I was started on statins at the same time as the Levothyroxin because my cholesterol level was 8.
Just discovered this was probably not a good thing. NHS imply waiting to see how thyroid meds do in bringing down cholesterol first and also statins are more likely to cause muscle damage if hypothyroid (eek!)
A higher cholesterol is a clinical symptom of hypothyroidism because we have a low hormone level which causes cholesterol to rise. Unfortunately doctors are unaware of this phenomenon.
Our cholesterol begins to drop when we are on an optimum dose of levothyroxine and we shouldn't take statins as they are receiving a bad press as you state above. This is a couple more.
I don't know whether you can stop immediately if you wish to or have to gradually withdraw. Maybe someone will respond.
Always get a print-out of your thyroid hormone blood tests for your own records and make sure the ranges are quoted. Don't take levo on the morning of your test, take it after and have test as early as possible.
My cardiac specialist stopped my statins the day I saw him for an angiogram. His opinion was I shouldn't have been on them anyway as my cholesterol was fine. It was a gp put me on them when my total cholesterol went up to 6. I have since found out that higher total cholesterol actually runs in the family and when checked it is the HDL that is high so overall it is fine. I suffered no ill effects from stopping them straight away.
I've never been on statins (hooray!). However, my cholesterol was over 8 a couple of years ago when I was put on levothyroxine.
It took less than 8 weeks to reduce my cholesterol to just over 6.
Are you aware that elderly people with "high" cholesterol have better memories and a lower rate of mortality than those with "healthy" cholesterol levels?
You might find this article from the saintly Dr Kendrick worth a read. Pay particular attention to the graphs showing rates of mortality at different cholesterol levels.
....and here are a few more posts to mull over ! A good B12 supplement along with a B Complex containing folic Acid or Methylfolate will have a positive effect on the reduction of cholesterol. More people die with LOW cholesterol - as shown in research done on deaths in hospitals
When taking statins CoQ10 is destroyed in the cells - which reduces the energy levels - bet your Doc forgot to tell you that when he prescribed the statins.....
Look up Dr Malcolm Kendrick - who wrote - The Cholesterol Con.
I wa sput on statins when my TSH was around 5.8. I thought I was going to die. The next GP looked at my Tsh and put me on levo and I ahve never taken another stain pill and never will and my cholesterol reduced as my Tsh decreased Stains are vey bad news in my opinion
There is no such thing as good or bad cholesterol you need both! Your doctor should not have given you statins at all as they do indeed interfere with thyroxine uptake and are contra - indicated. They have horrific side effects too. The link between heart attacks / strokes and cholesterol is colloquial not direct but unfortunately doctors are PAID to prescribe statins.
I was given Simvastatin some years ago. Unfortunately I started them as we left for a camping holiday in the south of France. I felt awful right away, incredibly tired, I could barely walk because my muscles hurt so much but worst of all was that I felt SO depressed which was odd as I hadn't realised that could be a side effect until I got home and Googked like mad. I had the urge to curl up on a seat in the foetal position and just sleep, it was very strange indeed.
OH said to stop taking them but I didn't think I could, so he said to cut back. Bottom line - by the time we came home three weeks later I had cut back so often that I was no longer taking simvastatin and felt well again. I told my GP that I had felt so awful I wasn't wanting to continue with them
I have Graves and when I was first diagnosed and was really ill my cholesterol was very low - now that I've been on block and replace and my TSH has increased my cholesterol has shot back up to 7 again.
I was always pretty sure there was a direct link between thyroid and cholesterol. For me low TSH = low cholesterol and increased TSH = high cholesterol. I make oat bran muffins (delicious and I love them - very good for keeping one regular too) from a recipe in The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure then I found that the author has a chapter about thyroid problems and cholesterol and he says that ' as the thyroid produces less hormone, cholesterol levels rise' - my thoughts exactly. I'm going to discuss it with my GP next time I see her.
Well, I didn't take the statin last night and today I don't feel like death warmed up so am really hoping this is going to help me get to feel better.
We have been on a very 'healthy' diet since last September because husband had a heart attack / cardiac arrest - so it makes perfect sense that the thyroid gave me the high cholesterol and not the food!
I was told by doctor that cholesterol had come down from 8 to 4 since i was diagnosed/treated but he didn't tell me to drop the statins. Anyway I'll tell him I've stopped when I next go.
Marz, Should I be taking some CoQ10 or will that just right itself now I've stopped the statins?
What do you mean by a 'healthy' diet? Low fat? That isn't healthy.
a) Cholesterol doesn't come from the food you eat, it's made in the liver.
b) Cholesterol doesn't cause heart attacks, that idea was brought about by bad science and has since been debunked.
c) The body needs cholesterol, it's a necessary nutrient. The brain is mainly made up of cholelsterol, your heart needs cholesterol, you cell walls are made of cholesterol, your hormones are made of cholesterol.
d) There's no such thing as 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol. What is measured in your blood isn't even cholesterol, it's the carriers of the cholesterol. A carrier can't be good or bad.
e) Eating fat doesn't give you a heart attack, and it doesn't make you fat, either. Fat is a necessary nutrient. Those that eat the most fat, lose the most weight. Butter is a health food.
f) I think the others have covered all the other points. lol
Carry on with the Co Q 10/ubiquinol, hypos need it, too.
By a 'healthy diet' I meant the one normally recommended for a healthy heart. So no, not low fat but substituting some saturated fats with olive oil, more fish less meat, more white meat less red meat, oats, avocados, olives, walnuts, wholemeal flour, more veg and fruit, etc.
I gather 85% of cholesterol is made in the liver.
Three types of 'cholesterol' are tested - LDL, HDL and Trigs. It's just that most of us mere mortals who haven't had a heart attack aren't told and it is the ratio between the total and the HDL which is important. Low HDL can increase risk of heart attacks apparently. That's what I meant by 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol.
Yes, that's what everybody means by 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol, but LDL and HDL are the carriers, not the cholesterol itself. Low 'total' cholesterol can cause heart attacks.
Saturated fats aren't bad. It's trans fats that are bad. Even so, eating fat isn't going to raise your cholesterol. Eating too much sugar is more likely to do it than fat.
I think it's more than 85% made in the liver, but can't give figures. Even so, cholesterol is not, in any way, 'good' or 'bad', the enemy, it is a necessary nutrient and doesn't cause heart attacks. And if your so-called 'high' cholesterol is caused by low thyroid, the statins aren't likely to work anyway. Your doctor should know that, but he gets paid for prescribing them.
Oh dear, are trans fats still around? I thought they'd more or less disappeared off our supermarket shelves, but maybe that was just my wishful thinking.
If you take statins then you need CO-Q-10 to prevent muscle damage. If you are over 35 or 40 you will need Ubiquinol because your body loses the ability to convert the CO-Q-10 to the complete form.
Mine was 9.5 at one time when my levo was reduced. Now down to about 8 but statins is not something I would wish to take unless I had no other option. My cholesterol level is familial anyway but after reading The Great Cholesterol Con - I am not going to be worried about this reading. In fact if you have low cholesterol is it probably more dangerous!!
Please be careful because statins have been linked to diabetes and cancer. A more natural way to reduce cholesterol is to eat a handful of almonds every day. The downside with this is that almonds can affect the thyroid function in some hypothyroid people. The only way to try them and see how you feel afterwards.
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