Thyroid problems and cholesterol

[T1S1H1T4]

Hi I’ve been hypothyroid for over thirty years I’ve had to stop Statins yet again because of severe side effects, I was onRosuvastatin for 5 months. Noticed extensive muscle pain on top of chronic back and sciatic pain. No energy felt like you was dying. Now my cholesterol is back up to 8.6.my bad fats are up too. I don’t know what to do! Pearl

[asiatic]

To put your mind at rest about the need to take statins you might want to read blogs by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick or his books eg. The clot Thickens. He quotes evidence that shows people with higher cholesterol levels live longer!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

High cholesterol levels are linked to thyroid levels not being good enough, low Ft3 especially

When adequately treated for hypothyroidism cholesterol levels should reduce

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis) diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease

Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s

Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis. Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.

In U.K. medics never call it Hashimoto’s, just autoimmune thyroid disease (and they usually ignore the autoimmune aspect)

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally before 9am last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options and money off codes

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Please add most recent thyroid results

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

[SlowDragon Administrator]

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

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.

[greygoose]

The first thing to do would be to get full thyroid testing:

TSH

FT4

FT3

TPO/Tg antibodies - unless you already know you have Hashi's

vit D

vit B12

folate

ferritin

High cholesterol levels are linked to low FT3 levels, not statin-deficiency. Far healthier to have high cholesterol that take statins. The cholesterol won't kill you, the statins might.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Like you my cholesterol tends to be on the high side and I tried statins for a while - I stopped very quickly because I could barely walk after a couple of weeks.

When I had Graves’ disease - overactive thyroid with antibodies - my cholesterol was the lowest it has ever been. Got my thyroid sorted out and my TSH has been creeping up - my cholesterol has been creeping up too. The two are linked.

I suppose if you are overweight it would help if you could lose some weight but it can be difficult if your thyroid is under active and your medication isn’t quite right., I really like the book A Statin Free Life by Dr Aseem Malhotra that’s well worth reading as is Malcolm Kendrick’s book.

[Batty1]

I have the same issue every statin Ive taken has killed me in matter of weeks and my cholesterol is through the roof. Crazy

[T1S1H1T4 in reply to Batty1]

Hi Batty, ask the Dr to check your thyroid, explain to him what you have read and don’t take any more statins, maybe you should try the cure vinegar lemon an honey remedy for week or two then have it checked. Pk

[Batty1 in reply to T1S1H1T4]

I have no thyroid.