lipids clinic and they just say take that tablet
Hi andypills,
Presume your mum's cholesterol is 7.6, not 17.6. What drugs has she tried? I have been on the "statin roundabout " as well and have decided not to take them. I am about to try a bile resin which basically binds to the cholesterol in the gut, so there are other drugs.
She could try the diet advice on the HEART UK website. I do sympathise,sometimes things don't work as well for people with inherited high cholesterol and finding the right drug is trial and error sometimes.
Andy, that extra info will help someone help you I'm sure. Glad that she seems to be living a healthy lifestyle.
There are some people who know a lot more about FH than I - so hopefully one of them will join the discussion. I do recall that in hereditary cases the ratio/type of cholesterol may give a more detailed picture - and in some cases reduce the concern.
Mine was 7.8 some 18 months ago, I'm on rusavastatin original @ 5mg every other day then every day, then 5mg one day & 10mg alternate days & now 10mg per day. Mine is now down to 4.8 and we're aiming for -4. I've also stopped eating cheese, pork pies and crisps and have oat Bran on my cereal and 1% fat milk. I exercise 3 or 4 times a week - swimming & cycling are particularly good. Hope that helps?'
Talking about cholesterol is relatively new and my parents have been dead for 25/28 years. I would guess my mother had it but didn't haveg medication, mine varies between 3.7 and 6.8 and I didn't think that was bad but they have insisted I go back on statins with all their side effects. I have a few things wrong with me and the extra pain from the side effects I could well do without!
Seems to me Gp's are keen to get everyone on Statins 3.7- 6.8 isnt high.
Andy, It is very sad to see our parents affected so badly by medicines which are supposed to make them well but in reality it makes them sick. My own research indicates that the upside of taking statins is entirely offset by the downside risks of liver damage, muscle damage, damage to neural cells that can cause Alzheimer like memory loss or loss of motor neurons, gastric problems, or general malaise. Unfortunately all the literature that the GPs get about statins highlights the benefits, whilst ignoring the serious risks. Pharmaceutical companies talk about ‘side effects’ as though they are minor, but they are not minor; these side effects are for some people serious and will shorten their lives. Unfortunately this entire subject of cholesterol lowering is one of statistics, and numerical probabilities. As a simple example, statins reduce the risk of a clot type strokes which is wonderful. On the other hand, it increases the risk of a haemorrhage stroke which is a serious risk. So one counters the other, but you only ever hear about the positives.
Interestingly, a number of the studies show that older women (62 and above) with high cholesterol actually live longer than older women with normal or low cholesterol. That is something I have been aware of for some years. You might like to read a paper written by a Canadian group called the Women and Health Protection (WHP) which is a community group concerned about the safety of pharmaceuticals as it relates to women and specifically this paper is called “Evidence for Caution: Women and Statin Use”
whp-apsf.ca/pdf/statinsEvid...
In terms of myself and my family, I am 62 yo male and I have a cholesterol level of 12 and I do not take any statins, or any other drugs, but I do eat a very healthy diet. In my opinion, and it’s a personal view, is that the benefits of statins are low versus the risks that they present.
Having said that, I am a qualified Nutritionist and Naturopath so I have a strong knowledge of what foods cause heart attacks and which do not. My main vice is my half bottle of red wine per day. I am also on a high fat diet which might seem counter-intuitive but that's because I eat the healthy fats, and totally avoid the wrong fats that cause heart disease. But what applies to me does not apply necessarily to the next person. My mother had a similar cholesterol to me of 12 and she died at 85 not from a heart attack, but from complications after a hip operation. We are all different.
I wish I could be more helpful, but hopefully this information will be of some value.
Best, Frank Cooper, Author “Cholesterol and The French Paradox”
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Hi Frank,
This is a link to a fairly unbiased statement of fact on the issue of women and their cholesterol levels. I find it so hard to get an article that hasn't been " hijacked" by someone on one side of the cholesterol divide.
Levels associated with the lowest all cause mortality, according to the HUNT Study , in women are between 5 and 7. The curve is J shaped with highest mortality below 5, but also rising with levels above 7. I also deplore this manic desire to get cholesterol levels as low as possible but try to keep some sort of an open mind. I also think there needs to be far more research into who with a diagnosis of FH is particularly at risk...only a personal opinion as I don't have it, those that do may disagree and think that everybody who has FH is at increased risk.,
