Another question please re statins

[Katy14]

Dr rang this morning wants me on statins high cholesterol for few years now but

In the process of increasing levo dose tsh 7

I am 71

I have ckd

Not happy to take statins

What do you advise?

[Flecmac]

Hi I have also been told to take statins for few years and avoided it, however recently I told my NHS Endocrinologist about my worsening migraines as he knows my cholesterol is high with slightly raised BP. He told me to see my GP and that they should be monitoring me, also saying Beta blockers help reduce Cholesterol, BP and migraines. My GP prescribed Propranolol, which I have taken for a few days so 🤞 Good luck!!!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Katy14

In the process of increasing levo dose tsh 7

Well, you are way undermedicated to have such a high TSH, no wonder your cholesterol is high.

Not happy to take statins

So refuse them, it's your right. Under "Equality, Diversity & Inclusion":

Patients and their families have the right to be treated fairly and be routinely involved in decisions about their treatment and care

so if you don't want to take them, don't.

Remind your GP that the NHS website tells patients:

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

People at an increased risk of side effects

being over 70 years old

and

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

You are way, way undertreated. The aim of a treated Hypo patient on Levo only, generally, is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges. Even GO Online (which your GP should be able to access easily) says TSH should be no more than 2:

gponline.com/endocrinology-...

Under the section

Cardiovascular changes in hypothyroidism

Replacement therapy with levothyroxine should be initiated in all patients to achieve a TSH level of 0.5-2.0pmol/L.

[humanbean]

When your Levo is increased sufficiently to bring your TSH down to a healthier level your cholesterol will drop. There is no way of knowing how far it will drop, but your doctor must raise your Levo sufficiently to get it down to wherever you start to feel better. And that could be anything from less than 2, or less than 1.5 or less than 1.

I don't know if you've seen this before but it is worth studying :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

The NHS website mentions that hypothyroidism raises cholesterol, and statins shouldn't be offered until and unless the condition is properly treated :

Quote :

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

Source : nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

On the subject of statins and cholesterol the dangers of cholesterol have been massively over-hyped. See these links :

drmalcolmkendrick.org/2012/...

In the above link notice what happens to the levels of overall mortality in the graphs as cholesterol level rises.

Another useful link :

spacedoc.com/articles/50-fa...

And the following link is to a diabetes forum where they have a thread with lots of links on the subject of cholesterol and statins :

diabetes.co.uk/forum/thread...

From the same forum as the above link :

diabetes.co.uk/forum/thread...

[Timbutdim]

Are there food stuffs in your diet that could be removed to bring your cholesterol down?? Butter and cream, cakes biscuits are not good for cholesterol.