smoking or statins

[jillgloucester]

What would be worse to carry on smoking or to stop taking your statins,, if you have already had a heart attack??? I dont actually smoke myself..........

[Aliwally]

Personally, I would say stopping smoking would win by a long chalk!

Others may disagree. Statins are more effective in secondary prevention than primary prevention.

[sandybrown]

Hi,

From your GP get yuor blood pressure result, bolld test results, on the wewb you can do a QRISK calculation. Answer to question is from the QRISK calculation!!

[YvonneD]

Both seem stupid ideas to me and, "Why ask a hypothetical question if you do not smoke?" I wonder.

[sandybrown in reply to YvonneD]

I am sorry to say there are no stupid question!, every question is a valid question.

[jillgloucester]

yvonne ,, I definitely have my reasons for asking this question but I'm not going to air everything on here. It's a reasonable question - which is more serious- to carry on smoking or not to take the miracle statins? Something I would really like to know. Pity you dont know the answer.

[YvonneD]

Sorry, I actually wrote, " they both seem stupid IDEAS to me". If I had raised cholesterol and had had a heart attack then I would not be smoking and, if my doctor recommended, would be on statins. So, the very IDEA of smoking or stopping statins seems stupid to me (not the question). I want to live a long life (unlike my father and uncles and aunt) even if I have inherited FH so will do everything I can to that end.

[YvonneD]

I can assure you that I do not blindly follow my doctor's recommendations. I attend HEART UK's AGMs and ask questions of the world's experts on my condition (FH) then make up my own mind as to how to live my life. For example, all the medical experts assure me that garlic tablets will not help to reduce my cholesterol levels but, for twenty-five years I have experimented with them and find, for me, they do work. So, I take Kyolic tablets daily.

[spats]

How about taking your own risks!! All the doctors can do is offer support and medication. No one can MAKE you change, BUT don't blame anyone else if you don't have the quality of life you dream of. Smoking can kill, and is not very nice for other people near by - so has social side effects. Statins may make your life a misery, but may prolong it. Complementary medication can help, but is expensive, So it's all in your own hands - Read up as much as you can and make your mind up!!!