Im in a quandary, my last tests showed my bad cholestral at 8, pretty shocking....
Despite using all the advertised spreads and drinks to help my diet, which is very low dairy anyway.My doc warns me Im at high risk of stroke/hear attack...I take amlodipine 5mg &omlitec 20mg.+ 2mg doxozosin for high blood pressure, and of course thyroxine....PLEASE anyone what should I do ???
How much thyroxine? Not enough, apparently. High cholesterol is a symptom of low thyroid and it should go down when you're properly treated with thyroid hormone.
In your place, I would definately not take statins. They will do you more harm than good. They are the biggest con of the century and are making Big Pharma big bucks. They can - and do - cause diabetis and all sorts of other horrors.
In your place, I would insist on an increase in thyroxine. Your high blood pressure is more than likely due to your hypo, too. Do you have any blood test results to share with us? With ranges, of course.
Hugs, Grey
Thank you so much for confirming what I had read about statins,I certainly wont be bullied into taking them, I have never asked for a printout of my levels, but I will do now.
My doc if very nice & I feel she is trying to help me...she has jiggled my dose around quite a bit lately, I was happy on 150 mg for 5 days, then 125 at the weekend, but she said I was Too high,,,so now alternating days, so far Im sleeping better so fingers crossed.x
Got to agree with Greygoose statins are the work of the devil, and only help the drug companies and dr who are paid to prescribe them, x x
Here here!
and again here here!
Statins inhibit cholesterol, which is a vital substance for life, and the precursor to many important hormones, such as steroid hormones, bile acids and vitamin D.
If cholesterol is high, it suggests a problem somewhere further down the system -- cholesterol isn't being taken up and converted into the hormones that you need, but is building up in the blood.
That could be due to a lack of thyroid hormones, but it could also be contributions from other deficiencies, because certain vitamins and minerals are required to make enzymes that enable the conversion processes from cholesterol into something else.
I fail to see how reducing the production of cholesterol (which is what statins do) is going to help with the cause of the high cholesterol - it's just a band aid and comes with many undesireable side effects.
Taking statins is going to make your cholesterol number come down, but that's just a number. I believe (although you should definitely check this out for yourself) that statins have minimal effect on the risk of heart disease, and in women who have never had a heart attack, they've not been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack AT ALL. (I think there is a small effect on people who have already had a heart attack, and some doctors believe that effect may have nothing to do with the effect on cholesterol, but might be another mechanism entirely.)
As well as looking into your thyroid treatment, you could ask to have your vitamin D and iron levels checked.
I agree with all of the above 
I do too agree with the above. High cholesterol is a symptom of hypothyroidism because our metabolism is so slow. If you get a copy of your latest thyroid gland blood test results and post complete with the ranges, someone will comment. Your GP may be one who thinks it is correct to keep your TSH 'within range' which is wrong, we should have a TSH 1 or below.
thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...
There was also a video by a heart surgeon posted on the need for cholesterol but cannot find it at present.
......over 80% of cholesterol is produced in the body. What we consume in our food is a very small amount. The Food Companies are just as bad as Big Pharma - making money out of speialist foods claiming this and that will lower your cholesterol. Cholesterol is there for a reason.
The brain needs cholesterol - lots - and that is possibly why the body produces what you need naturally. Years before the dreaded TSH test doctors assumed you were hypo if your cholesterol was high.
Check out cholesterol on drmyhill.co.uk and many others on the net have words of wisdom too. Dr Peatfield mentions it in his book - The Thyroid and How to keep it Healthy.
I agree with others above that you are probably inadequately treated - and when you are your blood pressure will stabalise too.
Good Luck........
Here here again! I am very, very anti-statin due the havoc they have wrecked with someone dear to me. There is information all over the net about how bad statins are. How can doctors miss it all and keep prescribing them??? It really is a mystery...
......guess it's all to do with money....sorry to hear about your dear friend suffering.....
Thank you, Marz. And yes, money, money, money! It's just amazing how greedy Big Pharma can be. One thing you can be sure of, they're not in it for your health! It's disgusting.
But don't doctors take an oath to do no harm? That's exactly what they are doing!!!
I totally agree, greygoose although one thing my ex GP told me after I insisted I didn't want to take statins was that he wouldn't take them either! So why are they prescribing them to their patients? I said I wanted to try and get my cholesterol down with diet but I did take Cynara (extract of Globe Artichoke - A. Vogel company) which did bring my cholesterol down. Why do they want everyone to have a cholesterol level of about 4 when we're all different individuals. I try to keep away from GPs as much as I can. I'd rather see a herbalist. All these chemicals they pump into us is dangerous.
Herbs can be pretty dangerous too, if you take the wrong thing! Certain herbs should not be taken if you are hypo.
The point about cholesterol is that it isn't as dangerous as they wish us to believe. It isn't going to give you a heart attack. Also, most cholesterol is made by your liver, very little comes from what you eat - believe me, mine is too low and all the butter, cream, eggs, etc that I cram into me won't raise it. If your cholesterol is too high, then it means there is an internal problem, not that you're eating too much of it. A problem such as thyroid disease.
Cholesterol is necessary to make the sex hormones - testosterone, progesterone, etc. If we do not have enough cholesterol we become deficient in these hormones, and that can cause awful problems, just as being deficient in thyroid hormones can.
The problem as I see it - apart from greedy Big Pharma cashing in on our fears of heart attacks - is that doctors know nothing about hormones. They are scared of them and don't realise how important they are. Until they are educated in hormones, the nation will continue to be sick.
Hugs, Grey
Docs prescribe them because they are obligated to give you the choice. It is called evidenced based medicine and there is evidence it reduces your cholesterol. So let's say a person died secondary to cholesterol issues and the doc had never offered the patient the option of statin therapy, which to them is evidence based. Then the patient's family could theoretically sue the physician for malpractice. Between insurance companies and drug companies doc's can no longer prescribe the way they want to. It is $$$$$$ that drives the game, rarely the patients needs, unless you are informed and a good advocate for yourself. Remember prescribers are people just like you are, some you fit with, some you don't. When a doc suggests a med, tell him to write the RX, you will research the med and then decide where to go from there. Know your options-stay true to your beliefs but not just because you believe it but because you have an educated belief. Hoep this answers your ? ~*~
Same here. Stupid doctor gave my father statins at the age of 85! His walking days were over and the rest of his life was miserable. If only I knew then what I know now.
Oh, that is terrible. But with my friend, I did know what I know now! If you see what I mean. Twice I managed to persuade him to come off them, and twice the doctors bullied him into taking them again. He didn't even have high cholesterol! They said 'just in case'! (I was once given beta blockers 'just in case'! It's a scandle!!!) So, now, a fit, healthy man all his life has diabetes and prostate cancer - and I'm convinced the cancer is due to the statins due to low testosterone - although they are telling him it's because his testosterone is high!!! How could that possibly be on statins???? I'm sure they're lying, but no, we don't have the actual figures yet. Sigh.
Sorry, but I feel so angry about it, I want to hit someone. lol
Hugs, Grey
I can remember a few years ago, going for my yearly well women review at my dr surgery i ,think the person i saw must have been over all the dr there cos the first thing she said was, i see you get free prescriptions ?, she looked at my notes asked me how i was feeling and then said i would like you to go onto statins, increase your blood pressure tablets and take antidepressants ! ..dream on i thought i had gradualy weaned myself down to a low dose of BP tablets so no way i was going to increase them......i listened to her rabbiting on,went home cancelled my follow up appointment with her and told my regular dr i wouldnt be seeing her again ........i very much doubt she was thinking of my well being lol .
Hi If your thyroid is not OK now then this is to be expected. Also have Porridge and apple ever day, actually lowers it. However, you must get the cholesterol down. I have had to take Statins for years. They certainly do not effect my thyroid. Start on half the prescribed dose or less, take time to build up to dose, less side effects. Another blood test 6 weeks after being on the full dose.
Best wishes,
Jackie
Thanks for that Jackie, but Im afraid I am even more confused now as the majority tell me that statins are poison, and do damage to liver & kidneys......??? think Il wait a while X
I am sure that I read some where that if you do take statins that you need coQ10 as well . Can't even remember why, but even telling you that, I agree with the majority of the people on here that they are a poison and money making for big pharma.
Jo xx
Sam there's a book called "The Great Cholesterol Con" which you might find very interesting. Of course all doctors don't agree but he makes a very good case as far as I'm concerned having seen what they did to my poor old Dad.
You can get it here:
abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Sear...
or on Amazon but it's cheaper on ABEbooks.
This is another site which gives Dr Kendrick a bit of opposition but it is very interesting all the same:
proteinpower.com/drmike/sta...
Maybe reading about it yourself will make you feel happier rather than listening to us going on about it
Thank you so much X
I forgot to say, my cholesterol was high and I was offered statins which I declined. My levo is just about right now and guess what??? Yes! Cholesterol is normal.
I had a cardiac event and couldn't get well-I just kept getting worse and worse until I couldn't get out of bed, was in terrible agonizing pain which pain meds didn't help. Pain Dr was frustrated. A year of this went by and I was thinking the cardiac event ruined my heart. But my son sent me a news letter from a well published heart DR who said that statins were the worst thing a person could take. He began listing the symptoms and I had every single one of them. I discontinued them that day and within 3 days my husband thought I had experienced a miracle. I was up, around, happy, thinking clearly but it took awhile for the pain to go away. Look up Rhabdomyolysis -not pretty. Ruined my liver. Had to be tested for a year to see if I would have to have a transplant.
I used to advocate to many of my patients to get off of them and see if they felt better-they did without exception. I posted earlier, Krill oil 3 day, get off red meat, stay with fish, pork lean chicken. I used to use no-flush niacin @2500 mg day but I think with the first two suggestions , one could get by with 500mg.
Save yourself-stay off of them~*~
The first thing I would do is check what my TSH and other thyroid bloods actually ARE... if they are in **optimal** ranges, (and i would guess they are NOT!) then the issue of thinking about Statins MIGHT need to be considered, but No.1 is get thyroid issues controlled first.
Once you know where you stand there, then there are plenty of other ways of reducing cholesterol if you actually DO need to, before considering statins... do some research on the MANY things you can do - eg. take Plant sterols (Beta sitosterol) fish oil, oats (watch carbs levels,, too many carbs are not good, keep to low glycaemic load ones), cinnamon, nuts esp walnuts and almonds), replace fats with olive oil, cut coffee intake, try green tea, exercise where possible, increase dietary fibre, don't smoke, take niacin (but beware, there can be problems with this so researc it!), possibly supplemtn magnesium.
There is a lot of info out there, so don't just take what I say (or anyone else) blindly, but many of these are known to have effect, so do your homework, there is a lot to do!
When or if they don't work, then think about statins, but beware, they rob you of Coenzyme Q10 and other substances such as selenium so it might be wise to supplement too.
Thank you for all your advice, I shall certainly do my very best to help myself x
What are your thyroid blood test results?
Hi Sam,
Zoë Harcombe has done loads of research on statins, here are a couple of features just for starters. I personally wouldn't take them.
It's worth going to Dr. John Briffa's website and searching statins as he has some very interesting papers on there.
My cholesterol has been high for as long as I can remember,a few doctors have tried to get me onto tablets,they don't agree with me so I don't take them.I will be 80 in March.
Margjean, I am the same as you nearly 78, and I will not take tatins.... I read book by a very learned doctor, and they can do more harm than good.
It is well known that Thyroxine helps to agrivate the problem so.......to hell I now enjoy my lurpack butter with olive oil along with loads of eggs, and take my chances....best of luck X
We had a member at the bowling club who nearly died through taking statins,he got liver inflammation,came off them and came good again. Another friend who is now 84 has been put on statins and had pancreatitis, he is not a drinker and has always been fit.Had start Taking statins when it started.
You sound like my husband,he now eats what he wants.Says he is too old to worry anymore.He is 81.
As a patient I would never ever take statins. They nearly killed me, I experienced every really bad side effect they are known for. They cause lethargy, muscle pain, fibromyalgia like symptoms, rhabdomyolysis, you name it. To me they are the equivalent of rat poison.
As a prescriber (ex) I would never prescribe them and would tell pts to get off of them quickly. Try using Krill Oil 3 tabs day, cut out fatty foods, and red meat ( meats, esp red meats full of hormones) and see how that works. Niacin (no flush) also helped me. You can get your cholesterol down naturally if you play around with these I believe. The controversial for some might be the Niacin but it worked for me at like 2500 mg day? Sounds like a lot but I suspect if you used 500-1000 daily with the krill and diet change you might be very surprised. Save your life-No to Statins-any of them! They used to think Krill was good at 30mg but have discovered a person really needs 90mg-or 3 tablets. Actually Krill comes in gel caps, and I have never experienced burping or fish blow back like fish oils do to me.
Hope this helps~*~
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