Newbie here! 👋

[HiveMind]

Hi,

I had an ‘episode’ a couple of Sundays ago, strange speech, aura etc. One brain scan later and I’ve been told I have had very minor TIA/stroke. They are now pumping me with even more drugs (anti platelets , statins, aspirin , stomach saving meds etc). I’m happy to take everything except statins. I’ve seen my husband struggle with severe cramps etc on statins and I really can’t cope with that as well as everything else (I have other heath problems). Is it possible to regulate cholesterol with diet /lifestyle changes? Has anyone else refused statins? How did you lower your cholesterol sufficiently to enable you not to have to take them? Any advice for a newbie would be very welcome.

[Cinderella18]

Hi, I hope you’re feeling well again now. Have you been told that you have high cholesterol? I can understand your fears, considering the effects that the statins had on your husband. I am no expert but from my experience, statins don’t cause problems for everyone. Both my husband and I take them and haven’t suffered any effects that we know of. Three points to consider:

1) In your case, they could be life-saving. Diet should also be taken into account (especially if your cholesterol count is high).

2) As I understand it, if you at least try taking them and they don’t agree with you, you could reduce the dose or even stop. Check this first with GP though but I’m pretty sure it’ll be ok.

3) Beware looking for ‘symptoms’ caused by the statins after starting to take them, especially if you’re in a negative frame of mind to begin with. They could save your life.

Good luck going forward

[HiveMind in reply to Cinderella18]

Thank you for your reply. I will consider everything and act accordingly once the results of the rest of my tests have come back.

[Hermother]

Benecol yogurt and drinking yogurt daily worked for my husband’s type 2 diabetes and for his friend also after he recommended it. Also a low carb diet if you can do it.

[HiveMind in reply to Hermother]

Thank you for your reply. I’m already on to the Benecol spread and am looking into the drinks as well as overhauling my diet/lifestyle.

[Painting-girl]

Hi Hivemind, the trick with statins is to find the right one for you - like many drugs different ones have different effects on different people. Work with your GP and make it very clear you aren't refusing treatment, and ask them to try another statin. My mum thought she couldn't tolerate them after a few goes, but we explained that to the GP and he prescribed one that has no ill effects at all on her. There's always another drug out there if the first ones have side effects.Otherwise lose weight if needed, eat a lower fat diet ( though avoid low fat processed foods like margarine which don't help) and see if you can increase your exercise even if it's an extra walk?

Good luck, and you might be one of the many people that have no issues with statins after all.

[HiveMind in reply to Painting-girl]

Thanks for your reply. I’m going to assess all options once my test results come back and go from there.

[catrabb1t]

My husband was phoned by the surgery nurse offering statins because of high cholesterol. He was confused because it had always been low. We discussed it and he tried to discuss it with her in a separate conversation stating that the widely reported side effects of statins were issues he was already dealing with and surely an alternative form of medicine should be discussed. No alternative medicine was offered. I told him to see an actual GP and he waited 3 weeks for the appointment. The GP said his cholesterol blood test was only 11 and the cut off was 10, the result of 11 definitely does not require statins.

The GP said he understood why the nurse believed statins were needed. All results of the various blood tests are inputted and an overall number is given. The nurse had acted on this overall number alone without looking at the cholesterol individually!! Had he listened to the nurse he would be on statins now !!

I'm sharing this in case it applies to you....

My dad took statins and he was on other medication too. He had side affects which could have been attributed to the statins. His GP surgery gave him an alternative medicine to statins which is an injection in the stomach. He has done well on it. It is a lot more costly than statins. As a side note - in the discussion phase about statins with the nurse, my husband was told that our surgery does not offer this injection. I felt angry at the time that they only offered statins which had a high chance of making him sick by increasing the severity symptoms he had already been experiencing for years.

[HiveMind in reply to catrabb1t]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m due to have an appointment with my consultant shortly, so I’m going to be bringing up the subject of statins. I’m not entirely convinced that I can’t reduce my cholesterol levels by diet. We shall see.

[Gela64]

Hi, my husband also had severe side effects from statins, so he has been put on Ezetimibe plus Bezafibrate. His cholesterol is sufficiently well controlled now (he has familial hypercholesterolaemia).

Best of luck!

[HiveMind in reply to Gela64]

Thanks for sharing.

[lcd8]

Hi there. I'm afraid I can't help with your questions. I just wanted to say that exactly the same thing happened to me in 2016. Something happened that I still don't really understand. But I suddenly came over strange. I was hoping I was just tired so I went to bed. But the next day things looked really strange and I couldn't walk properly. Doctor said it sounded like a stroke so called an ambulance to take me to hospital. After many tests hospital said I'd had a 'stroke mimic'', which gave symptoms of a stroke but no actual stroke. I had intensive physio to help me walk and talk again and did my exercises religiously. And eventually I did get better. But the cause is still unknown.

[HiveMind in reply to lcd8]

Thanks for your response. Your experience is very interesting. I actually had a brain scan which apparently showed that I’d had a mild stroke. I guess I can’t argue with that! I don’t seem to have any after effects though so….. I always thought having a stroke meant that you’d be left with significant damage of some sort so I’m a bit perplexed. I don’t have another consultation with my stroke Dr until November so I plan to discuss everything with her then.